Transport wheel arrangement for a crop harvesting header

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12520741-B2
Application number	US-202418595270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2024
Priority date	Apr 1, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

A header for a crop harvesting machine includes front and rear wheel arrangements that pivot about respective upright axis between a field orientation and a perpendicular transport orientation, while having respective suspensions arrangements movable between different suspended heights. A biasing spring provides lift assist to carry weight of the wheel arrangement during adjustment of the suspension elevation while being isolated from the suspension once set at any one elevation. The front wheel arrangement includes an anti-rotation latch that locks the front wheel in the field orientation automatically upon disconnection of a hitch arm. A second wheel of the rear wheel arrangement can be held in a raised position relative to a first wheel in a field orientation. Load bearing surfaces between the suspended rear wheels and the header frame abut one another when latching to the header frame to isolate the suspension from the header frame in the transport orientation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A header for a crop harvesting machine comprising:
a header frame having an elongate support structure arranged across a width of the header; a mounting assembly attached to the header frame for releasably mounting the header frame on a vehicle in an operating position of the header for movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested such that, when mounted on the vehicle, the header frame is supported on the vehicle in front of the vehicle for movement with the vehicle in a forward working direction transverse to the width of the header frame; the header frame having a plurality of support arms mounted on the support structure and extending therefrom forwardly of the working direction; a cutter bar extending across the width of the header having a cutter knife thereon for cutting a standing crop to be deposited into the header frame as the header is moved forwardly over the ground; a feed member mounted on the header frame for carrying the deposited crop along the header frame for collection at a discharge area of the header frame; a first wheel arrangement on the header frame adjacent a first end of the header frame; a second wheel arrangement on the header frame adjacent a second end of the header frame; a hitch arm arranged for connection to the first wheel arrangement at the first end of the header frame so as to apply a pulling force to the header from a tractor in a transport position of the header frame; each of the first and second wheel arrangements comprising:
a wheel frame coupled to the header frame;
an axle body supported on the wheel frame;
a ground wheel supported on the axle body for rotation about a respective wheel axis;
the ground wheel being pivotal together with the axle body relative to the wheel frame between a transport rolling orientation corresponding to the wheel axis of the respective wheel being oriented in the forward working direction of the header frame and a field rolling orientation corresponding to the wheel axis of the respective wheel being oriented transversely to the forward working direction for rolling of the wheel in the forward working direction;
the first wheel arrangement further comprising:
a receiver mounted on the axle body and arranged to matingly connect with a mounting portion of the hitch arm;
an anti-rotation member movable between a locked position coupled between the axle body and the wheel frame to prevent pivotal movement of the axle body relative to the wheel frame from the field rolling orientation to the transport rolling orientation and an unlocked position in which pivotal movement of the axle body relative to the wheel frame is unrestricted by the anti-rotation member;
a biasing member acting on the anti-rotation member so as to bias the anti-rotation member towards the locked position;
an actuator member coupled to the receiver so as to be movable between a hitched position when the mounting portion of the hitch arm is mated with the receiver on the axle body and an unhitched position when the hitch arm is disconnected from the receiver;
the actuator member being operatively connected to the anti-rotation member such that the anti-rotation member is displaced against the biasing member into the unlocked position in response to the actuator member being displaced into the hitched position by the mounting portion of the hitch arm being mated with the receiver on the axle body.

2 . The header according to claim 1 wherein the ground wheel of the first wheel arrangement is fixed in orientation relative to the receiver.

3 . The header according to claim 1 wherein the actuator member is pivotal relative to the axle body between the hitched position and the unhitched position.

4 . The header according to claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation member is supported on the receiver so as to be slidable relative to the receiver between the locked position and the unlocked position thereof.

5 . The header according to claim 1 wherein the actuator member is a latch acting to retain the mounting portion of the hitch arm retained on the receiver in the hitched position such that the mounting portion of the hitch arm cannot be removed from the receiver until the actuator member is displaced away from the hitched position.

6 . The header according to claim 1 wherein the actuator member includes an open position in which the receiver is able to receive the mounting portion of the hitch arm thereon, and wherein the actuator member is movable relative to the axle body in a common closing direction from the open position to the hitched position when the hitch arm is mated with the receiver and from the hitched position to the unhitched position when the hitch arm is separated from the receiver, the actuator member being coupled to the anti-rotation member such that the biasing member acting on the anti-rotation member also biases the actuator member from the open position, through the hitched position, to the unhitched position.

Assignees

• Macdon Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Lyons Russell George
• Beamish Glen Frank

Classifications

• A01D75/002

  Carriers for the transport of harvesters or mowers · CPC title

• A01D41/145 Primary

  Header lifting devices · CPC title

• A01B63/006

  Lateral adjustment of wheels · CPC title

• A01B73/005 Primary

  for endwise transportation, i.e. the direction of transport being substantially perpendicular to the direction of agricultural operation (A01B73/02 takes precedence) · CPC title