Longitudinal leaf stripper and corresponding beet harvesting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018317382-A1
Application number	US-201615773963-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 3, 2016
Priority date	Nov 6, 2015
Publication date	Nov 8, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The beet head trimming apparatus for a beet-harvesting machine comprises a frame, two flail hubs rotatable about an axis, flails, which are designed in order to remove leaves from beets remaining in the ground, and a drive in order to drive the flail hubs with respect to the frame. The drive comprises a motor and a gearbox and the flails are movably attached to the flail hubs. The motor and the gearbox are attached to the frame. The frame has mechanical coupling means for coupling the frame with the beet-harvesting machine. The beet head trimming apparatus has electrical and/or hydraulic coupling means for coupling the motor with an electrical and/or hydraulic energy source. The beet head trimming apparatus is a module that can be handled separately from the beet-harvesting machine.

First claim

1 - 10 . (canceled)

11 . A beet head trimming apparatus for a beet-harvesting machine with
a frame, at least two flail hubs, wherein each flail hub is attached rotatably about a respective axis of rotation to the frame, a plurality of flails, which are designed, in order to remove leaves or leaf bases from beets remaining in the ground or in order to remove leaf bases from topped beets remaining in the ground, and a drive, designed in order to drive the flail hubs with respect to the frame, wherein the drive comprises a motor and a gearbox, wherein each flail is movably attached to one of the flail hubs, preferably is hinged, characterized in, that the motor and the gearbox are attached to the frame, that the frame has mechanical coupling means for coupling the frame with a beet-harvesting machine, that the beet head trimming apparatus has electrical or hydraulic coupling means for coupling the motor with an electrical or hydraulic energy source, and that the beet head trimming apparatus is a module, that can be handled separately from the beet-harvesting machine.

12 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that the beet head trimming apparatus has electrical and hydraulic coupling means for coupling the motor with an electrical and hydraulic energy source.

13 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that the gearbox is a gearbox, that has exclusively toothed or friction wheels in the force path from the motor to each of the flail hubs.

14 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that the gearbox is axially attached between the flail hubs.

15 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 14 , characterized in that the motor is also axially attached between the flail hubs.

16 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that at least two flails that are attached on a flail hub form a flail group and the flails of each flail group are arranged axially behind one another with respect to the flail hub axis.

17 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 16 , characterized in that at least one of the flails of the flail group has an effective axial length that is less than the maximum axial length of the beet head.

18 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 17 , characterized in that at least one of the flails of a flail group ( 36 ) has an effective axial length that is less than half the maximum axial length of the beet head.

19 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 17 , characterized in that the axial length of the at least one flail is between 1 cm and 8 cm.

20 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that at least one of the flails or each flail consists of plastic or elastomer.

21 . The beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 , characterized in that the motor is a hydraulic motor or an electrical motor.

22 . A beet-harvesting machine with a frame and at least one apparatus for topping a beet located in the ground, characterized in that the beet-harvesting machine has at least one beet head trimming apparatus according to claim 11 .

23 . The beet-harvesting machine according to claim 22 , characterized in that the beet-harvesting machine has at least two beet head trimming apparatuses and further comprising a carrier on which the beet head trimming apparatuses are attached.

24 . The beet harvesting machine according to claim 23 , characterized in that the beet-harvesting machine has a height adjustment device of the beet head trimming apparatus or an actuator, wherein the height adjustment device or the actuator is capable of vertically adjusting the carrier with respect to the frame.

25 . The beet-harvesting machine according to claim 23 , characterized in that the beet-harvesting machine comprises an apparatus for topping the beets located in the ground and that this apparatus comprises flail blades.

26 . The beet-harvesting machine according to claim 25 , characterized in that the apparatus for topping the beets located in the ground comprises aftertopper blades.

Assignees

• Exel Ind

Inventors

• Richer Eduard
• Gallmeier Florian

Classifications

• A01D23/02 Primary

  cutting the tops before being lifted · CPC title

• A01D2023/026

  Devices with movable knives for topping, e.g. rotatable cutting disks · CPC title

• A01D33/02

  Foliage-separating mechanisms · CPC title

• A01D2023/022

  Rotatable cleaning devices, e.g. brushes, for removing the rests of vegetal material on the root-crops not yet harvested (with cutters A01D2023/026) · CPC title