Adjustable hold-down assembly for a sickle cutter system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9622405-B2
Application number	US-201314104129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2013
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A sickle cutting apparatus includes a plurality of triple finger knife guards which are arranged side by side along the cutter bar to cooperate with a reciprocating sickle bar carrying a row of double blade knife sections and a set of hold-down members carrying hold-down fingers. The hold-down members are arranged alternately as a single finger and double finger with each hold-down member being connected to the cutter bar in association with a respective triple guard. In this way the hold-down fingers are arranged at alternate guard fingers leaving the intervening guard fingers open. The system includes both pointed guards with no tang and stub guard so that the user can select either to be used with the hold-downs. The hold down fingers are all individually adjustable so that the double hold-down have two adjustment screws which can be individually operated causing flexing of the bridge between the double fingers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sickle cuffing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of stationary knife guards arranged to be mounted along a cutter bar;
a sickle bar mounted in transversely extending position and arranged to be driven for reciprocating movement relative to said knife guards;
the sickle bar having a plurality of knife blades mounted thereon for movement therewith;
each of the knife blades having a cutting surface for passing across the knife guards;
each of the knife blades having on first and second sides first and second side cutting edges;
each knife guard comprising:
a base portion arranged to be mounted on the cutter bar;
at least one guard finger mounted on the base portion so that the guard fingers are arranged to be mounted in a row along the cutter bar;
each guard finger having an upwardly facing ledger surface with opposed side edges thereof arranged to provide first and second shearing edges which cooperate with said side cutting edges of said knife blades;

and a plurality of hold-down members arranged to be mounted along the cutter bar;
each hold-down member comprising a base mounting member arranged to be attached to the cutter bar;
each hold-down member comprising two hold-down fingers thereon carried on the base mounting member arranged to be at positions spaced longitudinally of the cutter bar so as to be cantilevered forwardly from the cutter bar to a position of a front tip of each hold-down finger located at a settable spacing in front of the sickle bar above the ledger surface of a respective one of the guard fingers;
wherein each of the base mounting members is arranged to be attached to the cutter bar by at least two threaded fasteners passing through the cutter bar and through the base mounting member which can be adjusted to tighten the base mounting member onto the cutter bar;
the threaded fasteners having axes of the threaded fasteners lying at spaced positions along an imaginary line longitudinally of the cutter bar;
wherein each of said hold-down fingers is arranged to be adjustable on the cutter bar to change said settable spacing thereof;
wherein each of said hold-down fingers is pivotal relative to the cutter bar about a fulcrum extending longitudinally of the cutter bar and located at a position forwardly of said imaginary line;
wherein each of the two hold-down fingers includes a respective adjustment screw for individual adjustment of each of the hold-down fingers by extension of the respective adjustment screw, where each of the adjustment screws is located at a position rearwardly of said imaginary line;
and wherein the two hold-down fingers are connected by an arrangement which is which is shaped and arranged to provide lateral strength between the two hold-down fingers and to be sufficiently flexible to allow twisting thereof to provide said individual adjustments by allowing each of the hold-down fingers to be adjusted independently of the other.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said fulcrum and said adjustment screws are located relative to said imaginary line such that said hold-down fingers are adjustable by extension of said respective adjustment screw to reduce said settable spacing without adjustment of said threaded fasteners.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum is arranged at a position spaced forward of said imaginary line by a distance less than a radius of the threaded fasteners.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum is located such that there is slight sliding movement of the fulcrum rearwardly when the adjustment screw is extended.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the fulcrum comprises an apex of a rib along the base mounting member arranged longitudinally of the cutter bar.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the hold-down member including the hold-down fingers and the base mounting member comprises an integral member with a bottom surface including the fulcrum arranged to directly contact an upper surface of the cutter bar with no intervening elements.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the threaded fasteners each include a shoulder engaging an upper surface of the hold-down member and wherein the upper surface includes a curved surface at least forwardly of the imaginary apex line to allow rotation of the hold-down member on said shoulder during said extension of the adjustment screw.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of the guard fingers comprises a stub guard finger with a front tip thereof behind a front tip of the knife blades.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of the guard fingers comprises a pointed guard finger with a pointed front tip thereof in front of a front tip of the knife blades.

10. A sickle cutting apparatus comprising:
a plurality of stationary knife guards arranged to be mounted along a cutter bar;
a sickle bar mounted in transversely extending position and arranged to be driven for reciprocating movement relative to said knife guards;
the sickle bar having a plurality of knife blades mounted thereon for movement therewith;
each of the knife blades having a cutting surface for passing across the knife guards;
each of the knife blades having on first and second sides first and second side cutting edges;
each knife guard comprising:
a base portion arranged to be mounted on the cutter bar;
at least one guard finger mounted on the base portion so that the guard fingers are arranged to be mounted in a row along the cutter bar;
each guard finger having an upwardly facing ledger surface with opposed side edges thereof arranged to provide first and second shearing edges which cooperate with said side cutting edges of said knife blades;

and a plurality of hold-down members arranged to be mounted along the cutter bar;
each hold-down member comprising a base mounting member arranged to be attached to the cutter bar;
each hold-down member comprising two hold-down fingers thereon carried on the base mounting member arranged to be at positions spaced longitudinally of the cutter bar so as to be cantilevered forwardly from the cutter bar to a position of a front tip of each hold-down finger located at a settable spacing in front of the sickle bar above the ledger surface of a respective one of the guard fingers;
wherein each of the base mounting members is arranged to be attached to the cutter bar by at least two threaded fasteners passing through the cutter bar and through the base mounting member which can be adjusted to tighten the base mounting member onto the cutter bar;
the threaded fasteners having axes of the threaded fasteners lying at spaced positions along an imaginary line longitudinally of the cutter bar;
wherein each of said hold-down fingers is arranged to be adjustable on the cutter bar to change said settable spacing thereof;
wherein each of said hold-down fingers is pivotal relative to the cutter bar about a fulcrum extending longitudinally of the cutter bar and located at a position forwardly of said imaginary line;
wherein each of the two hold-down fingers includes a respective adjustment screw for individual adjustment of each of the hold-down fingers by extension of the respective adjustment screw, where each of the adjustment screws is located at a position rearwardly of said imaginary line;
wherein the two hold-down fingers are connected by a single bridge member which defines a bridge between the two hold-down fingers which is shaped and arranged to provide lateral strength between the two hold-down fingers and to be sufficiently flexible to allow twisting thereof to provide said individual adjustments by allowing each of the hold-down fingers to be adju

Assignees

• Macdon Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Talbot Francois R
• Parsonage Dory

Classifications

• A01D34/14

  Knife-bars · CPC title

• A01D34/17 Primary

  Holding-down devices for the knife · CPC title

• A01D34/18

  Guard fingers; Ledger-plates · CPC title