Crop conveyor deck with adjustable discharge angle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736983-B2
Application number	US-201615132847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.

First claim

At least the following is claimed:

1. A windrower having mechanism for harvesting crop material from a field and for discharging the harvested crop material as the windrower advances along a field, the windrower comprising:
a chassis;
a header coupled to the chassis and located at a front of the windrower to harvest crop material as the windrower advances along a field and discharge the harvested crop in a rearwardly directed stream;
a crop conveyor system comprising:
a frame coupled to the chassis with a structural assembly configured to move the frame relative the chassis between an operational, lowered position and a non-operational, raised position, the frame comprising a first portion and a second portion and a pivot joint that enables plural angular adjustments, within a predetermined range of angular adjustments, between the first and second portions such that a distal end of the second portion is positioned at a higher elevation relative the field than an elevation of a proximal end of the second portion adjacent the pivot joint;
a first frame bracket attached to one side of the frame in the second portion;
a second frame bracket attached to the one side of the frame in the first portion;
an actuable device that couples the first frame bracket and the second frame bracket throughout the predetermined range;
plural rollers coupled to the frame, wherein a first group of the plural rollers are coupled to the first portion of the frame and a second group of the plural rollers are coupled to the second portion of the frame; and
a conveying medium moveable across the plural rollers such that a first section of the conveying medium across the first group of rollers is oriented at an angle different than a second section of the conveying medium across the second group of rollers when the first and second portions are oriented at any of the plurality of angles relative to each other within the predetermined range and configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower, the frame being mounted for adjusting movement between the operational, lowered position in which the crop material is directed onto the conveying medium and the non-operational, raised position in which the stream of crop material is directed onto the ground away from the conveying medium, wherein in the operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion.

2. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein the frame further comprises one or more guide members proximal to the pivot joint, the one or more guide members providing a hindrance to movement of the conveying medium in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the conveying medium proximal to the pivot joint.

3. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein one of the plural rollers comprises a drive roller, and further comprising a motor that is configured to cause movement of the drive roller, which in turn causes movement of the conveying medium across the plural rollers.

4. The windrower of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first frame bracket attached to one side of the frame in the second portion and coupled to the pivot joint; and
a second frame bracket attached to the one side of the frame in the first portion; and
an actuable device that couples the first frame bracket and the second frame bracket throughout the predetermined range.

5. The windrower of claim 4 , further comprising control system comprising a controller, the control system further comprising a user interface residing in a cab of the windrower, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the actuable device to cause angular adjustment according to one of the plural angular adjustments.

6. The windrower of claim 5 , wherein the control system further comprises a sensor to detect an angular position either between the first and second portions or of one of the first or second portions relative to a predetermined position.

7. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein a discharge end of the frame on one side of the windrower extends to approximately an outside dimension of and in parallel with one side of the header.

8. A windrower having mechanism for harvesting crop material from a field and for discharging the harvested crop material as the windrower advances along a field, the windrower comprising:
a chassis;
a header coupled to the chassis and located at a front of the windrower to harvest crop material as the windrower advances along a field and discharge the harvested crop in a rearwardly directed stream;
a crop conveyor system comprising:
a plurality of rollers, the plurality of rollers comprising a first group of rollers and a second group of rollers;
a conveying medium moveable across the plurality of rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower;
a frame coupled to the chassis with a structural assembly configured to move the frame relative the chassis between an operational, lowered position in which the crop material is directed onto the conveying medium and a non-operational, raised position in which the stream of crop material is directed onto the ground away from the conveying medium, the frame comprising a first portion and a second portion with a pivot joint in between said first and second portions, wherein the first group of rollers are coupled to the first portion and the second group of rollers is coupled to the second portion; and
an actuable device configured to move the second portion and the second group of rollers relative to the first portion and the first group of rollers about the pivot joint such that a first section of the conveying medium across the first group of rollers is oriented at an angle different than a second section of the conveying medium across the second group of rollers such that an angle of trajectory relative the ground of crop material leaving the conveying medium is different than an angle of movement relative the ground of crop material on the first section of the conveying medium.

9. The windrower of claim 8 , wherein the frame further comprises one or more guide members proximal to the pivot joint, the one or more guide members providing a hindrance to movement of the conveying medium in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the conveying medium proximal to the pivot joint.

10. The windrower of claim 8 , wherein one of the plurality of rollers comprises a drive roller, and further comprising a motor that is configured to cause movement of the drive roller, which in turn causes movement of the conveying medium across the plurality of rollers.

11. The windrower of claim 8 further comprising control system comprising a controller, the control system further comprising a user interface residing in a cab of the windrower, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the actuable device.

12. The windrower of claim 11 , wherein the control system further comprises a sensor to detect an angular position either between the first and second portions or of one of the first or second portions relative to a predetermined position.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Treffer Douglas R
• Jost Daniel S
• Bollinger Shane A

Classifications

• A01D43/04 Primary

  with haymakers, e.g. tedders · CPC title