Swath roller with controlled anchoring force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807936-B2
Application number	US-201615059676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Jun 18, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A swath roller apparatus is adapted to be attached to a swather, where the swather is operative to cut standing crop plants and lay cut plants in a swath as the swather moves along the ground in an operating travel direction. A drum is rotatably attached to an axle that is adapted to be movably attached to a rear portion of the swather such that the axle is oriented substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the operating travel direction, and such that the drum moves up and down and rolls along a top of the swath exerting a downward anchoring force on the swath. A bias element is operative to exert a bias force on the axle, and a bias force control is operative to vary the bias force to vary the anchoring force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of swathing a crop comprising:
moving a swather along the ground in an operating travel direction such that the swather cuts standing crop plants and lays the cut plants in a swath behind the swather supported on standing stubble of the cut crop plants;
rotatably attaching a drum to a rear portion of the swather such that a rotational axis of the drum is oriented substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the operating travel direction;
allowing the drum to move up and down and roll along a top of the swath such that the drum exerts a downward anchoring force on the swath and pushes the swath into the standing stubble;
exerting a bias force on the drum and manipulating a bias force control to vary the bias force in an upward or downward direction to vary the anchoring force in response to variations in the crop as the swather moves along the ground from an anchoring force greater than a weight of the drum to an anchoring force less than a weight of the drum.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the bias element is provided by connecting a first port of a hydraulic cylinder to a pressurized hydraulic fluid source of the swather such that the bias force is directed in one of an upward and downward direction, and manipulating the bias force control to vary a bias pressure in the hydraulic cylinder to vary the bias force, and allowing hydraulic fluid to move into and out of the hydraulic cylinder through the first port in response to forces exerted on the hydraulic cylinder that are greater or less than the bias force.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising directing pressurized hydraulic fluid through a second port of the hydraulic cylinder such that the bias force is directed in the other of the upward and downward directions.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising directing pressurized hydraulic fluid through one of the first and second ports at an increased bias pressure to raise the drum above the swath.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising limiting downward movement of the drum to a lowest location where the drum is above the ground.

Assignees

• Bourgault Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Miller Gerry Lee

Classifications

• A01D57/30 Primary

  Rotating attachments for forming windrows · CPC title

• A01D43/04

  with haymakers, e.g. tedders · CPC title

• A01D91/04 Primary

  Products growing above the soil (fruit, hops A01D46/00) · CPC title