And Cooperating Means For Feeder Patents (Class 460/20)
  • Patent number: 11510367
    Abstract: Crop is carried into a feed opening of a harvester by two side drapers, two rear back sheets defining an opening between inner edges, a central feed draper and a roller with end flight portions and a central finger portion located above the feed draper. In this geometry, a bottom tangent to the flight portions has a position which is at a height below the rear edge of the side drapers. The roller axis of the feed roller is behind the rear edge of the side drapers and behind a common plane containing the back sheets. The inner guide roller of each of the first and second side drapers is located inwardly of the inner edge of the first back sheet and inwardly of an outer end of the end flight portion. A forward most tangent to the flight portions projects forward of or proud of the common back sheet plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MACDON INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventors: Andrew Bell, Bruce Shearer
  • Patent number: 9144197
    Abstract: Improved headers of a combine harvester are disclosed. The headers include structure in the form of upper and lower infeed conveyors which cooperate to maintain compressive contact with a flow of crop material that is being conveyed by the belts to the header outlet regardless of the flow characteristics of the mat of material being conveyed. The result is a consistent flow of crop material being passed through the header which results in more efficient harvester operation and more productive crop yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventor: Ryan Gahres
  • Patent number: 7520113
    Abstract: A reverse drive engaging mechanism for a feeder of an agricultural combine, including a power unit including a drive motor having an output gear drivingly rotatable by the motor about an output axis therethrough, and support structure supporting the power unit and configured to be fixedly mounted proximate to a drive gear of a mechanism to be reversed. The support structure supports the power unit such that when the support structure is mounted the output axis will be substantially parallel to a drive axis about which the drive gear is rotatable, and the support structure allows the power unit to be moved substantially linearly in a transverse direction relative to the axes between a disengaged position wherein the output gear is disengaged from the drive gear, and an engaged position wherein the output gear is engaged with the drive gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventors: Orlin W. Johnson, Guy N. Thedford, George R. Vater
  • Publication number: 20090017885
    Abstract: In a method for processing swathed crops, the entire cut crop is picked from the field and transported to a processing facility located away from the field. The processing facility has a threshing apparatus which separates grain from the cut crop, leaving a crop residue comprising plant stalks, chaff, and other constituents of the cut crop. The separated grain is conveyed from the threshing apparatus to a grain storage bin or directly to a transport truck for delivery to a grain terminal. The processing facility also includes crop residue handling means for conveying crop residue to a bulk storage pile, to a baling machine, or to some other selected location. The method makes field baling operations unnecessary, thus expediting the total removal of the crop from the field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventor: Floyd W. HALLS
  • Patent number: 7462101
    Abstract: A rotor, in an agricultural harvester crop processing unit, comprising a drum to which crop processing elements for an infeed section and a threshing section are affixed. The drum comprises a rearward cylindrical portion and a forwardly extending frusto-conical portion. The frusto-conical portion is divided into an aft-region adjacent to the rearward cylindrical portion of the drum, and a fore-region. The infeed section has at least one infeed element located on the fore-region of the frusto-conical portion of the drum. The crop processing section has at least one crop processing element located on the aft-region of the frusto-conical portion of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Sheldon Joseph Grywacheski, Glenn Everett Pope, Jason Michael Healy, Jeffrey Ray Payne, Ryan Scott Herlyn, Ryan Patrick Mackin, Kevin Laverne Ehrecke
  • Patent number: 6895734
    Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine is includes a first gathering element (14) adapted to be driven by a first drive mechanism (161) so as to gather crop and to feed the crop in a direction substantially opposite to a direction of motion of the harvesting machine. A second gathering element (16) is adapted to receive the crop from the first gathering element (14) and is further adapted to be driven so as to transfer the crop in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of motion. Intake elements (20, 21, 26, 27) are adapted to receive the crop from the second gathering element (16). The second gathering element (16) and intake elements (20, 21, 26, 27) are adapted to be driven at related rates. The first gathering element (14) is driveable at a rate independent from a driven rate of the second gathering element (16) and the intake elements (20, 21, 26, 27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: CNH America LLC
    Inventor: Danny Roger Ameye
  • Publication number: 20010054279
    Abstract: The invention relates to a self-propelled combine harvester having a ground drive assembly, a frame, working implements for picking up, conveying, processing and expelling the harvested crop, drive devices for driving at least one meshing and feed drum, which functions on the tangential flow principle. The feed drum feeds the harvested crop to the separating rotors, which function on the axial flow principle and are rotatably mounted in rotor housings. Conveying implements are mounted on the separating rotors. A rotor core of the separation rotors has a substantially cylindrical basic shape on the outer contour where the conveying implements are mounted. The rotor core tapers from narrow to wide in a direction away from the feed drum. Side panels are operatively mounted on the rotor housing in the frontal pickup region thereof to improve the transfer of the harvested crop from the feed drum to the rotor housings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2001
    Publication date: December 27, 2001
    Inventor: Berthold Schwersmann
  • Patent number: 6247296
    Abstract: The invention concerns a drive arrangement of a crop conveying and/or processing mechanism of a harvesting machine with an internal combustion engine (25) that is arranged to drive the crop conveying and/or processing mechanism through power transmission elements in a first operating mode in a first direction at a first speed, and a reversible motor (86) that is arranged to drive the crop conveying and/or processing mechanism in a second operating mode at a second speed in a second direction that differs from the first direction. The drive arrangement is also able to be driven in one or both of third and fourth operating modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Deere & Comapny
    Inventors: Klaus Becker, Bernd Kempf, Jörg Weissig
  • Patent number: 5980383
    Abstract: An attachment for an auger of a harvesting machine reduces or essentially eliminates residue build-up on the auger of the harvesting machine. The attachment includes a paddle, which is adapted to be secured to the auger between the flighting of the auger, and at least one projecting member which extends from the paddle and projects above the flighting of the auger for breaking up crop residue which tends to build up above the auger. The projecting member is secured to the paddle by at least one fastener, for example a bolt, a screw, or a rivet. Preferably, the projecting member comprises metal, plastic, or polymeric material, such as ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or a high density polyethylene. In one form, the paddle and the projecting member are integrally formed to provide a unitary construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Inventor: William A. Medley
  • Patent number: 5733192
    Abstract: A beater bar assembly for use in a threshing machine. The beater bar assembly is formed of a chute assembly and interfitting, horizontally oriented, rotating cylindrical drum having a plurality of extending teeth forming racks of combs. The chute assembly contains a collection sump which serves as a rock trap. The rotating drum teeth comb through the incoming plant material, batting entrained rocks and other debris into the collection sump, and accelerating the remaining plant material through the chute and into the threshing assembly of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Inventor: Douglas R. Jones
  • Patent number: 5527218
    Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine, such as a forage harvester, comprises a plurality of crop processing means (20, 21, 26, 27, 36,38, 49), which are driven in a first sense by an engine (70) through a main clutch (124) and a first drive line portion (111, 112, 39, 87, 89) or a second drive line portion (73, 75, 77, 80, 81, 83). A motor means (110), coupled to the first drive line portion and operable to drive one of the crop processing means, such as a cutterhead (36), in a second sense, opposite to the first sense, is permanently coupled to said first drive line portion, so that during normal harvesting it can provide driving power to auxiliary devices. The second drive line portion is linked to the first drive line portion by means of a belt transmission (95, 99, 100), which is engaged by a hydraulic cylinder (106) when the main clutch (124) is engaged. The first drive line comprises an overrun clutch (87) which is disengaged when the rotation of the cutterhead (36) is reversed by the motor means (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: New Holland North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Bart Van den Bossche, Jan R. Van Steelant, Adrianus Naaktgeboren, Alfrons W. Dedeyne, Guy H. J. Osselaere, Bert J. F. Paquet
  • Patent number: 5478277
    Abstract: An improved force feeder chain assembly including a force drive chain assembly on a conventional combine harvester apparatus and having a force feed slat assembly mounted thereon. The force feed slat assembly includes a plurality of elongated slat members for rotation on the force drive chain assembly for conventional harvesting operation. The force feed slat assembly includes a self-lubricating stripper insert member easily assembled and disassembled on respective elongated slat members for conversion of the force feed slat assembly from normal harvesting operations for use in a grain stripper harvesting operation. The force feed slat assembly with the stripper insert member thereon is easily and economically converted so as to be usable for all harvesting of crops, including the method of grain stripping utilized on a grain stripper combine harvester apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Inventor: Melvin L. Kloefkorn
  • Patent number: 5464371
    Abstract: A feeder adapter for mounting a header on a feeder housing of a combine, the feeder adapter having a housing with an inlet positionable immediately behind a rear feed draper of the header and an outlet which is of a size and shape to match with a forward facing inlet of the feeder housing. The housing of the feeder adapter contains a feeder drum of the retractable finger type mounted for rotation on a transverse axis above a floor surface of the housing so as to engage the cut crop delivered to the rear end of the rearward feed draper and propel it into the outlet opening and thus into the inlet of the feeder housing. The feeder adapter has a subframe for attaching the feeder adapter to the feeder housing and attachment members for suspending the header from the subframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Honey Bee Manufacturing Ltd.
    Inventor: Gregory J. Honey
  • Patent number: 5462486
    Abstract: A reverser system for the feeder chain of a combine harvester comprises a hydraulic motor mounted on a slide and operated by a cylinder to move from a retracted position to a forward operating position. In the operating position the mechanical coupling connects the shaft of the hydraulic motor to a drive sprocket connected to the feeder chain. Hydraulic fluid to the cylinder and to the hydraulic motor is tapped from the lift cylinders of the combine from a solenoid operated diverter valve. A control unit controls the supply of the pressurized fluid to the cylinder while delaying the supply of fluid to the hydraulic motor so that the mechanical coupling is connected while stationary before the hydraulic motor starts. This arrangement can be provided by simple mechanical devices providing an inexpensive drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1995
    Inventor: R. Scott Norton