Abstract: A harvester of the type known as a string trimmer includes a wheel on which the harvester rests. The harvester is supported by the wheel during use.

Abstract: A crop picking head assembly has a known oscillation generating head supported in a head support frame suspended from a harvester framework by two pairs of depending arms. One pair of arms is variable in length to adjust picking head height and the other pair is fixed in length. The picking head has a variety of crop contacting rod arrays to accommodate various cordon types supporting extended rows of crop foliage, such as grape vines. The harvester may carry one such picking head on one side of the vine row or may carry mirror image heads, one on each side of the vine row.

Abstract: A one piece blow molded cover panel removably positionable in an access opening in a structure adjacent to a threshing region of an agricultural combine. The cover panel includes an inner wall, an outer wall generally co-extending with the inner wall in spaced relation thereto defining at least one cavity therebetween, and elongate upper and lower peripheral edge, and elongate spaced, side peripheral edges.

Abstract: A bit apparatus in which a cutter member having cutting teeth is axially supported on a shaft for rotation about the shaft, and a bearing mechanism is interposed between the cutter member and the shaft. The bearing mechanism includes at least a radial bearing for bearing a radially directed load and a thrust bearing for bearing an axially directed load. The radial bearing has a shaft-side split bearing member and a cutter-side split bearing member that are opposed to or in sliding contact with each other and capable of rotating relative to each other.

Abstract: A downhole drilling apparatus suspended by tubing includes a drill bit driven by an electric motor powered by a cable means. The motor is mounted upon a hollow shaft which allows fluid to pass through, so that a fluid circuit along the tube and back along the annulus between the borehole and the tubing via the drill bit is established. The state of the motor, particularly its speed and torque, can be monitored, and the motor may then be regulated as a result of this data. Various sensors may be included in the drilling apparatus, and the data gathered similarly used to regulate the motor. Thrust means are included to urge the drill along the borehole. Supplementary pumps may be provided to assist the fluid flow. Both the thrust means and the pumps may be controlled by the control means.

Abstract: A cleaning assembly for an agricultural combine comprises a cleaning shoe with at least one sieve. The sieve is provided with adjustable blades. The sieve is provided with an adjustment element for adjusting the position of the blades. A driving element is connected to the adjustment element. The sieve can be removed from the cleaning shoe without disassembling the connection between the drive element and adjustment element. The connection is automatically disengaged when the sieve is being removed from the cleaning shoe and automatically engaged when the sieve is being reinstalled in the cleaning shoe.

Abstract: The drilling apparatus includes a safety sub mountable to the drill string outer end to retain the combination of an overshot assembly and an overshot adaptor extending within the drill string outer end during a drilling operation and preventing the drilling tool moving out of the drill string until the sub is removed. The overshot assembly has a fluid seal between the overshot tube and the drill string and a fluid bypass channel with/a valve for blocking axial outward flow through the channel when the overshot adaptor is separated from the overshot assembly and when connected thereto, retaining the valve in an open condition. When the overshot adaptor is removed from the overshot assembly, the overshot assembly is fluidly propellable to the bit end. A disconnect tool facilitates the removal of the adaptor from the sub.

Abstract: A large round baler includes a pick-up which delivers crop to a transport assembly including a guide wall and tined rotor, together with a rotor stripper, which cooperate to move harvest material from the pick-up to the inlet of a baling chamber. Various embodiments are disclosed for moving one or more of the guide wall, rotor or stripper for effecting adjustments narrowing or expanding the cross section of a guide channel for the harvest material defined in part by the guide wall, rotor and stripper. These adjustments can be done manually or with power and can be made in response to computer generated information or command signals resulting from collected and/or stored data indicating various conditions of the harvested material.

Abstract: A drill bit for drilling rock has an elongated shaft and at least one cutting plate at one end. A clearance angle &bgr; of the cutting edges, at least in segments, increases with increasing distance from the rotary axis. A wedge angle &ggr; of the cutting edges, at least in segments, decreases with increasing distance from the rotary axis.

Abstract: A machine designed to remove grapes from the bunch before making wine. The machine contains a flat sieve capable of letting only the juice and the grapes pass therethrough by a toothed roller driven in axial rotation and containing separating fingers associated with the sieve and animated in relation to the sieve by a movement relative to translation in a direction parallel to the sieve allowing separation of grapes from the stalk by an ejection effect.

Abstract: Harvesting machine for picking up and chopping corn, wilted grass, green feed and similar harvested material including a feeding device, a chopping device arranged after the feeding device and a conditioning device for conditioning the harvested material arranged after the chopping device. The conditioning device optionally engages a conveying duct. Mounting and dismantling of the conditioning device is simplified because it is connected on one side to a duct pivotable about an essentially horizontal swiveling axis and on the other side rigidly but detachably to a rigid duct. Preferably, the swiveling axis is situated below the pivotable duct such that the swiveling motion of the pivotable duct is directed downward against the traveling direction of the harvesting machine to thereby enable removal of the conditioning device.

Abstract: A drill bit suited for impact-assisted directional boring in rock includes a bit body having a frontwardly facing, circular main cutting surface having a number of main cutting teeth disposed thereon. A gage cutter extends radially outwardly from the main cutting surface, which gage cutter mounts at least one frontwardly facing gage cutting tooth thereon suitable for cutting in a circle during straight boring and over an angle defined by less than a full rotation of the bit in order to steer the bit. A heel on an outer side surface of the bit body at a position opposite to and behind the gage tooth provides a reaction surface for the gage cutter. The bit body and gage cutter have a nearly circular side profile along a front portion thereof such that a maximum radial clearance between the side profile and a side wall of a hole being drilled is not greater than about 10 percent of the radius of a circle cut by the gage tooth.

Abstract: A multiple-use, cable-supported bridge in which the primary lateral and vertical deck-stiffening elements are prestressed cables, or strands, extending along one or both sides of the bridge, and methods of fabricating such bridges, are shown and described. One embodiment of the strand bridge of the present invention is designed to span from a first location to a second location. A first anchor member is fixed near the first location and an opposing second anchor member is fixed near the second location. A number of tensioned cables extend between the first and second anchor members. At least one post is attached to the cables at a point between the first and second anchor members. A cross member is attached to the post and projects from the post in a direction transverse to the lengths of the cables. Decking material extends from the first location to the second location, and can be coupled to the cross member.

Abstract: A lawn mower includes a vehicle body, front wheels disposed in front positions of the vehicle body, rear wheels disposed in rear positions of the vehicle body, a mower unit suspended from the vehicle body between the front wheels and the rear wheels, and a driver's seat disposed on the vehicle body above the mower unit. A hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering the mower unit is disposed above the mower unit and below the driver's seat. A hydraulic pump for supplying a hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder is disposed below the driver's seat and adjacent the hydraulic cylinder. An engine for driving the hydraulic pump disposed rearwardly of the driver's seat.

Abstract: An attachment for a garden rake includes a transversely curved hoe-like blade cut from twelve inch diameter polyvinyl chloride plastic pipe. The blade has a transverse circumferential dimension greater than the length of the teeth of the rake and a length greater than the length of the rake head bar. The blade is removably attached to the teeth of the rake by compatibly curved washers, also cut from the same plastic pipe, such that the teeth are sandwiched between the blade and the washers, the assembly being held in place by bolts and wing nuts.

Abstract: An apparatus for mowing and rolling grass comprising a lower mowing-rolling unit, a handle coupled to the mowing rolling unit and securable in two or more positions, a first of the two or more positions for performing grass mowing operations, a second of the two or more positions for performing grass rolling operations, the lower unit comprising a rear driving assembly, a front roller assembly, a grass-cutting assembly interposed between the front roller assembly and the rear driving assembly, and a drive-train gear assembly coupling the rear driving assembly to the grass-cutting assembly for rotatingly driving the grass-cutting assembly during forward movement of the apparatus, the drive-train gear assembly comprising a first drive gear, a second transducer gear, a drive shaft and a third gear secured to said first drive shaft, whereupon forward movement of the apparatus drives the first drive gear which in turn drives the second gear, the second gear in turn driving the third gear and the first drive shaft,

Abstract: A greensmower having a cutting reel and a traction member and an independent electric circuit and motor for driving each. A handle is attached to the reel for mower guidance by an operator in a walk-behind position. Separate electric controls are connected to each motor for separate speeds for each motor and thereby control the clip rate of the mowing. There are low battery power read-outs and automatic shutoffs. Provision is made for traction powering of the mower even when the reel motor is not operating because of low battery power. A lift-out battery pack is shiftably mounted on the mower for producing the desired force of the mower on the ground.

Abstract: A disabling feature used with a lawn mower, for disabling the drive wheels of a lawn mower when an obstacle is encountered. Braking, engine kill, blade stopping, and declutching is contemplated upon the tripping of a pivotable contact device which in one embodiment is configured to be tripped when contacting an object while in reverse. A directional extension flap is also provided.

Abstract: A support structure for a divider of an agricultural corn head that includes a first tension member that is pivotally attached to a second tension member. A stop is provided which prevents the lines of tension of the first and second tension members from aligning. The tension assembly can therefore buckle upwards when an object underneath the support structure is struck. A lateral support for the divider is also provided with a clearance opening for the tension assembly. The divider can be rotated rearward into a transport or a service position and securely locked in place. A shipping position is provided in which the support structure can be rotated rearward by disconnecting the tension assembly.

Abstract: In this harvesting machine using shaker members in the form of rods to shake the fruit-bearing bushes and harvest the fruit, each shaker rod has an elongate base part which has, in use, a required flexibility characteristic for the rod in a horizontal plane and which has an oblong cross-section whose height is greater than its width, said cross-section having two main geometrical axes which are respectively horizontal and vertical and dimensions of height and width such that its moment of area about the horizontal main axis is significantly greater than its moment of area about the vertical main axis and its height is less than a predefined value. The base part forms a core for the rod, which can further include a wear part which covers the core and which is made of a material and has a thickness such that the rod has flexibility characteristics in the horizontal and vertical planes that are practically unchanged relative to those of the core, even after substantial wear of the wear part.