Abstract: A manure spreader includes a box carried by a base frame for holding and transporting manure. The box has a floor made up of a plurality of individual boards preferably formed of plastic material such as polyethylene. A conveyor moves manure along the floor toward one end of the box where a distributor mechanism is mounted. Clips flastened to rearward ends of the floor boards slidably engage a cross frame member of the base frame, and an end cap slidably receives forward ends of the floor boards. Fasteners such as bolts securely fasten the floor boards to the base frame intermediate their forward and rearward ends. The clips and the end cap permit lengthwise expansion and contraction of the floor boards to insure that the floor maintains an even surface for the conveyor to travel across.

Abstract: A feederhouse interconnecting a combine base unit and a crop harvesting header to convey gathered crop material to the threshing and separating mechanism mounted in the base unit is disclosed wherein the face plate used to mount the crop harvesting header and movable relative to the feederhouse to change the cutting angle of the header is provided with a movable floor extension member engaged with the feederhouse floor to accommodate movement of the face plate relative to the feeder house. The floor extension member is pivotally mounted within a U-shaped bracket on the face plate and extends rearwardly therefrom to engage with an inclined surface formed in the feederhouse floor. A guide extending beneath the inclined surface of the feederhouse floor prevents the floor extension member from being disengaged from the feederhouse floor and, thereby, permitting a loss of crop material therebetween.

Abstract: A closing mechanism for the trap door of a stone trap mounted in the floor of the feeder house on a combine harvester is disclosed wherein the trap door can be moved from a opened position to a closed position by the raising of the header. If the stone trap door has been opened for the ejection of non-crop material within the flow of crop material within the feeder house, a link interconnecting the trap door and the frame of the combine effects a pivotal movement of the trap door to its closed position upon actuation of the header lift cylinders to raise the feeder house and attached header above the ground. The link includes a spring to permit extension of the link should the feeder house be raised above a position necessary to affect the closing of the trap door.

Abstract: A latch mechanism for the trap door of a combine stone detector is disclosed wherein the latch mechanism is operable to release the trap door for ejection of a stone or other non-crop foreign matter from the feed path of the crop being harvested when the foreign matter is detected either electronically or mechanically. A release mechanism is provided to unlatch the trap door when a pinch roller forces foreign matter downwardly against the trap door. A trip mechanism is operatively connected with the release mechanism to unlatch the trap door when a signal is received from the electronic detection mechanism.

Abstract: A trip mechanism, cooperable with an electronic stone detection device on a combine, is disclosed wherein, upon the reception of a signal from the electronic stone detection device indicating that a stone has been detected in the feed path of the crop being harvested, the trip mechanism is operable to effect an unlatching of the trap door to permit the stone to be ejected from the feed path. The trip mechanism includes a solenoid for receiving the signal from the electronic stone detector and for engaging a trip link with a rotating cam member. The cam member causes the trip link to engage a release mechanism which disconnects a latching device from the trap door so that it can move to an open position.

Abstract: A release mechanism for a combine stone trap latch is disclosed wherein the detection of a stone in the crop feed path by either electronic or mechanical detection mechanisms can trigger the release of the latch from a trap door to permit the stone to be ejected from the feed path. The mechanical detection mechamism includes a pinch roller rotatably mounted on a bearing plate above the trap door for movement to selectively vary the distance between the pinch roller and the trap door. A trip link operatively associated with the electronic detection mechanism is pivotally mounted on the bearing plate to maintain a fixed positional relationship between the trip link and a cam member affixed to the pinch roller whenever the pinch roller is positionally adjusted.

Abstract: A combine having a header on the forward end of it which operates to cut and deliver crop material to an elevator in a feeder house over which a cab is provided at an elevated location. The elevator delivers the material to the threshing mechanism of the combine. The engine of the combine is connected by a belt drive to a vari-drive supported by the feeder house and a yoke on the vari-drive moves one flange of the adjustable sheave of the vari-drive relative to the other. An auxiliary motor actuates the yoke by driving a rotatable screw and a Bowden cable is connected between a pivoted speed-indicating needle on a dial mounted in view of the cab and the follower of the yoke which is actuated by the screw which is operated to move the yoke to change the adjustable sheave and vary the speed of operation of the combine.

Abstract: A header attachment mechanism for a combine is disclosed wherein a front face member is rotatably attached to the forward end of the feeder house for movement in a fore-and-aft direction and a cradle assembly is pivotally attached to the front face member for rotation generally about the line of travel in a substantially transversely extending plane. By connecting the header to this attachment mechanism, the header can be both adjusted to laterally float relative to the contour of the ground and adjusted to change the cutting angle of the header cutting means relative to the ground through manipulation of the rotation of the cradle assembly and front face member respectively.

Abstract: A mechanism for selectively adjusting the cutting angle of a combine header relative to the ground is disclosed wherein a front face member is pivotably mounted to the forward end of the feeder house for rotation about the forward transverse axis of the crop conveyor within the feeder house. Structure is provided to adjustably lock the front face member into one of a plurality of alternative rotated positions. With the disclosed mechanism, the header cutting angle can be adjusted relative to the ground without increasing the distance between the header and the crop conveyor, thereby maintaining the efficiency of the crop conveyor to engage crop material and transport it rearwardly.

Abstract: A lateral float mechanism for a combine header is disclosed wherein the header is detachably mounted to a separate cradle assembly which is centrally pivotably mounted on the feeder house. Structure is provided for locking the header to the cradle assembly for preventing fore-and-aft movement between the cradle assembly and the feeder house and for selectively controlling the extent of pivotal movement of the cradle assembly.

Abstract: A rotor for axial flow combines having an auger of predetermined length on one end thereof which, when rotated, feeds crop material to the main portion of the rotor which coacts with a concave and grate to thresh and separate grain from the crop material. The auger has a spiral flight provided with a smoothly curved peripheral edge and in order to minimize wear of said edge and also provide increased aggressive engagement of the auger with crop material, a series of similar projections are detachably connected to said flight adjacent the peripheral edge thereof, in circumferentially spaced relationship to each other.