Abstract: A conveyor system of a sugarcane harvesting machine includes an inclined conveyor having a first shaft at a lower end and a second shaft at an upper end thereof. The belt is driven along the inclined conveyor between the first shaft and the second shaft, and the belt includes an upper portion and a lower portion between the lower end and the upper end. A floor is partially disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion of the belt, and a wiper is coupled to a bottom end of the belt such that the wiper extends from the belt in a direction towards the floor. As the upper portion of the belt travels from the lower end to the upper end of the inclined conveyor, the wiper moves with the belt and contacts and moves material that collects on a top surface of the floor.

Abstract: An intelligent stuffer trip mechanism is configured to detect a characteristic of a charge within a stuffer chute and actuate the stuffer in response to the characteristic. A user interface may receive desired characteristics of a charge from a user, a sensor may be used to detect characteristics of a charge in a stuffer chute and a controller configured to actuate the stuffer in accordance with a predetermined scheme and the detected characteristics of the charge.

Abstract: An implement for extraction and decimation of plant stalks with a puller section and flail section. The puller section is driven by a motor and uses a pair of track belts with interlocking protrusions to grab plant stalks and pull them up by the root. The puller section discharges the plant stalks into a hooded flail section with flail rotor and flail knives that decimate the plant stalk into small pieces.

Abstract: A spin-on barrier filter cartridge is provided in which an inverted frustum-shaped filter media defines a clean air chamber. A bottom cap blocks air flow through a bottom of the chamber and a top cap restricts air flow through a top of the chamber into a passage concentric with the chamber. The filter media has a pleated cross-section and an inverted frustum-shaped screen-like core abuts the inner apices of the pleated media. The bottom and top caps are fixed to the bottom and top edges of the media to hold the cartridge together and also to seal the junctions against air flow. A nipple extends upwardly from the top cap and defines the concentric passage. The nipple is threaded for spin-on connection to the vacuum in a direction such that the engagement is tightened in response to vortical air flow in the chamber.

Abstract: A method of lifting corn stalks from a field surface and chopping the corn stalks with a rotary mower comprises configuring blades of the blade assembly such that as the blade assembly rotates, air is drawn upward under the mower deck; configuring the rotary mower such that an area of a circle defined by a circular path of outer tips of blades of the blade assembly is greater than 60 square feet; and rotating the blade assembly such that the outer tips of the blades move at a speed greater than 20,000 feet per minute and such that the air drawn upward under the mower deck draws corn stalks up from the field surface into contact with the blades.

Abstract: A baler for making rectangular crop bales has a generally horizontally disposed fore-and-aft extending baling chamber. The pickup of the baler is disposed underneath the baling chamber in line with the path of travel of a reciprocating plunger in the overhead chamber. An in-line transfer duct leads generally upwardly and rearwardly from the pickup to the bottom of the chamber. An enclosed crop flow passage is defined from a point immediately behind the pickup to a point located at the opening in the bottom of the baling chamber and presents a forwardmost cutting zone, a packing zone behind the cutting zone, and an accumulating zone behind the packing zone. Cutter apparatus within the cutting zone reduces the crop materials into smaller pieces as they flow through the cutting zone, whereupon a separate packer takes the materials from the rear side of the cutter apparatus and packs them in a downstream direction toward the accumulating zone where they form into a charge.

Abstract: A stalk puller and chopper assembly 10 drawn behind a tractor 11, the stalk puller and chopper assembly comprising a puller means in the form of a pair of contra-rotating rubber wheels 12 and 13 on a shaft 21. The wheels are located upstream of a feeder means comprising a pair of guide plates 14 and 15 and an array of toothed feeder blades 16 mounted on a feeder shaft 17. The guide plates co-operate with the wheels and the rotating feeder blades 16 to deliver stalks extracted by the wheels to a downstream chopper assembly 19 where chopper blades 18 on shaft 22 shred the stalks which are then discharged rearwardly at 20 in the form of mulch. As can be seen the stalks are controllably delivered sideways into the choppers. The clearance between the cutter blades 18 and the anvils of the toothed feeder blades is exaggerated in the drawings with the usual clearance being about 2 mm.

Abstract: A slip clutch and cutter blade apparatus for cane stalk harvesters provides a machine frame with a cutting mechanism in the form of cutter shafts powered by hydraulic motors. The cutter shafts have a plurality of knives thereon that pinch the cane therebetween as the shafts rotate to chop the cane wholestalks into billets. A flywheel is mounted on a flywheel shaft. A gearbox interfaces the flywheel and cutter blades. A flywheel clutch is used as a overload protection device for the chopper system. If overloading occurs, the flywheel slips and therefore limits the torque. The flywheel is placed on the bushing and clamped between the friction linings with the aid of the thrust plate, the cup springs, brake plate, brake plate cover, and bolts. The more the cup springs are compressed by the bolts; the higher the torque at which the flywheel slips.

Abstract: A rotary mulching mower has a rotating impeller or rake mounted anteriorly of a shredder rotor assembly. The latter comprises a motor driven rotatable member or rotor supporting circumferentially spaced rows of radially extending shredding pins extending below and above the disk. The upwardly extending pins mesh with complimentary stator pins mounted on the mower housing above the shredding rotor. Leaves or other lawn debris are passed by the impeller into a manifold and then directed via a suitable baffle to the meshing pins to be shredded thereby into mulch whereas the downwardly directed pins function effectively to remove thatch from the lawn being mulch mowed.

Abstract: A device for attachment to an uprooting implement is designed for compacting plant residue into cylindrical or rope-like shape and to cut the compacted cylinder into short wafers. The device comprises four rollers in parallel alignment symmetrically positioned around a central space defining the compacted cylinder, and urged toward the central space by springs. The rollers are positioned with their axes in the direction of travel of the uprooting implement and all are rotated in the same sense of rotation. Each roller has a cylindrical rear portion and a frusto-conical front portion provided with a broadthreaded screw, the screws serving to press the plant residue into the space between the cylindrical roller portions. Conveyor means are provided for feeding the plants into the compacting device, and cutting means are provided to the rear of the rollers.

Abstract: An auger cutter, windrower, and conditioner for standing crops such as hay, including a cutting auger with cutting teeth on the peripheral edge of the auger flight and a conveyor auger to move cut crop to a central area to be discharged as a double windrow.

Abstract: A machine for harvesting sugar cane runs on a pair of driving wheels and a pair of guide wheels. At the front of the machine there is arranged a pair of arms, the ends of which rest on the ground and on which are mounted a pair of rotating conical members which lift the sugar cane which is then cut near its base by a pair of rotating cutters, the height of which above the ground is controlled by said pair of arms. The cut stems are then sliced into pieces by blades mounted on a rotating drum which blades cooperate with bars mounted on a second rotating drum. The cut pieces of cane, together with waste lighter elements are then projected towards an elevator through an air flow from a nozzle which carries away the waste and allows the cane to reach the elevator.