Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to pickups of farm
machines useful in picking up from the ground various farm
- crops that have been previously mown and swathed.
A number of pickup types are currently used in farm
practice, including rotary rake pickups rigidly fixed on the farm
machine. Inasmuch as the pickup is held in fron-t of the machine,
the following of the field contours by the implement is not
possible since the gauging members (i.e. runner shoes and
wheels) of the machine are situated behind the pickpup. Thus,
such pickups have found widespread application only with
grass harvesters, wherein the effective swath width is small,
and the above-discussed disadvantage inherent in the pickups
of this type does not therefore affect substantially the
quality of harvesting.
Rotarv rake pickups having an intermediate member, viz.,
a conveyor secured on a frame common with the pickup itself and
adapted to transfer the picked up mass to the receptacle
of the farm machine is also known. The frame o:E such a pickup
is hinged to the machine which provides for good longitudinal
following of the field contours. However, such pickups have
found but restricted application due to the complicated
construction thereof.
Most extensive application for picking grain crops
have heretofore been gained by conveyer-type pickups. The
pickups of such type are shaped as a conveyer whose shafts
are mounted in the frame side members on hinged bearing
supports. To impart rigidity to the entire construction in
the plane passing through the axes of the conveyor shafts the
frame side members are interlinked through a crossbar which is
rigidly fixed on the frame side members. The crossbar may be
made of both closed rolled section such as piping, or open ones
~` such as channels. In the former case i.e., with closed sections,
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the frame struc-ture features very high rigidity which precludes
- transverse following o~ the field con-tours, i.e., a possibility
of individual movement of the side members in a ver-tical plane.
In the latter case, i.e., with open sections, a certain
possibility is pr~vided for the side members to move individual~y
in a vertical plane and hence to follow transversely the field
contours, this being due to low twisting rigidity of the channels
` and by virtue of the crossbar twisting within the elastic
strain limits.
A disadvantage inherent in the pickups with the cross-
bar made of open rolled sections resides in a very narrow range
of transverse following of the field contours due to restricted
elastic strain limits. Another disadvantage of said pickups
is the presence of reverse loads applied to the frame components
i.e., crossbar, side members, and crossbar-to-side members
joints, said loads being liable to cause fatigue cracks in the
material of the frame components and their premature failure.
The present invention reduces harvesting losses
concerned with picking up the crops being harvested, due to
improved transverse following of the field contours by the
pickup.
The present invention also rules out reverse loads
upon the frame components, resulting from strain experienced
by the frame crossbar, and to extend the service elastic
life of the frame components thereby.
~` According to the present invention there is provided
a pickup of frame machine, comprisin~ a frame formed ~rom
side members interconnected by a crossbar; a conveyer hingedly
mounted in said side members and haviny a plurality of
shafts; said conveyer beiny hingedly mounted on said farm
machine; said crossbar comprsiing at least two sections which
sections are hingedly interconnec-ted at a joint so as to turn
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with respect to each other abou-t the lonyitudinal axis of the
crossbar.
Thus, according to the present invention a pickup
of a farm machine comprising a conveyer hinged-mounted on said
machine and having the shafts thereof hinged to the frame
side members which are interlinked through a sectional crossbar,
the components of said crossbar being hinge-interconnected
at a ]oint so as to swivel with respect to each other round
the crossbar longitudinal axis,
The essence of the invention consists in the
following. When the transverse field contours varies the pickup
support wheeis locked-in with the side members of the conveyer
frame change their position with respect to the farm machine
that is, one of the wheels rises or descends, one of the wheels
rises, while the other wheel descends. Angular displacement
of the wheels about the point of hitch of the conveyer to
the machine is followed by the frame side members. Unrestricted
motion of the side members and of the frame components coupled
thereto is provided for due to a hinge joint located at the
place of interconnection of said components and allowing said
components to swivel with respect to each other round the
crossbar longitudinal axis. Ability of the crossbar components
to swivel round the longitudinal axis thereof does not
adversely affect the rigidity of the pickup frame in the plane
` passing through the axes of the shafts thereof.
As a result the transverse following of the field
contours by the pickup is improved which reduces harvesting
losses concerned with the picking process. In addition, such
`-~` a constructional arrangement of the pic]cup rules out any
reverse loads upon the pickup frame components while following
- the field contours, which adds to the service durability of
~ said frame and makes it possible to render the strength require-
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ments imposed upon said components less strict.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pickup according toone embodiment of the present invention shown on the field
where a transverse right-hand slope occurs; and
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pickup showing a section
taken in the plane passing through the longitudinal axes of the
shafts and of the frame crossbar.
Referring to the drawings, an endless conveyer belt 1,
carrying pickup fingers, passes around shafts 2 and 3 secured
to side members 4 and S of a frame 6 on hinged-mounted bearing
supports 7. The frame crossbar interconnecting the side members
comprises two pieces 8 and 9 which form a joint 10.
The pickup is hitched to a farm machine (a grain
combine in this particular case) through brackets 11, wherein
the journals of the shaft 3 rest on hinge-mounted bearing
supports 12. The front portion of the pickup rests upon the
surface of the field through wheels 13 rigidly fixed on the
~0 frame side members 4 and 5.
- In operation the farm machine -travels along the
windrow of the crop being picked up in such a way that said
windrow fall within the side members 4 and 5 of the pickup
~rame, and that the wheels rest upon the field surface. The
pickup fingers of the conveyer belt 1 lift the windrow and
transfer it to the receptacle (not shown) of the farm machine.
When the pickup rides over the field area featuring
a transverse slope the pickup support wheels 13 change their
position with respect to the farm machine so that the frame
side members 4 and 5 swivel with respect to each other
` simultaneously with the wheels, thus allowing the shaft 2 to
retain its parallelism to the field surface.
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The present invention is instrumelltal in cutting down
harvesting losses concerned with the picking process, adding
to the service life of the pickup and can find efficient
application for picking a variety of farm crops, especia,ly in
the case of complicated field contours.
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