Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PICKUP ATT~CHMENT FOR HARVEST[NG MACHINES
_ CKGROUND OF THE IMVENTION
This invention relates generally to pickup
attachments llsed on crop harvesting machines.
A typical pickup attachment includes a reel
consisting of a plurality of fingers rotatable in a
predetermined path in order to engage and pick up crop material
from the ground. It is important ~or the path of these fingers
to follow the contour of the ground in proximity thereto during
operation so that a very high percentage of the crop material
is picked up.
One conventional type of pickup attach~ent has been
supported by what is commonly referred to as gauge wheels at
the sides of the attachment. These yuage wheels are mounted on
arms which extend orward of the pickup reel. This type of
pickup attachment has a drawback when operated over rough or
uneven terrain, in that the guage wheels tend to lift the reel
upward to an extent where the path of the fingers i~ not in
prQximity to the ground and thus the fingers fail to pick up
some of the crop material.
Another conventional type of pickup atta~hment has
been supported by what is commonly referred to as shoes or
skids undernea~h the attachment. These shoes or skid~ slide
alonq the surface of the ground during operation. When
operated over rough or uneven terrain, this type of pickup
attachment has a drawback in that the shoes tend to plow or di~
into the ground. A method that i~ 30metimes used to avoid thi~
drawback i5 to lift the entire reel upward when traversin~ a
rough or uneven ar~a of ground. However, this is unacceptable
since a considerable amount of crop material may not be picked
up. The shoes also ~ay clamage new plant growth on any kind o~
terrain.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a pickup attachment
supported at one side by a guage wheel and at the other side by
a roller positioned underneath the attachment. The pickup
attachment includes a typical reel with the gauge wheel
arranged so that its center is substantially in alignment
vertically with the axis of the reel and with the roller
arranged so that it is rearward of the axis of the reel and
rearward of the center of the wheel.
More particularly, according to the present invention
there is provided in a pickup attachment for use on crop
harvesting machines, said pickup attachment having a frame r a
reel supported on said frameg said reel including fingers
connected to and rotatable about a shaft in a pr~determined
path to engage and pick up crop material on the ground, the
improvement comprising: a wheel connected to said frame for
supporting one side of said pickup attach~ent, said wheel being
positioned so that its center is located substantially in
alignment vertically with the axis o said shaft; a roller
connected to said frame and located underneath said pickup
attachment ~or supporting the oth~r side of ~aid pickup
attachment, said roller being positioned so that its center is
loca~ed rearward o~ ~he axi~ of said shaft and rearward of the
center of said wheel; and said one side of said pic~up
attachment being ~upported solely by said wheel and ~aid other
side of said pickup attachment being supporte~ solely by ~aid
roller to allow said predetermined path of said reel fillgers to
follow the conto~lr o~ the ~round in proximity thereto.
la -
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1 This arrangement of the gauge wheel and the roller allows the path
of the fingers of the reel to follow the contour of the ground in
proximity thereto when operated over rough or uneven terrain.
DESCRIPTION O~ THE DRAWINGS
Fig~ 1 is a top plan view of the pickup attachment
according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the pickup attachment
of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the pickup attachment of
Fig. 1; and
Fig~ 4 is a partial side elevation view taken along lines
4 4 of Fig. l;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the pickup attachment 10
according to the present invention includes a frame 12 supporting a
reel 14 which has a series of projecting fingers 16 located between
stripper plates 18. These fingers 16 are connected to a central
shaft 20 for rotation to engage and pick up crop material. The
frame 12 also preferably supports an auger 22 located above and
behind the reel 14. The auger 22 receives crop material from the
fingers 16 and the flightin~ 24 thereof consolidates the crop
material toward the center of t`ne pickup attachment 10 so that it
can be fed into a crop harvesting machine such as a forage harvester
26. A con~entional windguard 28 is mounted on the frame 12 to hold
crop material down on the reel 14.
The pickup attachment 10 is attached to the forage
harvester 26 by pivot connections 30, and rotary driving power is
delivered from tne forage harvester 26 by conventional means tQ a
drive shaft 32 on the pickup attachment 10. The drive shaft 32 ther-
rotates the auger 22 and the fingers 16 of the reel 14 in kno~n
manner via the chains 34 and 36, respectively. As seen in Figs. 3
and 4, the fingers 16 are rotated about the axis 21 of the central
shaft 20 in a predetermined path 3~.
The left-hand side 10a of the pickup attachment 10 (as
viewed fro~ behind the forage harveste~r 26 loo~ing in the dlrection
of normal travel T) is supported by a gauge wheel assembly 40 ~hich
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1 includes a wheel 42 carried by a pair of arm~ 44. Bolts 46 and 48
are used to fasten the arms 44 to the frame 12. The arms 44 each
have a slot 50 shown in Fig. 3 for receiving the bolt 48 to permit
pivotal adjustment of the wheel 42 about the bolt 46 when both bolts
46 2nd 48 are loosened. ~he slots 50 are arranged and dimensioned
so that the wheel 42 is only permitted to be disposed in posi~ions
where its center 43 is substantially in alignment vertically with
the axis 21 of the reel central shaft 20. In the preferred
embodiment, the wheel 42 is adjustable in a range where its center
43 is between one inch ahead of and one inch t~ehind the reel central
shaft axis 21.
The right-hand side lOb of the picliup attachment 10 (as
viewed from behind the forage harvester 26 looking in the direction
of normal travel T~, is supported by a roller assembly 52 that
includes a roller 54, preferably formed of rubber material, carried
by a pair of arms 56. Bolts 533 and 60 are used to fasten the ar~;s
56 to brackets 62 underneath the frame 12. Each bracket 62 includes
a guide slot 64 for receiving the bolts 58 and a series of
positioning holes 66 for receiving the bolts 60 to permit
substantially vertical linear adjustment of the roller 54. The
slots 64 and the holes 66 are arranged so that the roller 54 is
positioned wi~h its center 53 located ~ehind the axis 21 of the reel
central shaft 20 and behind t~,e center 43 of the wheel 42. The
outer surface 55 o~ the roller 54 i5 spaced from the path 38 of the
fingers 16. Preferably7 the roller 54 is linearly adjustable on a
slight inoline with respect to vertical in order to maintain
substantially the same spacing between the outer surface 5S of th~
roller 54 and the p~th 38 of the Eingers 16.
An extensible jack les 68 is moun~ed on the frame 1~ to
support the rear of the pickup attachmert 10 wllen it is disconnected
from the forage harvester 26.
The above-desoribed arrangement of the wheel 4? and the
roller 54 allows the path 3~3 of the firgers 16 to ollow the contour
of the ground in proximity thereto when oiperated over rough or
uneven terrain. A ~urther advantage of this ~rrange3nent of the
wheel 42 and the roller 54 is that the left end 23 o~ the auger ~2,
as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, is o~en so tt3t ~ windrow of cro~ materi31
whioh is actually wider thar the reel 1~ ma~ be picked up.
An i~portant aspect oE the present invention is that the
roller 54 is located unde3neath the pickup attae)l3nent 10 in a
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1 position which provides a cantilevered end portion 15 (best shown in
Fig. 2) on the reel 14 which is very useful when operating the
pickup attachment 10 with its right-hand s.ide lOb close to an
obstacle such as a fence or a ridge along the side of a field.
The foregoing description illustrates preferred embodiments
of the invention. However, concepts employed may, based upon such
description, be employed in other embodiments without departing from
the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are
intended to protect the invention broadly, as well as in the
specific forms shown herein.
