Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR A MOWER WITH ROTARY CUTTER DISKS
This invention relates to a crop harvesting header which has a cutter
bar which carries and drives a plurality of transversely spaced rotary disks
and
particularly to a drive arrangement for the header.
This application relates to the subject matter disclosed in the following
documents:
US Published Application 2009/0071116 filed July 23, 2008 and
published March 19, 2009 which corresponds to Canadian application 2,639,032
and entitled CROP HARVESTING HEADER WITH ROTARY DISKS AND
IMPELLERS FOR TRANSFERRING THE CROP INWARDLY TO A DISCHARGE
OPENING;
US Published Application 2008/0066440 filed September 15th, 2006
and published March 23, 2008 which corresponds to Canadian application
2,559,353 and entitled CROP HARVESTING HEADER WITH ROTARY DISKS AND
IMPELLERS FOR TRANSFERRING THE CROP INWARDLY TO A DISCHARGE
OPENING;
US Published Application 2008/0066441 filed September 15th, 2006
and published March 23, 2008 which corresponds to Canadian application
2,559,217 and entitled CROP HARVESTING HEADER WITH ROTARY DISKS AND
A TRANSFER ROLLER CARRYING THE CUT CROP TO THE NIP OF A PAIR OF
CONDITIONING ROLLS;
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US Published Application 2008/0066439 filed February 15th, 2007 and
published March 23, 2008 which corresponds to Canadian application 2,578,907
and entitled CROP HARVESTING HEADER WITH ROTARY DISKS AND
IMPELLERS FOR TRANSFERRING THE CROP INWARDLY TO A DISCHARGE
OPENING.
Reference is also made to co-pending Canadian Application Serial No
2,706,704 entitled CROP HARVESTING HEADER WITH ROTARY DISKS AND
AUGER FOR TRANSFERRING THE CROP TO A DISCHARGE OPENING.
The disclosures of the above applications may be referred to by the
reader for further detail of the subject matter disclosed herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
US patent 4,899,523 issued February 1990 (Frumholtz) assigned to
Kuhn discloses a mower including two groups of cutter disks, where the groups
are
separated at the center with each group including drive elements from each
disk to
the next. Drive is communicated to the two groups from an input drive shaft
from the
tractor to the center of the mower with a pair of outwardly extending drive
shafts
each extending to a vertical input shaft at the end cutter disk.
US patent 4,253,294 (Zweegers) issued March 3, 1981 discloses a
mowing machine has a plurality of cutting disks rotatably supported on a
cutter bar
beneath the cutting disks. The cutting disks are driven by a horizontal drive
shaft
extending above the cutting disks coupled to a tractor power take-off shaft.
The
drive shaft is directly coupled through respective gear boxes with vertical
shafts
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upon which are mounted the two outermost cutting disks. Drive between the
disks is
effected by a shaft extending along the cutter bar.
US Patent 4,848,069 (Ermacora) issued July 18, 1989 and assigned to
Kuhn discloses a mower which comprises two groups of cutting disks each
mounted
on a cutting bar where the cutting bars are connected to one another by a
joint and
are connected to the frame by a suspension.
US patent 4,860,527 Maarten Koorn issued August 29, 1989 and
assigned to Van Der Lely discloses a mowing machine comprising at least three
cutter disks on a supporting cutter bar. A rotating torsion shaft which is
driven at
both ends by drive shafts from a center power input is mounted in the cutter
bar and
carries gears for driving the disks.
US patent 5,179,822 (McLean) issued January 19, 1993 and assigned
to Ford New Holland discloses a mower conditioner which includes a cutter bar
defined by two sections separated at the center carried by a header that is
suspended from a frame. The cutter bar has a plurality of individual cutting
disks
with two end cutting disks located adjacent opposed sides of the frame and
intermediate cutting disks disposed between the end cutting disks. Input drive
shafts
deliver power from a power-take-off shaft on the tractor to a pair of
generally vertical
output drive shafts, via a bevel gearbox and a spur gearbox, connected to two
of the
intermediate cutting disks. The intermediate disks drive the remaining disks
of that
section by a shaft along the cutter bar.
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US patent 5,463,852 reissued as RE 40611 (O'Halloran) issued
November 7, 1995 to Hay and Forage (AGCO) discloses a harvester which has a
series of rotary cutter disks on a cutter bar extending across the path of
travel of the
machine and rotatable about individual upright axes. The cutter bar is a flat
gear
case containing a train of intermeshed spur gears that serve to distribute
power
between the disks. Each end of the cutter bar has a hollow, gearless extension
welded thereto which supports at least one additional outboard cutter disk
that
receives its driving power exteriorly of the cutter bar. One embodiment uses a
mechanical drive to bring power to the upright shaft of the cutter disk having
the first
spur gear so that the cutter disks with gears receive all their power from the
driven
cutter. The outboard cutters not having gears are driven by an exterior, over-
the-top
drive mechanism. As an alternative to a mechanical drive, the cutter bar may
utilize
a pair of hydraulic motors coupled with the shafts of the first and last
disks. All of the
gears in the gear case remain positively enmeshed with one another in the gear
train, so that the two hydraulic motors share the total load of driving the
cutter bed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the invention to provide a crop harvesting header of
the above general type including a novel arrangement of drive to the cutter
disks.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a
crop harvesting header comprising:
a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which
there is a standing crop for harvesting;
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a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header
for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop;
a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar
at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on
the
5 cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes
spaced along
the cutter bar;
each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from
the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of
the disk
about its axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as it rotates
around the
axis on the disk;
the cutter bar including a first longitudinally extending hollow gear case
underneath a first plurality of the cutter disks and a second longitudinally
extending
hollow gear case underneath a second plurality of the cutter disks;
each of the first plurality of disks and the second plurality of disks
containing at least five disks;
the first hollow gear case extending from a first end of the cutter bar to
a position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a first gear
train
formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the first plurality of
disks and
arranged to drive the first plurality of cutter disks;
the second hollow gear case extending from a second end of the cutter
bar to said position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a
second
gear train formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the second
plurality
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of disks and arranged to drive the cutter disks;
the intermeshing gears of the first hollow gear case being separated
from the intermeshing gears of the second hollow gear case so that the first
gear
train drives the first plurality of disks and the second gear train separately
drives the
second plurality of disks;
one of the cutter disks of the first plurality of cutter disks having a first
upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the first gear
train;
one of the cutter disks of the second plurality of cutter disks having a
second upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the second
gear
train;
a first gear box connected to an upper end of the first drive shaft;
a second gear box connected to an upper end of the second drive
shaft;
a drive transfer shaft connecting the first and second gear boxes;
and an input drive for supplying driving rotation to at least the first of
the first and second gear boxes.
The term "frame" used herein is not intended to be limited to any
particular shape or position of the components concerned but can include any
part of
the structure which provides support for elements of the header thereon.
Preferably the gear train formed by a series of intermeshing spur
gears.
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Preferably the input drive provides drive at the first gear box only.
Preferably the input drive is a hydraulic motor.
Preferably the first gear box is a right angle drive gear box with bevel
gears.
Preferably there is provide a conditioner assembly and wherein the
second gear box has an output shaft providing an output drive to the
conditioner
assembly.
Preferably the second gear box is a right angle drive gear box with
bevel gears.
Preferably the output shaft is directly driven by the drive transfer shaft
and the second drive shaft is at right angles to the transfer shaft and driven
by a
bevel gear from the drive transfer shaft.
Preferably the drive transfer shaft is driven at a rate of rotation slower
than the first and second drive shafts.
Preferably the drive transfer shaft is driven at a rate of rotation slower
than the first and second drive shafts.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided
a crop harvesting header comprising:
a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which
there is a standing crop for harvesting;
a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header
for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop;
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a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar
at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on
the
cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes spaced
along
the cutter bar;
each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from
the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of
the disk
about its axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as it rotates
around the
axis on the disk;
the cutter bar including a first longitudinally extending hollow gear case
underneath a first plurality of the cutter disks and a second longitudinally
extending
hollow gear case underneath a second plurality of the cutter disks;
each of the first plurality of disks and the second plurality of disks
containing at least five disks;
the first hollow gear case extending from a first end of the cutter bar to
a position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a first gear
train
formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the first plurality of
disks and
arranged to drive the first plurality of cutter disks;
the second hollow gear case extending from a second end of the cutter
bar to said position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a
second
gear train formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the second
plurality
of disks and arranged to drive the cutter disks;
the intermeshing gears of the first hollow gear case being separated
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from the intermeshing gears of the second hollow gear case so that the first
gear
train drives the first plurality of disks and the second gear train separately
drives the
second plurality of disks;
one of the cutter disks of the first plurality of cutter disks having a first
upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the first gear
train;
one of the cutter disks of the second plurality of cutter disks having a
second upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the second
gear
train;
a first gear box connected to an upper end of the first drive shaft;
a second gear box connected to an upper end of the second drive
shaft;
a drive transfer shaft connecting the first and second gear boxes;
a conditioner assembly for receiving crop from the cutter disks;
and an input drive for supplying driving rotation to at least the first of
the first and second gear boxes;
wherein the second gear box has an output shaft providing an output
drive to the conditioner assembly.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a
crop harvesting header comprising:
a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which
there is a standing crop for harvesting;
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a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header
for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop;
a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar
at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on
the
5 cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes
spaced along
the cutter bar;
each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from
the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of
the disk
about its axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as it rotates
around the
10 axis on the disk;
the cutter bar including a first longitudinally extending hollow gear case
underneath a first plurality of the cutter disks and a second longitudinally
extending
hollow gear case underneath a second plurality of the cutter disks;
each of the first plurality of disks and the second plurality of disks
containing at least five disks;
the first hollow gear case extending from a first end of the cutter bar to
a position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a first gear
train
formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the first plurality of
disks and
arranged to drive the first plurality of cutter disks;
the second hollow gear case extending from a second end of the cutter
bar to said position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a
second
gear train formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the second
plurality
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of disks and arranged to drive the cutter disks;
the intermeshing gears of the first hollow gear case being separated
from the intermeshing gears of the second hollow gear case so that the first
gear
train drives the first plurality of disks and the second gear train separately
drives the
second plurality of disks;
one of the cutter disks of the first plurality of cutter disks having a first
upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the first gear
train;
one of the cutter disks of the second plurality of cutter disks having a
second upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the second
gear
train;
a first right angle gear box with bevel gears, one of which is connected
to an upper end of the first drive shaft
a second gear box with bevel gears, one of which is connected to an
upper end of the second drive shaft;
a drive transfer shaft connecting the first and second gear boxes;
and an input drive for supplying driving rotation to at least the first of
the first and second gear boxes.
The design as described in more detail hereinafter consists of two
sections of cutter bar separated at the center and two bevel gear boxes. A
right
angle gear box is positioned above a drive spindle on one cutter bar. A
hydraulic
motor drives an input shaft on the gear box, which runs straight through and
drives
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the spindle on the cutter bar via a universal joint drive line. The side
output of the
gear box drives, via a fixed cross shaft on bearings, the input of the second
bevel
gear box. This secondary output is at a lower speed than the input speed. This
input shaft goes straight through the box and the output is used to drive the
conditioner. The 90 degree output of the second gear box drives a drive
spindle of
the second cutter bar at the same speed as is input to the first cutter bar.
This
design also provides power output to the conditioner. The drive to the
conditioner
can be further divided to a conveying mechanism and the conditioner. The
conditioner can be a pair of intermeshing conditioner rollers or can be of the
flail
type. The drive spindles of the bevel gear boxes used to drive the end disks
of the
cutter bar are surrounded by a cage impeller arrangement and a second impeller
can be mounted on the second disk. An endless belt drive can also used to
drive a
suspended impeller between the impeller of the last disk and the next
impeller.
This design allows the use of a wider cutter bar which must be divided
into separate sections and yet provides the opportunity to have a single,
unobstructed, centered delivery of crop through the header to a centered
condition
assembly. This design only requires two gear boxes to distribute power to the
cutter
bar and conditioner whereas other designs typically require three. Each gear
box
only has one through shaft and one side output shaft thus requiring only four
bearings. This design allows the machine to be hydraulically driven. This
design
also allows for using a two piece cutter bar.
The cutter bar may be formed a single piece driven from one end or
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may be formed in two or more sections.
Where impellers are used, these are typically of the type shown in
previously mentioned US patent 7,340,876 issued March 11, 2008 which
corresponds to US Published Application 2008/0066440 filed September 15th,
2006
and published March 23, 2008 and to Canadian application 2,559,353 of an hour
glass shape. Such impellers are commonly of the type using angularly spaced
bars
but can also be of the type which are formed by solid drums which may or may
not
have external crop engaging element s formed on the outside surface of the
drum.
The conditioner defined herein may be or the type using a pair of fluted
rollers defining a nip. However other types of conditioner can also be used.
Also in
some cases the header can be used without a conditioner so that the crop
material
is deposited directly onto the ground or collected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an isometric view from the front and one side of a header
according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is an isometric view of the header of Figure 1 from the rear
and the other side.
Figure 3 is a schematic front elevational view of the header of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front elevational view of one end of the header of Figure 3
on an enlarged scale.
Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the other end of the header of
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Figure 3 on an enlarged scale.
Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view of the complete header of
Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a partial vertical cross sectional view of the header of
Figure 1 showing one end.
Figure 8 is a partial vertical cross sectional view of the header of
Figure 1 showing the other end.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In Figure 1 is shown a header 10 for attachment to conventional
swather tractor of the well known type having driven ground wheels and rear
castor
wheels. A front support assembly of the tractor carries the header including
left and
right lift arms which carry the header in a floating action across the ground
along
skid plates (not shown) of the header. The header includes side walls 15 and
16
forming part of a frame 17 attached to the lift system of the tractor. The
frame
carries top covers 18 which support a front skirt 19 in front of the cutter
bar.
The frame 17 includes a main transverse beam 13 which is attached to
the tractor. The main beam carries the side walls 15 and 16. The side walls
each
comprises a vertical wall extending forwardly to a front edge 23 in front of a
cutter
bar 24. The side wall is vertical and the front edge 23 lies in a vertical
plane of the
side wall so as to confine crop material to the interior of the header between
the side
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walls for cutting action effected by the cutter bar 24.
Within the cutter bar 24 is provided a gear train 25 of meshing spur
gears 25A, shown in Figures, 6, 7 and 8 and best visible in Figure 8, carried
on
suitable bearings so as to provide communication of drive of a number of
vertical
5
shafts 256 carried on the cutter bar each for rotating a generally horizontal
disk 26
about a vertical axis of the shaft. The disks are substantially identical. The
disks are
generally elliptical in shape so that a length between two ends is
significantly greater
than a distance between the side edges in a direction at right angles to the
length.
At each of the ends is mounted a respective one of a pair of flail blades 27
each for
10
pivotal movement about a flail mounting pin at the edge of the disk. The
mounting
pins are arranged at the ends and thus at the maximum extent of the disk so
that the
flails project outwardly beyond the edges of the disk for rotation in a common
horizontal cutting plane generally parallel to the plane of the cutter bar in
a cutting
action.
15
The disks are intermeshed so as to driven synchronously and they are
arranged at 900 phase difference so that adjacent pairs of the disks are at 90
offset
as they rotate to avoid interference between the disks and the blades 27
carried
thereby.
As shown in Figure 2, the cutter bar 24 is wider than a discharge
opening 30 with a conditioning system 31 mounted in the discharge opening 30.
Thus the crop material passes over and between the disks when cut and also
must
be converged from the full cut width into the discharge opening 30. The
discharge
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opening is defined by side walls 30A and 30B which are parallel to the
direction of
travel of the header.
The cutter bar of this general construction is of a conventional nature
and many examples of a commercial arrangement of this type are available in
the
market place. Thus the details of the cutter bar and its mounting are well
known to
one skilled in the art and further details can be obtained from such
commercial
devices.
In this construction shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 the cutter bar 24 as
shown in Figure 6 is split into two separate sections 24A and 246 where there
is no
connection between the gears of one section and the gears of the next. This
construction allows a greater degree of flex of the cutter bar at the center.
Thus the
cutter bar can be of greater length than would otherwise be possible with the
same
construction and structural stiffness since some of the necessary flexing
action can
be accommodated at the center junction where there are no spur gears, thus
reducing the amount of flexing necessary at other locations along the length
where
the spur gears cannot accommodate that level of flexing. The cutter bar
includes a
hollow gear case which contains the spur gears which is carried on a beam so
that
the beam and the gear case cooperate to form a structural member supporting
the
cutter bar across the header. As shown there are twelve disks so that when
separated at the center each section of the gear case carries six disks.
However as
disclosed in the above applications machines of ten and twelve disks can be
manufactured so that a machine with ten disks would have five on each gear
case.
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The discharge opening 30 has two side walls 30A and 30B which
confine the crop material to pass through the discharge opening over a width
less
than the width of the header so that the side walls are spaced inwardly from
the
respective end walls 15 and 16 of the header. The crop conditioning system 31
is
arranged to span the width of the crop discharge opening so that the width of
the
conditioning system is equal to the width of the discharge opening. The
conditioning
system comprises a top roller 34 and a bottom roller 35 which have flutes 36
arranged in a meshing arrangement so that the crop material passing through
the
discharge opening passes through a nip 37 between the conditioning rolls and
is
discharged from the rear of the conditioning system as a swath of material to
be
discharged onto the ground or to be collected as required.
The disks 26 mounted on the cutter bar 24 include a series of disks
which are located in front of the discharge opening 30. Outward of these disks
on
end is provided a pair of outer disks indicated at 26A and 26B with the disk
26A
outermost. These disks are arranged to rotate inwardly so that the front
extremity
and the blade carried thereby rotates in the direction indicated at the arrows
D as
shown in Figure 1 to carry the crop material which is cut by those disks
inwardly
toward the discharge opening.
Each of the disks 26A and 26B carries a respective one of a plurality of
impellers. Thus the disk 26A carries an upstanding impeller 40 and the disk
26B
carries an impeller 41. In between these two impellers is mounted a third
suspended impeller 42.
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Thus in the embodiment shown there are three impellers arranged to
engage the crop material during or slightly after the cutting action so as to
carry the
crop material inwardly toward the end wall of the discharge opening. The
number of
impellers can be increased or decreased depending upon particular requirements
or
particular designs. Thus there may be only two impellers or there maybe more
impellers. The impellers 40 and 41 are mounted on the respective disk so as to
be
carried thereby and driven thereby. The impeller 42 is carried on the frame 17
at a
position above the cutter bar 24 so as to be a hanging impeller supported from
a
mounting system 44 above the impeller wherein there is provided a suitable
bearing
and also a suitable drive system within a frame member of the frame 17.
The top conditioning roller 34 is located above the bottom conditioning
roller 35. These define between them the nip 37 through which the crop
material is
controlled to pass. In order to assist the crop material from the cutting
disks to flow
to the nip 37, there is provided a crop transfer roller 38 which is located in
the area
between the rear of the disks and the nip of the conditioning roller system.
In this
embodiment the transfer roller 38 extends substantially across the full width
of the
header and carries an auger flight 38A which acts to engage the crop behind
the
cutting disks and to carry that crop inwardly to the discharge opening for
feeding to
the conditioning rollers.
The drive system for the header is shown schematically in Figures 6, 7
and 8 and is indicated generally at 50. A right angle gear box 51 is
positioned above
a drive spindle 52 on one section 24B of the cutter bar 24. A hydraulic motor
53
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drives an input shaft 54 on the gear box 51, which runs straight through and
drives
the spindle 52 on the cutter bar via a universal joint drive line 55. The side
output 56
of the gear box 51 drives, via a fixed cross shaft 57 on bearings 58, the
input of a
second bevel gear box 59 symmetrical to the first. Each gear box 51 and 59
includes two bevel gears 60, 61 and 62, 63 at right angles each carried on
bearing
64.
This side output from gear 61 to the shaft 57 is at a lower speed than
the input speed at the shaft 54. This shaft 57 goes straight through the box
59 to an
output shaft 65 while driving the bevel gear 62. The 90 degree output of the
second
gear box at the bevel gear 63 drives a drive spindle 66 of the second section
24A of
the cutter bar 24 at the same speed as the input on the shaft 54 and the
spindle 52
to the first cutter bar section 24B.
This design also provides power output to the top and bottom rollers
34, 35 of the conditioner 31 and to the transfer roller 37. Thus the shaft 65
carries
pulley 67 which provides an output drive to a pulley 68 which supplies drive
to a gear
box 69 (figure 2) driving the top and bottom rollers through shafts 69A and
69B and
driving the transfer roller 38 through a pulley 70 driven from the pulley 68.
An endless belt drive 70 including a first pulley 71 on the spindle 66
and a second pulley 72 can also used to drive the suspended impeller 42
between
the impeller 40 of the last disk and the next impeller 41.
Thus the end cutter disk 26X of the first section 24B has a first
upstanding drive shaft 52 through which drive is connected to the gear train
of the
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first section 24B. Symmetrically the end one 26A of the cutter disks of the
second
section 24A has a second upstanding drive shaft 66 through which drive is
connected to the gear train of the second section. The first gear box 51 is
connected to an upper end of the first drive shaft 52 and the second gear box
59 is
5 connected to an upper end of the second drive shaft 66. The drive
transfer shaft 57
connects the first and second gear boxes and transfers drive from the first
gear box
to the second. The hydraulic motor 53 acts as an input drive for supplying
driving
rotation to the first gear box.
In the preferred arrangement, there is a single hydraulic motor so that
10 the input drive provides drive at the first gear box only. However another
arrangement (not shown) can include a second hydraulic motor at the gear box
59
so as to provide a second balanced input. The drive transfer shaft connects
the two
gear boxes so that they remain in synchronism while the load is shared by the
two
motors. The gear box 59 in this arrangement is therefore more complex and
15 includes three bevels and six bearings.
