Clutched driveline for wings on flex wing cutter
AssigneeOregon Tool, Inc.
InventorBrandon Joel Marquardt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flex wing cutter is equipped with a splitter gearbox and a plurality of drivelines. Each driveline is coupled to the splitter gearbox via a clutch assembly, and supplies power to a drive gearbox and cutting blade assembly on a wing of the flex wing cutter. Each clutch assembly is equipped to an actuator, the actuator configured to selectively engage or disengage the driveline from receiving rotational power from the splitter gearbox. Each actuator can be remotely controlled from a control located in a cab of a towing vehicle, such as a tractor, allowing an operator of the flex wing cutter to remotely deactivate the cutting blade assemblies of either or both wings of a flex wing cutter.
Claims20
A drive system for a flex wing cutter, comprising:
- a splitter gearbox, the splitter gearbox comprising an input shaft and a plurality of output shafts;
- a plurality of clutch assemblies, each clutch assembly disposed between the splitter gearbox and one of the plurality of output shafts;
- a linear actuator coupled to a first clutch assembly of the clutch assemblies, wherein actuation of the linear actuator moves the first clutch assembly such that the first clutch assembly selectively engages or disengages a corresponding output shaft of the plurality of output shafts to the splitter gearbox;
- and
- a control positioned remote from the flex wing cutter and configured to control actuation of the linear actuator.
A farm implement, comprising:
- a power source;
- a controller coupled to the power source;
- a mount point disposed on the power source;
- and
- a flex wing cutter, connected to the mount point, comprising:
- a center section with a first side and a second side;
- first and second wing sections articulably coupled to the first and second sides of the center section, respectively, each of the first and second wing sections including a drive gearbox;
- a splitter gearbox disposed on the center section and rotationally coupled to the power source so that the splitter gearbox receives rotational motion from the power source;
- and
- first and second drivelines respectively associated with and coupled to the drive gearboxes of the first and second wing sections so that the drive gearboxes can receive rotational motion from the first and second drivelines;
- wherein the first and second drivelines are each selectably coupled to respective output shafts from the splitter gearbox via first and second mechanical clutches, each mechanical clutch respectively associated with each of the first and second drivelines, selective coupling of each mechanical clutch controlled by the controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.