Flexible cutterbar with adjustable cut height
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorJoel Cook
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable skid shoe enabling a flexible cutter bar of an agricultural combine harvester to follow the ground at a higher cut height during the flex cutter bar mode. The adjustable skid shoe is hinged and can be fixed so the curved aft end lowers the ground contact surface beneath the header, raising the cut height in flex mode. The adjusted skid shoe contacts the ground further back from the cutter bar, allowing the cutter bar to reach close to the ground by a front pivot of the header on the adjusted skid shoe. Also, an agricultural vehicle header and an agricultural combine harvester comprising the skid shoe.
Claims20
A skid shoe for a header of an agricultural harvester, comprising:
- a fore end having a forward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- an aft end having a rearward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- a central region joining the fore and aft ends with a pivot joint;
- and
- an adjustable link joined at a first end to the fore end of the skid shoe by a pivot joint and at a second, opposite end to the aft end of the skid shoe by an adjustable joint,
- wherein the fore end, aft end, and adjustable link form a three bar mechanism configured to adjust an elevation of the aft end with respect to the fore end.
A header for an agricultural harvester, comprising:
- a header frame;
- and
- a cutter bar assembly joined to the header frame, wherein the cutter bar assembly comprises:
- a flexible cutter bar;
- and
- a skid shoe joined to the cutter bar, wherein the skid shoe comprises:
- a fore end having a forward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- an aft end having a rearward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- a central region joining the fore and aft ends with a pivot joint;
- and
- an adjustable link joined at a first end to the fore end of the skid shoe by a pivot joint and at a second, opposite end to the aft end of the skid shoe by an adjustable joint,
- wherein the fore end, aft end, and adjustable link form a three bar mechanism configured to adjust an elevation of the aft end with respect to the fore end.
An agricultural combine harvester, comprising:
- a header, wherein the header comprises:
- a header frame;
- and
- a cutter bar assembly joined to the header frame, wherein the cutter bar assembly comprises:
- a flexible cutter bar;
- and
- a skid shoe joined to the cutter bar, wherein the skid shoe comprises:
- a fore end having a forward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- an aft end having a rearward and upwardly directed outer convex surface;
- a central region joining the fore and aft ends with a pivot joint;
- and
- an adjustable link joined at a first end to the fore end of the skid shoe by a pivot joint and at a second, opposite end to the aft end of the skid shoe by an adjustable joint,
- wherein the fore end, aft end, and adjustable link form a three bar mechanism configured to adjust an elevation of the aft end with respect to the fore end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.