Tension spring flotation for agricultural rakes
AssigneeNew Holland North America, Inc.
InventorsEdward A. Blakeslee, Douglas D. Sorensen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An agricultural rake basket flotation system is described that employs tension springs to support a portion of the weight of the rake basket, toward the lateral ends thereof, thus allowing for a more sensitive and complete response to encounters with obstacles and irregularities in the ground level.
Claims20
In a crop-handling apparatus to be moved through a field of crop by a prime mover, the apparatus including an elongated transverse main frame with opposing ends and supported by a ground-engaging wheel, an elongated transverse subframe affixed to said main frame and movable generally vertically relative thereto, a lift mechanism interconnecting said main frame and said subframe to lift said subframe to a raised transport position, said subframe including a crop-treating mechanism, the improvement comprising:
- said subframe is affixed to said main frame by a flotation mechanism that includes a tension spring to partially support the weight of said subframe and crop-treating mechanism from said main frame.
An agricultural rake comprising:
- an elongated main frame supported by a ground-engaging wheel;
- said main frame including a generally forwardly extending draft member adapted for connection to a prime mover and affixed generally to said main frame centrally between the ends thereof;
- an elongated subframe supporting an elongated rake basket, both longer than said main frame, said subframe affixed to said main frame by a pair of flotation mechanisms, each including a tension spring partially supporting the weight of said subframe and rake basket from said main frame.
An agricultural rake comprising:
- an elongated main frame supported by a ground-engaging wheel;
- said main frame including a generally forwardly extending draft member adapted for connection to a prime mover and affixed generally to said main frame centrally between the ends thereof;
- an elongated header including a rake reel with tines, said header longer than said main frame and affixed to said main frame by a pair of flotation mechanisms spaced apart along the length of said main frame and said header, toward the ends of said main frame, each said flotation mechanism including a tension spring partially supporting the weight of said header from said main frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.