# US 2014/0150391 A1 · Rotary Crop Harvesting Machine with Cutter Bar Tilt Control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150391 A1 - Document ID: US20140150391A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/031,656 - Filed: 2013-09-19 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-19 - Assignees: MacDon Industries Ltd. - Applicants: MacDon Industries Ltd. - Inventors: John Edward Enns; Roger L. Patterson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150391A1 ## CPC - A01D 34/006: {Control or measuring arrangements} - A01D 34/662: {to the front of the vehicle} - A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING ## Abstract A crop header has generally horizontal flail disks mounted for driven rotation about generally upright axes of a cutter bar. A tilting system is provided for tilting the cutter bar about an axis transverse to the machine so as to tilt the cutting plane from a generally horizontal position forwardly and rearwardly. A sensor is provided which is responsive to upward and downward floating movement of the cutter bar relative to the support frame and is arranged to analyze changes in the signal to determine times when the cutter bar is moving upwardly when the cutter bar is tilted rearwardly, times when the cutter bar is moving downwardly when the cutter bar is tilted forwardly and times when the cutter bar is remaining at a constant height. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A crop harvesting machine for cutting a standing crop comprising: a cutter bar mounted across a width of the machine for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop, the cutter bar defining a cutter plane; a vehicle for carrying the cutter bar comprising: a support frame; ground wheels for supporting the support frame in movement across the ground; a mounting assembly supporting the cutter bar on the support frame arranged so as to allow up and down floating movement of the cutter bar relative to the support frame; a tilting system for tilting the cutter bar about an axis transverse to the machine so as to tilt the cutting plane from a generally horizontal position forwardly so that a front edge of the cutting plane moves downwardly and a rear edge of the cutting plane moves upwardly and from the generally horizontal position rearwardly so that the front edge of the cutting plane moves upwardly and the rear edge of the cutting plane moves downwardly; and a control arrangement for operating the tilting system in response said upward and downward floating movement of the cutter bar so that the cutter bar when moving upwardly tilts rearwardly and when moving downwardly tilts forwardly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein the cutter bar includes a plurality of 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 where each disk has 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 where the cutter bar is arranged such that the disks define the common cutting plane containing a path of the blades of the cutting disks. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a detector system responsive to said upward and downward floating movement of the cutter bar relative to the support frame and the control arrangement operates the tilting system in response to the detector system so that the cutter bar when moving upwardly tilts rearwardly and when moving downwardly tilts forwardly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The crop header according to claim 3 wherein the detector system is arranged to provides signal indicative of float height of the cutter bar and the control system is arranged to analyze changes in the signal to determine times when the cutter bar is moving upwardly, times when the cutter bar is moving downwardly and times when the cutter bar is remaining at a constant height. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a tractor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a pull type header. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a combine harvester. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The crop header according to claim 1 wherein the cutter bar is carried on a cutter bar frame carried on the support frame and wherein the tilting system is arranged to cause said tilting of the cutter bar by tilting the support frame relative to the vehicle about an axis transverse to the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The crop header according to claim 8 wherein the mounting assembly providing said floating movement is provided between the cutter bar frame and the support frame. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The crop header according to claim 8 wherein the cutter bar frame is carried on the support frame by links which cause upward floating movement of the cutter bar frame in response to rearward movement of the cutter bar frame relative to the support frame. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The crop header according to claim 10 wherein the links comprise parallel links suspended downwardly from the support frame to the cutter bar frame. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The crop header according to claim 10 wherein there is provided at least one spring acting on the links to apply a force to the links forwardly so that the spring is resiliently deformed to provide said spring float as the links pivot rearwardly.