Lockout system for header
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorAlex Brimeyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and apparatuses for articulating float arms of a harvester header between a flexible configuration and a rigid configuration are disclosed. The systems and apparatuses include a locking tube that experiences no torque or approximately no torque when the float arms are in the rigid configuration. Further, the systems and apparatuses also avoid adjustments to ensure that float arms are fully retracted, such as into abutting contact with another portion of a header.
Claims20
A harvester header comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of float arms pivotably coupled to the frame;
- a knife coupled to distal ends of the float arms;
- and
- a locking system moveable between a flexible configuration in which at least one of the float arms is pivotable relative to the frame and a rigid configuration in which the at least one float arms is pivotably fixed relative to the frame, the locking system comprising:
- a rotatable component rotatably coupled to the frame;
- and
- a tensioner comprising:
- a first end pivotably coupled to the rotatable component;
- a second end pivotably coupled to a float arm of the plurality of float arms;
- and
- a biasing component extending between the first end and the second end, the rotatable component rotates in a first direction to pivotably fix the float arm relative to the frame and compress the biasing component when the locking system is moved into a rigid configuration and the rotatable locking component rotatable in a second direction, opposite the first direction, to permit pivotable movement of the float arm relative to the frame.
A method of actuating float arms of a harvester header between a flexible configuration in which a knife of the harvester header is able to flex along a length thereof and a rigid configuration in which the knife is prevented from flexing along the length thereof, the method comprising:
- rotating a rotatable component that laterally extends along a length of a harvester header about a centerline of the rotatable component, a plurality of float arms of the harvester header pivotably coupled to the rotatable component;
- and
- one of retracting a first shaft in a first direction in response to rotation of the rotatable component in a first angular direction to compress a biasing component, the retraction of the first shaft in the first direction pivoting a float arm of the plurality of float arms into abutting contact with a portion of a frame of the harvester header in response to rotation of the rotatable component in the first angular direction or extending the first shaft in a second direction, opposite the first direction, in response to rotation of the rotatable component in a second angular direction, opposite the first angular direction, to expand the biasing component, the extension of the first shaft in the second direction pivoting the float arm of the plurality of float arms away from abutting contact with the portion of the frame of the harvester header in response to rotation of the rotatable component in a second angular direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.