Crop cutting device
AssigneeCNH Industrial Belgium N.V.
InventorsJeroen Devroe, Dries Liefooghe, Nicolas Zwaenepoel
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Abstract
A crop cutting device for an agricultural machine according to the present invention comprises a shaft and a plurality of knives pivotally mounted on the shaft between a retracted position and an extended position. The shaft comprises first engaging means and each knife comprises second engaging means, wherein the first and second engaging means are configured to engage with each other, when the shaft is rotated to force at least one knife into one of the retracted position and the extended position.
Claims20
Crop cutting device for an agricultural machine, the crop cutting device comprising:
- a shaft rotatably supported by a frame of the crop cutting device;
- and
- a plurality of knives arranged side-by-side with respect to an axial direction of the shaft and pivotally mounted on the shaft;
- wherein the shaft comprises a first rotational position, in which the plurality of knives is freely pivotable with respect to the shaft between a retracted position and an extended position, and wherein the shaft is configured to be selectively rotatable from the first rotational position in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction towards a second rotational position;
- wherein the shaft comprises first engaging means and each knife of the plurality of knives comprises second engaging means, wherein the first engaging means and the second engaging means are configured to engage with each other when the shaft is rotated from the first rotational position towards the second rotational position to force at least one knife of the plurality of knives into one of the retracted position and the extended position.
A method of loosening at least one stuck knife of a plurality of knives of a crop cutting device comprising a rotatably supported shaft having a first rotational position, and the plurality of knives arranged side-by-side with respect to an axial direction of the shaft and pivotally mounted on the shaft between a retracted position and an extended position, when the shaft is in the first rotational position, wherein the shaft comprises first engaging means and each knife of the plurality of knives comprises second engaging means, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- rotating the shaft from the first rotational position in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction towards a second rotational position until the first engaging means engage with the second engaging means of the at least one knife stuck in one of or in between the retracted position and the extended position;
- and
- rotating the shaft further in the same direction to force the at least one stuck knife in one of the retracted position and the extended position, thereby loosening the at least one knife.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.