US 4,011,709 AGranted

Harvesting platform

AssigneeDeere & Company

InventorsRoger Eugene Mott, Darwin Carl Bichel

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Abstract

A self-propelled combine has a forwardly extending, vertically adjustable crop feeder housing and a transversely elongated, cutter bar type harvesting platform mounted on the forward end of the housing. The platform includes a floor and a transverse auger that extends the width of the platform and converges the crop along the floor to the center of the platform, for discharge rearwardly to the feeder housing. A cutter bar spans the width of the platform along the leading edge of the floor and is mounted for fore and aft extension or retraction into different fore and aft positions to vary the distance between the cutter bar and the auger. Members are also provided for adjusting the tilt of the cutter bar about a transverse horizontal axis, so that the cutter bar skids, which ride along the ground, can be adjusted to the desired angle relative to the ground.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A harvesting platform for mobile harvesting machine comprising:

a transversely elongated platform frame havng opposite sides;
a platform floor extending between the opposite sides;
a transverse crop conveyor means mounted on the frame above the floor for moving the crop laterally on the platform;
a transverse cutter bar extending between the opposite sides of the platform frame forwardly of the floor;
a drive means for driving the cutter bar and including a drive mechanism mounted on one end of the cutter bar and having a rotary input element and a reciprocating output element connected to the cutter bar;
and means mounting the cutter bar on the platform frame for selective tilting adjustment about a transverse horizontal axis to vary the tilt of the cutter bar relative to the ground, the drive mechanism on the end cutter bar tilting with the cutter bar;
a belt drive on one side of the platform, drivingly connected to the drive mechanism and including a belt tensioning means operative to supply belt tension regardless of the tilt position of the cutter bar and the drive mechanism mounted thereon.

4 more elements

A harvesting platform for a mobile harvesting machine comprising:

a transversely elongated platform frame having opposite sides;
a platform floor mounted on the frame and extending between the opposite sides;
a transverse crop conveyor means mounted on the frame above the floor for moving the crop laterally on the platform;
a transverse cutter bar extending between the opposite sides of the platform frame forwardly of the floor and including a flat, generally horizontal seal element extending rearwardly from the cutter bar and overlapping the forward end of the floor and being attachable thereto;
a plurality of fore and aft channel members connected to the frame and also directly to the underside of the floor;
a plurality of generally fore and aft arms respectively slidably mounted in the respective channel members;
removable fastener means selectively insertable through sets of alternate bores in the arms in the channel members to lock the arms relative to the channel members in selective alternate positions to selectively vary the fore and aft position of the arms relative to the channel members, the seal element overlapping and being attachable to the floor in each of the selective alternate positions;
means mounting the cutter bar on the forward ends of said arms to selectively vary the fore and aft position of the cutter bar relative to the conveyor means in response to the shifting of the arms into said alternate positions relative to the channel members, the seal element overlapping the forward end of the floor and being attached thereto in each of the alternate cutter bar positions;
a drive means having a rotary input element and a reciprocating output element mounted on one end of the cutter bar for driving the cutter bar, the drive means being adjustable in a fore and aft direction with the cutter bar;
and a belt drive on one side of the platform drivingly connected to the input element and including a belt take up mechanism operative to supply belt tension regardless of the position of the cutter bar relative to the rest of the platform.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.