Self-propelled crop harvester

In a self-propelled combine adapted to advance over a field and having a plurality of wheels, an engine, an operator's station, a crop processing means, and crop handling means adapted to receive crop material from the processing means and including a grain tank mounted on the frame and including an elevated central portion and a pair of transversely spaced, saddle portions depending from the opposite sides of the central portions and transverse conveyor means interconnecting the saddle portions below central portion, the combination therewith of an improved frame for supporting the engine, the crop processing means, the crop handling means and the operator's station on the wheels and comprising:

• first and second, generally fore-and-aft, opposite, upright frame sides, each side including upper and lower vertically spaced generally fore-and-aft frame elements, said lower elements lying in approximately the same horizontal plane as the transverse conveyor means, front and rear, approximately upright frame elements respectively interconnecting the upper and lower frame elements, and at least one diagonal element disposed between said upright element having one end connected to an upper fore-and-aft element and its other end connected to a lower fore-and-aft element so that the frame side is in the form of a truss;
• a plurality of lateral frame elements interconnecting the frame sides;
• and
• means connecting the frame sides to the wheels.

In a self-propelled combine adapted to advance over a field and having a plurality of wheels, an engine, an operator's station, a crop processing means and crop handling means adapted to receive crop material from the processing means, the combination therewith of an improved frame for supporting the engine, the crop processing means, the crop handling means and the operator's station on the wheels, and comprising:

• first and second generally fore-and-aft, opposite, upright frame sides, each side including upper and lower vertically spaced, generally fore-and-aft frame elements, front and rear approximately upright frame elements respectively interconnecting the upper and lower frame elements and front and rear diagonal elements respectively connected to the upper fore-and-aft frame element adjacent respective connections between said fore-and-aft element and said front and rear upright elements and connected to the lower frame elements at substantially the same point so that each frame side is in the form of a truss having three triangular bays;
• a plurality of lateral frame elements, approximately in the plane of the lower fore-and-aft frame elements, extending between and rigidly attached to the opposite frame sides;
• and
• means connecting frame sides to the wheels.

In a self-propelled crop harvester having a plurality of functional units including an engine and a processing unit for processing crop material, the improvement comprising:

• two opposite upright fore-and-aft extending truss frame sides each of which includes a plurality of members, including upper and lower, fore-and-aft extending members and connecting members extending between the upper and lower members, connected together at their ends in upper and lower joints so as to form at least two contiguous bays, triangular in shape and lying generally in a common plane, at least one joint including transverse pivot means having removable pins whereby the members are pivotally and releasably connected;
• a plurality of transverse members joining the opposite truss frame sides, said upright frame sides and transverse members together defining a space for at least one of said functional units and forming a supporting structure therefore, at least one of said functional units being mounted on the supporting structure within said space;
• and
• two transverse axle assemblies each including a pair of ground-engaging wheels and each carried by said supporting structure, at least one of the axle assemblies being carried adjacent to one of the lower joints between members of the respective frame sides, so that the machine supporting forces transmitted from the wheels through said axle are applied to the supporting structure adjacent to said joint.

In a self-propelled crop harvester having a plurality of functional units including an engine and a processing unit on the machine for processing crop material, and having a tank module for temporary storage of the crop material after processing, said module having a grain tank and conveying means, the grain tank having upright side walls with triangular lower sections, the improvement comprising:

• two opposite, upright, fore-and-aft extending truss frame sides, each of which includes a plurality of members, including upper and lower, fore-and-aft extending members and connecting members extending between the upper and lower members connected together at their ends in upper and lower joints so as to form at least two contiguous bays, triangular in shape and lying generally in a common plane, the triangular lower sections of the grain tank side walls coinciding with one of said bays;
• a plurality of transverse members joining the opposite truss frame sides, said upright frame sides and transverse members together defining a space for at least one of said functional units and forming a supporting structure therefor, at least one of said functional units being mounted on the supporting structure within said space;
• and
• two transverse axial assemblies, each including a pair of ground-engaging wheels, and each carried by said supporting structure, at least one of the axial assemblies being carried adjacent to one of the lower joints between members of the respective frame sides so that the machine supporting forces transmitted from the wheels through said axial are applied to the supporting structure to said joint.

A self-propelled combine comprising:

• a mobile main frame having opposite frame sides, said frame sides including opposite fore-and-aft extending lower elements, front and rear;
• a crop processing means mounted on the main frame and including a rotary separator means having a generally fore-and-aft axis;
• a crop handling means mounted on the frame and adapted to receive crop material from the processing means and including a grain tank, having an elevated central portion including a floor having a fore-and-aft extending ridge and a pair of saddle portions depending from the opposite sides of the central portion and disposed on opposite sides of the separator means, said ridged floor being disposed so that crop material received by the central portion may flow by gravity into the saddle portions;
• a transverse auger-type conveyor interconnecting the bottoms of the saddle portions below the axis of the separator means, and including a tubular housing rigidly joined adjacent its ends to the opposite front lower elements of the frame sides adjacent their rearward ends;
• and
• a front axle structure interconnecting the opposite frame sides and rigidly joined the the front lower elements of said frame sides adjacent their forward ends, said front lower elements, conveyor housing and front axle structure cooperating as a rigid transverse subframe of said main frame.

A self-propelled combine comprising:

• a mobile main frame having opposite upright fore-and-aft frame sides and a plurality of transverse frame elements interconnecting said sides, one of said elements being formed by a transverse front axle structure including ground-engaging drive wheels at the opposite ends;
• a grain tank mounted on the frame and including an elevated central portion and transversely spaced vertically extending saddle portions depending from the opposite sides of the central portion and lying within the upright planes of the respective frame sides;
• an operator's station mounted on the frame above the front axle structure and immediately in front of the grain tank;
• a rotary crop separating means having a generally fore-and-aft axis and carried by the frame below the central portion of the grain tank, between the saddle portions of the grain tank, and above the front axle structure;
• and engine having an output shaft mounted on the frame rearwardly of the separating means below the central portion of the grain tank and between the saddle portions of the grain tank, said output shaft being below the axis of the separating means;
• and
• a transverse rear axle structure connected to the frame generally below the engine and including a pair of steerable rear wheels at its opposite ends.

A self-propelled harvester comprising:

• a main frame including a grain tank, the tank having an elevated central portion and first and second depending saddle portions communicating with it and straddling the harvester, the saddle portions having downwardly converging front and rear floor sections, a tranverse conveyor housing extending between the saddle tank portions and rigidly attached thereto, generally at the convergence of said tank floor sections, and front and rear axle structures and opposite lower fore-and-aft side members extending between said housing adjacent the convergence of said tank floor sections and said axle structures, said transverse conveyor housing, front and rear axle structures and side members constituting a bottom frame means, and the tank and the bottom frame means cooperating to define a tunnel;
• a crop processing unit mounted on the frame towards the forward end of said tunnel below the grain tank and substantially above the bottom frame means and operable to receive crop at its forward end and process it;
• discharge means mounted on the frame and operable to deliver processed grain upwards from the processing unit into the elevated central portion of the grain tank;
• means mounted forward of the processing unit and pivotally connected to it for removing the crop from the field and delivering it to the processing unit;
• engine means drivingly connected to the processing unit and mounted on the frame behind the processing unit substantially within said tunnel;
• unloading means including a transverse conveyor within said transverse conveyor housing for transferring grain from the first saddle tank portion to the second, an upright conveyor within the second saddle tank portion, and a discharge conveyor swingably mounted on the upright conveyor;
• and
• an operator's station mounted on the frame forward of the grain tank, above the crop processing unit and offset from the fore-and-aft center line of the harvester.

A self-propelled combine comprising:

• a mobile main frame having first and second opposite upright frame sides, each side including a lower generally fore-and-aft frame element having a forward portion, a rear portion, transverse pivot means connecting the front and rear portions, an upper generally fore-and-aft frame element above the lower element, a front generally upright frame element interconnecting the upper and lower fore-and-aft frame elements adjacent the forward ends, a rear generally upright frame element interconnecting the upper and lower frame element adjacent their rearward ends, a first diagonal member connected to the upper frame element adjacent to said forward end and connected to the lower frame element adjacent said transverse pivot means, and a second diagonal member connected to the upper frame element adjacent to said rearward end and connected to the lower frame element adjacent to said transverse pivot means, said main frame also including a plurality of lateral members interconnecting the frame sides and including a front axle structure interconnecting the lower frame elements adjacent their forward ends, a tubular conveyor housing rigidly interconnecting the lower frame elements adjacent said transverse pivot means, and a rear axle assembly including a rear axle support interconnecting the lower frame elements adjacent their rearward ends, a fore-and-aft pivot means mounted on the rear axle support, and a rear axle structure mounted on the fore-and-aft pivot means for oscillation thereon;
• a crop handling means mounted on the frame and including a grain tank mounted on the frame and having an elevated central portion and a pair of saddle portions depending from the opposite sides of the central portion in communication with the conveyor housing and having downward converging front and rear walls converging toward and connected to the conveyor housing, the front and rear walls at least partially forming the first and second diagonal frame elements respectively of the opposite frame sides;
• a generally fore-and-aft crop processing means mounted on the frame above the front axle structure and below the central portion of the grain tank between the saddle portions and operative to deliver processed crop material to the crop handling means;
• an operator's station mounted on the frame above the front axle structure and forwardly of the grain tank;
• an engine mounted on the frame rearwardly of the transverse pivot means;
• and
• wheel means mounted on the front and rear axle structures.

A self-propelled crop harvester comprising:

• a supporting structure having two opposite upright truss frame sides, each of which includes a plurality of members connected together at their extremities so as to form three contiguous triangular bays, each frame side having a forward lower member, a rearward lower member and generally upright front and rear members in the form of struts, each of which is pivotally connected at its ends to adjoining members of the truss frame side, the supporting structure also including a transverse conveyor housing extending between the lower members of the frame sides and connected rigidly adjacent the rearward ends of the opposite forward lower members of said sides, the supporting structure also having a forward transverse subframe, including the opposite forward lower members of the frame sides, the transverse conveyor housing and a forward transverse member, said transverse member having brackets and drive housings and forming a front axle assembly and extending between the forward ends of the lower forward members of the frame sides, the supporting structure also having a rearward transverse subframe including the opposite rearward lower members of the frame sides, said members being pivotally connected at their forward ends to the rearward ends of the opposite forward lower members of the frame sides, the rearward transverse subframe also having a rear transverse member, said member having a downward extending bracket;
• a rear axle assembly pivotally connected to the downward extending bracket of the rear transverse member;
• a grain tank provided for temporary storage of the processed crop, and having an elevated central portion and first and second depending saddle portions communicating with it, the saddle portions straddling the harvester and having inner and outer walls and downwardly converging front and rear walls, said inner and outer walls having generally triangular lower sections, said saddle tank portions being attached rigidly adjacent their lower extremities to the transverse conveyor housing and said inner walls coinciding with corresponding bays of the opposite truss frame sides and being connected to adjoining members of the frame sides as to constitute an essential structural part of the frame sides, said grain tank, frame sides and subframes defining a longitudinally extending tunnel-like space;
• an engine for propelling the harvester, carried by the rear transverse subframe towards the rear of the tunnel-like space;
• a crop processing unit carried by the supporting structure forward of the engine, towards the front of the tunnel-like space, the processing unit having structural integrity and being connected to the forward transverse subframe, and frame sides so as to reinforce said supporting structure;
• harvesting means mounted forwardly on the supporting structure for removing the crop from the field and delivering it to the processing unit;
• unloading means carried by the supporting structure and including a transverse conveyor within said transverse conveyor housing, a vertical conveyor and a discharge conveyor, the transverse conveyor being operable to transfer processed crop from the first saddle tank portion to the second and deliver it to the vertical conveyor, said vertical conveyor extending upward in the second saddle tank portion and being operable to transfer the processed crop to the discharge conveyor, the discharge conveyor being swingably mounted at the upper end of the vertical conveyor and operable to discharge processed crop from the harvester;
• and
• an operator's station carried by the supporting structure forward of the grain tank and above the front axle assembly.