Corn harvesters
OwnerErnest F. Sammanninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A corn saver apparatus removably attached to a self-propelled commercially available corn harvester which facilitates harvesting of corn growing in a field. The apparatus comprises an agricultural implement which augments a standard corn harvester by picking up stalks of corn which have fallen, and further by moving broken stalks of corn into the harvesting apparatus. The apparatus of the present invention is removably mounted in overlying relationship respective to the gathering apparatus of a conventional corn harvester and significantly increases the yield realized from a field of corn by avoiding the waste of corn which heretofore has been left lying on the ground.
Claims14
In a harvester apparatus arranged to be propelled along the ground and having a plurality of forwardly directed snouts arranged in side-by-side relation which are adapted to pass between crop rows to guide corn laden stalks therebetween and into a corn gathering snapping row and a lateral conveyor, the combination with said harvester apparatus of a pickup apparatus by which fallen stalks are guided into said harvester;
- said pickup apparatus comprising a support frame, a laterally arranged drive shaft mounted on said support frame in superimposed relationship above said lateral conveyor, drive means for axially rotating said shaft, a cantilever arm superimposed over the central location of said snouts and having a free end disposed in close proximity of the forward end of said snout and a pivoted end supported in journaled relation on said shaft;
- said pivoted end includes a yoke journaled to said shaft and supportedly affixed to said journaled end of said cantilever arm such that said yoke can be pivoted about said shaft to pivotally move said free end of said cantilever arm about said shaft;
- a drive sprocket affixed to said shaft, an idler sprocket affixed to said free end of said arm, an endless conveyor disposed about each of said sprockets, said conveyor including lugs attached thereto by which a corn stalk is moved toward said lateral conveyor;
- and, means affixing the free end of said yoke to said harvester apparatus;
- an auger associated with the outermost of saids snouts, said auger having a spiral screw formed thereon;
- said auger having a forward end journaled to the free end of said snout and a driven end journaled to said support frame;
- drive means by which said shaft axially rotates said auger, said auger on one side of said harvester rotating in an opposed direction respective to the auger located on the other side;
- said auger having a cylindrical configuration which includes a constant diameter body adjacent said drive shaft and a conical body adjacent the free end of said snout;
- a spiral located about said constant diameter portion;
- a spiral located about said conical portion;
- the last two spirals being arrange in opposed directions;
- a plate member connecting said spirals together and affixed to said constant diameter portion whereby stalks are forced towards said plate member and the ears of corn thereon are knocked laterally toward the centrally located ones of the snouts.
In a combine having a corn harvester apparatus operatively mounted thereto and arranged to be propelled along the ground, with a plurality of forwardly directed snouts thereof arranged in side-by-side aligned relationship which are adapted to pass between crop rows to thereby guide corn laden stalks therebetween and into a corn gathering snapping row and then to a lateral conveyor which transports the corn to a thrasher, the combination with said harvester apparatus of a corn saver apparatus by which fallen stalks are picked up and guided into said harvester;
- said corn saver apparatus includes a support frame removably mounted to said harvester apparatus, a laterally arranged drive shaft, journal means by which said shaft is mounted on said support frame in spaced relation on said lateral conveyor, means for axially rotating said drive shaft, a cantilever arm superimposed over the central location of said ones of the snouts, said arm has a free end disposed in close proximity of the forward end of said snout with the other end of said arm being supported in journaled relation respective to said shaft;
- said other end of said arm includes a yoke, means by which said yoke is journaled on said drive shaft and supportedly affixed to said journaled end of said cantilever arm such that said yoke can be pivoted about said drive shaft to pivotally move said free end of said cantilever arm about said drive shaft;
- a drive sprocket affixed to said drive shaft, an idler sprocket mounted on said free end of said arm, an endless conveyor disposed about each of said sprockets, said endless conveyor including lugs attached thereto and outwardly depending therefrom by which a corn stalk is moved from overlying relation respective to a snout toward said lateral conveyor;
- the free end of said yoke being affixed to said support frame such that the relative position of the arm respective to the snout can be adjusted;
- an auger associated with the outermost of said snouts, means rotating said augers in opposed directions, the augers being mirror images of one another;
- each auger having a constant diameter marginal end and a conical marginal end with the free terminal end of the conical portion being journaled on the forward end of an outermost snout;
- the terminal end of the constant diameter marginal end being journaled on said support frame;
- a constant diameter spiral formed on said constant diameter marginal end, a conical spiral formed on said conical marginal end, a plate member positioned between the two recited spirals, th two recited spirals being of opposite pitch so that a corn stalk engaged by the auger is moved into engagement with the plate member which knocks an ear of corn it may contact laterally towards the central snouts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.