US 4,188,772 AGranted

Hydraulic speed control system for the pick-up reel of a peanut combine

AssigneeHarrington Manufacturing Company

InventorsBetram L. Jordan, John D. Mitchell

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydraulic speed control system for controlling the peripheral speed of a pick-up reel rotatively mounted about the front of a peanut combine. During the harvesting operation, the hydraulic speed control system is adapted to drive the pick-up reel at a generally constant speed as long as the ground speed of the peanut combine is equal to or less than a selected speed. The hydraulic control system is responsive to the ground speed of the peanut combine such that once the ground speed exceeds said selected speed, the hydraulic control system then drives the pick-up reel in proportion to ground speed such that the peripheral speed of the reel is generally equal the harvester ground speed in order that the relative velocity between the entering crop material being delivered to the combine by the reel and the combine itself is generally zero.

Claims12

Dependent claims

In a harvesting machine having a crop engaging reel rotatively mounted about the front of a harvester, the improvment comprising a hydraulic speed control system for automatically controlling the peripheral speed of said reel of said crop harvesting machine during crop harvesting operartion such that the peripheral speed of said reel is generally constant until the harvester's ground speed exceeds a selected speed at which time the hydralic control system is operative to drive the reel such that the peripheral speed thereof is controlled in accordance with harvester ground speed, said hydraulic speed control system comprising:

a first pump means operatively connected to a generally constant drive source and operatively connected to a source of hydraulic fluid for pumping a generally constant output flow of fluid;
a hydraulic motor operatively connected to said reel for rotatively driving the same, and wherein said hydraulic motor is operatively connected in said speed control system and to said first pump means such that the fluid output from said first pump means may be directed to said hydraulic motor for driving said reel at a generally constant peripheral speed while said harvester is stationary;
a second pump means operatively connected in said hydraulic control system for directing fluid from a fluid source to said hydraulic motor and wherein said second pump means is operatively connected to a second drive source that is responsive to ground speed and which acts to drive said second pump means at a speed proportional to ground speed;
and wherein said second pump means is operatively associated with said first pump means for cooperating therewith to drive said reel at a generally constant speed as long as the harvester ground speed is equal to or less than a selected speed, and wherein while the harvester ground speed is equal to or less than said selected speed, said second pump means is effective to first pump portions of the output flow of said first pump means to said hydraulic motor while said first pump means is effective to pump any remaining portions of the output flow therefrom to said hydraulic motor such that the generally constant volumetric output of said first pump means is directed to said hydraulic motor driving said reel while said harvester ground speed is equal to or less than the said selected speed;
and wherein said second pump means is operative to draw fluid from said fluid source when said harvester ground speed exceeds said selected speed and the drawn fluid is combined with the output flow of said first pump means to drive said hydraulic motor at a speed proportional to ground speed as long as said ground speed of said harvester exceeds said selected speed, such that the peripheral speed of said reel is generally equal to the harvester ground speed.

2 more elements

In a mobile agricultural harvesting machine having a crop engaging reel rotatively mounted about the front thereof, the improvement comprising a hydraulic dual input speed control system for controlling the speed of said reel during harvesting such that the reel may be driven at speeds proportional to the ground speed of said harvesting machine but at a speed at least equal to a selected initial speed irrespective of the ground speed of said harvesting machine, said dual input speed control system comprising:

a hydraulic motor operatively connected to said reel for driving the same;
a first hydraulic pump operatively connected to a source of hydraulic fluid and operative when driven to pump fluid to said hydraulic motor and consequently to drive said reel;
constant drive means operatively connected to said first hydraulic pump for driving the same at a generally constant speed such that said hydraulic motor and said reel operatively connected thereto may be driven independently of the ground speed of said harvesting machine and at a speed at least equal to said selected initial speed irrespective of the ground speed of said harvesting machine;
a second hydraulic pump independent of said first hydraulic pump and operatively connected in said hydraulic control system for also driving said hydraulic motor;
and second variable speed drive means independent of said first constant speed drive means and operatively connected to said second hydraulic pump for driving the same, said second variable speed drive means including means for effectively sensing the ground speed of said harvesting machine and for driving said hydraulic motor and the reel in proportion to ground speed such that said reel during certain portions of the harvesting operation is driven by both said first and second pumps so as to give rise to a dual input hydraulic speed control system for the reel of said harvesting machine.

2 more elements

In a mobile agricultural harvesting machine having a crop engaging reel rotatively mounted about the front thereof, the improvement comprising a hydraulic control system for controlling the speed of said reel during harvesting such that the reel is driven at a speed at least equal to a selected initial speed independently of the ground speed of said harvesting machine and at a speed generally proportional to the ground speed of said harvesting machine during periods of actual harvesting as said harvesting machine is moving through the field, said hydraulic control system comprising a hydraulic motor operatively connected to said reel for driving the same;

speed control means associated with said hydraulic control system and responsive to ground speed of said harvesting machine for driving said reel at either a speed at least equal to said initial selected speed or at a peripheral speed generally proportional to the ground speed of the harvesting machine;
and wherein said speed control means includes a first fluid pumping means operatively connected to said hydraulic motor and including a generally constant speed drive means for driving said first fluid pumping means such that said hydraulic motor is effectively driven by said first fluid pumping means such that the speed of said reel is maintained at a speed at least equal to the speed of said selected initial speed;
and wherein said speed control means further includes a second fluid pumping means independent of said first fluid pumping means and operatively connected to said hydraulic motor and including variable speed drive means responsive to the ground speed of said harvesting machine for effectively driving said second fluid pumping means and said hydraulic motor at a speed proportional to the ground speed of said harvesting machine during periods of actual harvesting as said harvesting machine moves through the field such that the speed of said reel is controlled and maintained at a speed generally proportional to the ground speed of said harvesting machine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.