Adjustable conditioning plate for an impeller mower-conditioner

An impeller mower-conditioner for advancing over a field to cut, condition and windrow crop material comprising:

• a frame having opposite sides;
• a transverse cutter bar carried by the frame for cutting the crop material, the material moving generally rearwardly over the cutter bar as the mower-conditioner advances;
• an impeller rotor transversely and rotatably mounted in the frame and disposed to intercept crop material moving over the cutter bar and including a plurality of conditioning elements spaced along and around the rotor;
• a hood carrier by the frame substantially spanning the transverse extent of the rotor and having a fore-and-aft and transversely extending top wall and including a forward portion disposed at least partially above the rotor and a rearward extending material direction control portion;
• a transversely extending conditioning concave partially wrapping and generally concentric with the rotor and having with respect to rotor rotation a leading portion including a leading edge disposed above the cutter bar and approximately parallel to the rotor axis and a trailing portion including a trailing edge, said trailing edge being above the rotor and spaced below the top wall of the hood and in a crop delivery relationship with the direction control portion of the hood, the concave extending over approximately the forward upper quadrant of the rotor;
• adjustable mounting means connected between the concave and the frame for adjustably supporting the concave so that both the leading and the trailing portions are adjustable in relation to the rotor periphery;
• drive means for the cutter bar;
• and
• drive means for rotating the impeller so that crop material intercepted by the impeller is carried over the top of the impeller between the impeller and the concave and discharged rearwardly into the material direction control portion of the hood.

In a mobile mower-conditioner for advancing over a field to cut and condition a crop and including a frame, an improved impeller-type crop handling and conditioning means comprising:

• an impeller rotor rotatably mounted in the frame and having an axis of rotation approximately transverse the machine;
• a concave guide plate partially wrapping and generally concentric with the rotor, extending over approximately the forward upper quadrant of the rotor and spaced radially from the rotor periphery, the plate cooperating with that periphery to define a transversely and circumferentially extending conveying channel, said guide plate having with respect to rotor rotation leading and trailing edges;
• and
• mounting means for adjustably supporting the guide plate in the frame so that the disposition of both the leading and the trailing edges may be changed relative to the rotor periphery, said mounting means including an approximately circumferentially extending track element carried by the frame and the guide plate further including a track follower slidingly engageable and supportable by the track element and the mounting means being operable to adjust the guide plate generally circumferentially with respect to the rotor, the track element and the track follower cooperating to control the disposition of the trailing edge of the guide plate.

An impeller mower-conditioner for advancing over a field to cut, condition and windrow crop material comprising:

• a frame having opposite sides;
• a transverse cutter bar carried by the frame for cutting the crop material, the material moving generally rearwardly over the cutter bar as the mower-conditioner advances;
• an impeller rotor transversely and rotatably mounted in the frame and disposed to intercept crop material moving over the cutter bar and including a plurality of conditioning elements spaced along and around the rotor;
• a hood carrier by the frame substantially spanning the transverse extent of the rotor and having a fore-and-aft and transversely extending top wall and including a forward portion disposed at least partially above the rotor and a rearward extending material direction control portion;
• a transversely extending conditioning concave partially wrapping and generally concentric with the rotor and having with respect to rotor rotation a leading portion including a leading edge disposed above the cutter bar and approximately parallel to the rotor axis and a trailing portion including a trailing edge, said trailing edge being above the rotor and in a crop delivery relationship with the direction control portion of the hood, the concave extending over approximately the forward upper quadrant of the rotor;
• adjustable mounting means connected between the concave and the frame for adjustably supporting the concave so that both the leading and the trailing portions are adjustable in relation to the rotor periphery, said mounting means including a pivoting connection between the frame and the concave adjacent the trailing portion, said pivotal connection being slidably supported by the frame, said slidable support constraining the pivoting connection to move generally circumferentially with respect to the rotor periphery and the leading portion of the concave being rigidly connected to the trailing portion of the concave so that circumferential adjustment of the leading edge results in approximately circumferential adjustment of the concave with respect to the rotor;
• drive means for the cutter bar;
• and
• drive means for rotating the impeller so that crop material intercepted by the impeller is carried over the top of the impeller between the impeller and the concave and discharge rearwardly, into the material direction control portion of the hood.

An impeller mower-condition for advancing over a field to cut, condition and windrow crop material comprising:

• a frame having opposite sides;
• a transverse cutter bar carried by the frame for cutting the crop material, the material moving generally rearwardly over the cutter bar as the mower-conditioner advances;
• an impeller rotor transversely and rotatably mounted in the frame and disposed to intercept crop material moving over the cutter bar and including a pluarlity of conditioning elements spaced along and around the rotor;
• a hood carried by the frame substantially spanning the transverse extent of the rotor and having a fore-and-aft and transversely extending top wall and including a forward portion disposed at least partially above the rotor and a rearward extending material direction control portion;
• a transversely extending conditioning concave partially wrapping and generally concentric with the rotor and having with respect to rotor rotation a leading portion including a leading edge disposed above the cutter bar and approximately parallel to the rotor axis and a trailing portion including a trailing edge, said trailing edge being above the rotor and in a crop delivery relationship with the direction control portion of the hood, the concave extending over approximately the forward upper quadrant of the rotor;
• adjustable mounting means connected between the concave and the frame for adjustably supporting the concave so that both the leading and the trailing portions are adjustable in relation to the rotor periphery, said mounting means including releasable clamping means engaging the concave adjacent the leading portion and operable to provide a range of circumferentially and radially extending dispositions for said leading portion with respect to the rotor periphery;
• drive means for the cutter bar;
• and
• drive means for rotating the impeller so that crop material intercepted by the impeller is carried over the top of the impeller between the impeller and the concave and discharged rearwardly into the material direction control portion of the hood.