US 4,271,662 A · Machine for harvesting the foliage of row crops

Abstract

A machine for harvesting the overground foliage of a row crop growing in a field. The machine has a plurality of stripping wheels each for harvesting and disintegrating the foliage in one row of the crop. Each stripping wheel is arranged in a casing having an obliquely upwardly directed outlet, and produces an air stream for transporting the disintegrated foliage up through the outlet of the casing. In order to attain great cutting efficiency per time unit and keep the harvested material as clean as possible, the machine has a collecting channel connected at one end to an ejector pipe. The collecting channel extends above the stripping wheel casings which are arranged in a row one beside the other and whose outlets extend obliquely upwards in the same direction towards the ejector pipe and open at intervals one after the other into a lower portion of the collecting channel. Besides, the lower portion of the collecting channel is at that side of each outlet of the wheel casing that faces the ejector pipe, provided with nozzles for injecting additional air into the collecting channel substantially in the direction of the ejector pipe end of the collecting channel.

Claims5

Dependent claims

Machine for harvesting the overground foliage of row crops growing in a field while advanced in the field along the row of the crop by drive means, comprising

(1) a plurality of juxtaposed stripping wheels each for a respective row of the crop,
(2) a plurality of casings each enclosing one of said stripping wheels,
(3) a plurality of obliquely upwardly directed outlets each extending from one of said casings,
(4) wings on said stripping wheels adapted to disintegrate the foliage of the row crop and to produce an air stream for discharging the disintegrated foliage through said outlet of said casing of the respective stripping wheel,
(5) an ejector pipe for collective ejection of the disintegrated foliage emanating from said stripping wheels,
(6) a collecting channel connected at one end to said ejector pipe and extending above said stripping wheel casings.
(7) said outlets of said casings extending obliquely upwards in the same direction towards said ejector pipe and opening at intervals in a succession into a lower portion of said collecting channel, and
(8) a plurality of air supply means each discharging into the lower portion of said collecting channel at that side of said outlet of each stripping wheel casing which faces said ejector pipe for injecting additional air into said collecting channel substantially in the direction of the ejector pipe end of said collecting channel.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Machine for harvesting the foliage of row crops

Life of this patent

Machine for harvesting the foliage of row crops

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5