Crop pickup with outboard cam control
AssigneeHesston Corporation
InventorMelvin V. Gaeddert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The windrow crop pickup has tines which are controlled by a cam at one end of the pickup reel so that the tines rock to-and-fro in a particular pattern during rotation about the axis of the reel, such action aiding in proper uplift of the crop from the ground and subsequent stripping of the crop from the tines as they release and feed the crop materials for further processing. The controlling cam for the tines is mounted on the outboard side of its supporting sidewall of the pickup, and each set of tines has an operating rocker at the end of the reel adjacent the cam which projects through an opening in the proximal sidewall and is received by the cam track such that, upon driving rotation of the reel, the stationary track imparts the desired rocking motion to the tines.
Claims6
A crop pickup device comprising:
- a pair of laterally spaced, stationary sidewalls;
- a reel adapted for rotation about an axis extending between said sidewalls and including crop-engaging structure projecting transversely outwardly of said axis for engaging crop material during rotation of the reel and for feeding the same along a path of delivery generally transverse to said axis of rotation of the reel,
- said structure being mounted for rocking movement to-and-fro in a prescribed pattern with respect to the direction of rotation of the reel during said rotation to improve the feeding action thereof, and being provided with an operating rocker adjacent one end of the reel;
- and
- a stationary cam track mounted outboard of the sidewall adjacent said one end of the reel and operably receiving said rocker for effecting said rocking movement of the structure as the rocker is carried with the reel about said axis,
- said one sidewall being provided with an opening through which said rocker and said cam track maintain their operative interengagement and through which access to said structure is afforded from the exterior of said one sidewall when said cam track is removed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.