Attachment for combine harvester
OwnerGrant I. Hendersoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An attachment for a combine harvester includes a plurality of narrow housings disposed forwardly of the sickle bar of the harvester. Within each housing an endless belt carries a multiplicity of flexible tines which, for a given course of the belt, extend laterally across a grain receiving channel between housings. The tines protrude through slots in the housings for the course of the belt moving toward the harvesting machine, but are folded within the housings on the return course.
Claims21
In a grain harvesting machine,
- a substantially horizontal and forwardly moving grain receiving pan and a plurality of oscillating knife elements extending along a forward edge of said grain receiving pan for cutting grain for reception in said pan,
- a plurality of grain engaging means for delivering the grain toward said knife elements during forward travel of said harvesting machine, said grain engaging means comprising forward members extending adjacent one another in substantially perpendicular relation to the forwardly moving pan of said harvesting machine, said members defining grain receiving channels therebetween, and a multiplicity of flexible tines extending from sides of said members across said grain receiving channels with at least ones of said tines reaching at least approximately as far as the ends of tines extending from the adjacent member for contacting the grain,
- and drive means for moving said tines in a direction toward said forwardly moving pan of said harvesting machine at approximately the same speed as the forward movement of the harvesting machine.
In a grain harvesting machine including a plurality of movable knife elements extending along a forwardly moving horizontal header portion of said harvesting machine for cutting grain for reception by said header portion, an attachment comprising:
- grain engaging means for urging grain toward said knife elements during forward travel of said harvesting machine, said grain engaging means comprising a pair of members extending forwardly of said harvesting machine, each forwardly extending member being elongated forwardly of said harvesting machine and each being substantially narrower in lateral dimension than the spacing therebetween to define therebetween a wide grain receiving channel for passing grain toward said knife elements without substantially impeding said passage of grain because of said narrow forwardly extending members,
- movable tines extending laterally from said members,
- and means for moving said tines rearwardly along said members along a substantially horizontal path at approximately the same level as said knife elements and toward said knife elements during forward travel of said harvesting machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.