Lubrication distribution system for cotton harvester row units

In a mobile cotton harvester having a plurality of transversely spaced row units, each unit including at least two upright picker drums, each drum having a plurality of gear-driven spindles journalled in upright columns on picker bars and a cam track for orienting the bars about an upright axis, a drive transmission for driving the drums, and a lubrication cavity located at the lower end of the drum, said cavity having an input for receiving lubricant and a plurality of flexible tubes leading to the bars for providing lubricant to the bars from the cavity, each lubrication cavity adapted to receive a like amount of lubrication from a source of lubricant, a lubrication distribution system comprising:

• a source of pressurized lubricant located on the harvester;
• a manifold connected to the source of lubricant and receiving lubricant under pressure therefrom;
• a plurality of first sized conduits, each conduit having an input end connected to and in fluid communication with the manifold and an output end connected to a different one of the cavities, each conduit having a preselected inner cross section and length, said sized conduits each presenting a resistance to lubricant flow therethrough from the manifold to the corresponding cavity dependent on said cross section and length, and wherein said cross section and length for each conduit is selected to provide substantially equal resistance to lubricant flow therethrough so that each container receives substantially an equal amount of lubricant.

For a mobile crop harvester having a number of lubrication areas, each area requiring a predetermined amount of lubricant, a lubrication distribution system adapted for mounting on the harvester, said system comprising:

• a source of lubricant under pressure;
• a plurality of manifolds connected to the source of lubricant;
• and
• a plurality of sized conduits, each connected at one end to one of the manifolds, said conduit plurality equal to the number of lubrication areas, the conduits having output ends adapted for routing adjacent the respective lubrication areas, wherein said sized conduits each have a resistance to lubricant flow therethrough substantial as compared with the resistance of the manifolds, said resistance determined primarily by the cross section and length of the conduit, whereby the relative amount of lubricant delivered to each of the ends of the conduits for a preselected manifold is determined by the relative resistance of each of the conduits connected to said preselected manifold.

In a mobile cotton harvester having a row unit including at least two rotatable upright picker drums, each drum having a plurality of gear-driven spindles journalled in upright columns on picker bars in a cam track for orienting the bars about an upright axis, a drive transmission for driving the drums, wherein the drum includes a hollow drum shaft and a thrust washer for providing vertical support for at least a portion of the drive transmission, a lubrication cavity located at the lower end of the drum and rotatable therewith, said cavity having an input for receiving lubricant and a plurality of outputs with conduit means for connecting the outputs to the bars for providing lubricant to the bars from the cavity, means for lubricating the thrust washer area comprising:

• a conduit connected to one of the cavity outputs for receiving lubricant from the cavity;
• said conduit including an upright portion extending upwardly from the cavity;
• and
• a centrally located portion extending upwardly from the upright portion and upwardly through the hollow drum shaft to an output area located adjacent the thrust washer.