US 4,956,966 AGranted

Header for a combine harvesting machine

AssigneeMacDon Industries Ltd.

InventorRoger L. Patterson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A header frame for a combine includes a mounting frame which is attached to the front end of the feeder housing of the combine and a header frame. The header frame is mounted on the mounting frame by suitable linkage so that it can lift in a vertical direction and also can twist about an axis parallel to the forward direction of the combine to allow the header frame to follow ground contours. A flexible pan is connected between the header frame and the mounting frame to define a lower surface of the header immediately in front of the mouth of the feeder housing with the pan having a forward edge attached to the header frame and a rearward edge attached to the mounting frame with the movement therebetween being accommodated by flexing or sliding of one mounting of the pan. In one arrangement of the header, the conventional auger is replaced by two side drapers and a feed draper with the feed draper being mounted in a manner which allows limited vertical movement away from the pan.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A header for a combine harvesting machine comprising a header frame, a mounting frame including means for mounting the mounting frame fixedly on the machine for transportation of the header frame in a working direction across a field including a standing crop to be harvested, said header frame including ends thereof extending outwardly to respective sides of the mounting frame, means mounting said header frame on said mounting frame for limited vertical movement of the header frame relative to the mounting frame and limited pivotal movement of the header frame relative to the mounting frame about an axis generally parallel to the working direction such that each end of the header frame can be lifted independently of movement of the other end of the header frame, a knife arrangement extending transversely across a front edge of the header frame for cutting the standing crop, means defining a feed opening of the mounting frame through which the cut crop is guided to pass, means for transporting said cut crop inwardly from the ends of the header frame and for feeding said cut crop through said feed opening, said mounting frame including a mounting frame member fixed relative to the mounting frame and defining an edge extending across the mounting frame in front of the feed opening adjacent a lower edge of the feed opening, said header frame including a header frame member fixed relative to the header frame and defining an edge extending partly along the header frame rearwardly of said knife arrangement and substantially parallel to the edge of the mounting frame member leaving an opening between the edge of the mounting frame member and the edge of the header frame member which opening varies in dimension as the header frame moves relative to the mounting frame, a flexible pan member arranged underneath said transporting means with a forward end thereof in engagement with said header frame member at a position rearwardly of said knife arrangement and a rearward end thereof in engagement with said mounting frame member, said vertical movement and pivotal movement of said header frame being accommodated by flexing of said pan member, means attaching the respective end of said flexible pan member to one of said header frame member and said mounting frame member, and contact maintaining means maintaining the respective end of the flexible pan member substantially continually in contact with the other of said header frame member and mounting frame member during said vertical movement and pivotal movement of said header frame so as to form a bridge across said opening between the edge of the header frame member and the edge of the mounting frame member.

A header for a combine harvesting machine comprising a header frame, a mounting frame including means for mounting the mounting frame fixedly on the machine for transportation of the header frame in a working direction across a field including a standing crop to be harvested, said header frame including ends thereof extending outwardly to respective sides of the mounting frame, means mounting said header frame on said mounting frame for limited vertical movement of the header frame relative to the mounting frame and limited pivotal movement of the header frame relative to the mounting frame about an axis generally parallel to the working direction such that each end of the header frame can be lifted independently of movement of the other end of the header frame, a knife arrangement extending transversely across a front edge of the header frame for cutting the standing crop, means defining a feed opening of the mounting frame through which the cut drop is guided to pass, means for transporting said cut drop inwardly from the ends of the header frame and for feeding said cut crop through said feed opening, a flexible pan member arranged underneath said tranporting means with a forward end thereof in engagement with said header frame at a position rearwardly of said knife arrangement and a rearward end thereof in engagement with said mounting frame, said vertical movement and pivotal movement of said header frame being accommodated by flexing of said pan member, means attaching one end of said flexible pan member to one of said header frame and said mounting frame, and means engaging an opposed end of the flexible pan member with the other of said header frame member and mounting frame member and said engaging menas being arranged to allow sliding movement of said pan member relative to said other of said header frame member and said mounting frame member in a direction longitudinal of said working direction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.