Sickle blade guide
AssigneeLavelle Industries, Inc.
InventorWalter Lutz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A blade guide for supporting a reciprocating sickle blade in an agricultural mower. The blade guide includes a unitary, integrally formed structure formed of a resilient, molded thermoplastic material. To avoid wear, metallic wear plates are provided where the reciprocating sickle blade contacts the blade guide. The side edges of the wear plates cooperate with the reciprocating sickle blades to provide a cutting action as the sickle blades reciprocate. In one embodiment, the side edges of the wear plate are beveled to improve the cutting action. Preferably, the wear plates are molded in place during manufacture.
Claims16
A blade guide for guiding a reciprocating sickle blade in an agricultural mower, said blade guide comprising:
- a unitary structure formed of a thermoplastic material and having a pair of substantially parallel, laterally spaced, forwardly projecting guide points and a cross member extending between the guide points;
- and
- a pair a wear plates adjacent the guide points and oriented to engage and support a reciprocating sickle blade of the agricultural mower.
A blade guide mountable on a stationary guide bar in an agricultural mower and operable to support and guide a reciprocating sickle blade in the agricultural mower, said blade guide comprising:
- a first guide point having a pointed end and a blunt end opposite said pointed end;
- a second guide point substantially identical to said first guide point;
- a forward cross member extending between said first and second guide points for maintaining said first and second guide points in spaced, substantially parallel orientation relative to each other;
- a rear cross member extending between said first and second guide points adjacent said blunt ends thereof;
- and
- a pair of wear plates mounted, respectively, on said first and second guide points adjacent the junctures of said forward cross member with said first and second guide points and oriented so as to engage and support the undersurface of an overlying sickle blade when said blade guide is mounted on the guide bar in the agricultural mower;
- said first and second guide points and said forward and rear cross members being formed of a molded thermoplastic material and said wear plates being formed of metal.
In a blade guide for supporting a reciprocating sickle blade in an agricultural mower, the improvement comprising forming the blade guide of a thermoplastic material and including a metallic wear plate where the reciprocating sickle blade contacts the blade guide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.