Outboard crop divider structure guard assembly
OwnerHerald M. Bartoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An outboard guard assembly includes a support tube, barrier panel attached to the support tube, and reinforcing brace attached to the barrier panel. The outboard guard assembly is mounted on each of a pair of outboard crop divider structures of an existing multi-row crop gathering header used to harvest crops planted in rows, such as corn. When installed on the outboard crop divider structures at either end of the multi-row corn header, the outboard guard assembly improves the effectiveness of the multi-row crop gathering header and reduces yield loss caused by variation in row spacing and bent and tangled corn stalks.
Claims20
An outboard guard assembly for mounting on each of a pair of opposite outboard divider structures disposed at respective opposite lateral ends of a multi-row crop gathering header and extending forwardly from a pair of opposite side walls of a frame of the header, said outboard guard assembly comprising:
- (a) support means attachable on each of the opposite outboard crop divider structures to extend upwardly therefrom;
- and
- (b) a barrier panel attached at a forward end portion to said support means and extending rearwardly therefrom so as to extend along and above a portion of the respective outboard crop divider structure with the support means attached thereon.
In combination with a multi-row crop gathering header including a frame and a plurality of crop divider structures extending forwardly from said frame, said crop divider structures including a pair of outboard crop divider structures disposed at respective opposite lateral ends of said header frame and extending forwardly from a pair of opposite side portions of header frame, an outboard guard assembly for mounting on each of said opposite outboard divider structures, said guard assembly comprising:
- (a) a support member attached on each of said opposite outboard crop divider structures and extending upwardly therefrom;
- and
- (b) a barrier panel attached at a forward end portion to said support member and extending rearwardly therefrom so as to extend along and above a portion of said outboard crop divider structure.
In combination with a multi-row crop gathering header including a frame having a pair of opposite side walls and a pair of side wall vertical height extension panels mounted on and extending upwardly from said side walls, and a plurality of crop divider structures extending forwardly from said frame, said crop divider structures including a pair of outboard crop divider structures disposed at respective opposite lateral ends of said header frame and extending forwardly from said opposite side walls thereof, an outboard guard assembly for mounting on each of said opposite outboard divider structures, said outboard guard assembly comprising:
- (a) a support tube attached on each of said opposite outboard crop divider structures and extending upwardly therefrom;
- (b) a barrier panel attached at a forward end portion to said support tube and extending rearwardly therefrom so as to extend along and above a portion of said outboard crop divider structure, said barrier panel being attached at a rearward end portion to a forward end portion of a respective one of said side wail vertical height extension panels;
- and
- (c) a reinforcing brace disposed along and attached to said barrier panel and extending rearwardly from said barrier panel, said reinforcing brace being attached to a respective one of said side wail vertical height extension panels of said header frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.