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US 5,475,972 AGranted
Tank structure for a harvester and method of assembly
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsKenneth C. McConnell, Mary A. Ruth
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsKenneth C. McConnell, Mary A. Ruth
Estimating the term…
An easily assembled and accessible tank structure for a cotton harvester wherein three tanks are located on the rear of the harvester frame behind the engine and partially over the rear steerable wheels. The frame includes a rear transverse beam which is removable during harvester assembly to provide an opening so that the tanks, which include supporting ledge structure, can be aligned with the frame and slid horizontally to an assembled position. Once the tank structure is slid into position, the rear transverse beam is reattached and cooperates with bracket structure to prevent fore-and-aft tank movement. The harvester is painted prior to assembly of the tanks onto the frame to avoid masking and overspray problems, and the rear tank locations provide good weight distribution.
In a cotton harvester having a main fore-and-aft extending main frame adapted for supporting a forward cab and row harvesting units forwardly of and below the cab, harvester tank structure for containing liquids, the main frame including tank support structure defining spaced upwardly directed support surfaces, a movable frame portion releasibly connected to the main frame, the frame portion when released providing a tank receiving access area opening from the support structure, and wherein the tank receiving access area facilitates generally horizontal movement of the tank structure into a supported position on the support surfaces.
A method for fabricating a machine such as a cotton harvester having a fore-and-aft extending main frame including transversely spaced beams supported for movement over the ground by wheel structure, the wheel structure including a rear wheel assembly located near the aft end of the main frame, an engine supported on the main frame adjacent the rear wheel assembly, and tank structure for containing at least one fluid, the method for fabricating including:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.