US 5,478,277 A · Force feeder chain assembly

Abstract

An improved force feeder chain assembly including a force drive chain assembly on a conventional combine harvester apparatus and having a force feed slat assembly mounted thereon. The force feed slat assembly includes a plurality of elongated slat members for rotation on the force drive chain assembly for conventional harvesting operation. The force feed slat assembly includes a self-lubricating stripper insert member easily assembled and disassembled on respective elongated slat members for conversion of the force feed slat assembly from normal harvesting operations for use in a grain stripper harvesting operation. The force feed slat assembly with the stripper insert member thereon is easily and economically converted so as to be usable for all harvesting of crops, including the method of grain stripping utilized on a grain stripper combine harvester apparatus. The stripper insert members reduce friction and, thus, wear on the combine harvester apparatus and substantially lessens damage to the grain heads being harvested.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An improved force feeder chain assembly to be utilized on a combine harvester apparatus in order to move stripped grain material from grain stripper headers upwardly on a feeder housing bottom wall into a threshing cylinder in a material receiving housing, comprising:

a) a drive chain assembly operable to be driven about a drive sprocket assembly to move the stripped grain material upwardly on the feeder housing bottom wall;
b) a force feed slat assembly connected to said drive chain assembly including a plurality of parallel spaced slat members each having a main body section, each having a stripper insert member connected to and within said main body section;
and
c) each of said stripper insert members having an outer contact wall portion extended laterally of said main body section to achieve upward movement of the stripped grain material into the threshing cylinder.

1 more element

An improved force feeder chain assembly utilized on a combine harvester apparatus which initially severs a grain material through grain stripper headers and moves the severed grain material upwardly upon an inclined feeder housing bottom wall utilizing said force feeder chain assembly to do so, and discharges the grain material into a threshing cylinder in a material receiving housing, the improvement herein relating to said force feeder chain assembly, comprising:

a) spaced first and second driven sprocket members connected to drive sprocket members by a drive chain assembly;
b) a force feed slat assembly connected to said drive chain assembly;
c) said force feed slat assembly includes a slat member having a main body section and an insert member connected to and enclosed by said main body section;
and
d) said insert member contacts the grain material with a self-lubricating surface to reduce friction and resultant wear on the feeder housing bottom wall and damage to the grain material;
whereby said force feeder chain assembly is operable to move the grain material upwardly into the material receiving housing.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Force feeder chain assembly

Life of this patent

Force feeder chain assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15