Device and method for truing doffers
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsDonald K. Davenport, Joel M. Schreiner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A doffer grinding mechanism constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention consists of a rotary file type grinding stem which is larger in diameter than the cotton picker spindles of a machine. The grinding stem, which temporarily replaces one of the conventional spindle assemblies in a row of spindles, is screwed into the picker bar which remains in the machine. The row unit is run, and the doffer is adjusted against the grinding stems. Doffers can be quickly trued in the field without the need for a doffer grinding machine and without complete disassembly of the doffer column from the row unit.
Claims15
In a cotton harvester having an operable row unit with rows of spindles of preselected diameter and taper which pass adjacent a column of rotating doffers to unwrap cotton from the spindles, a method of truing the doffers so that a preselected clearance is provided between the rows of spindles and the doffers, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. temporarily replacing at least one spindle in each row of spindles with a grinding device;
- b. operating the row unit with the grinding device in place;
- and
- c. moving the doffers towards the rows of spindles so each of the doffers is contacted by a grinding device and grinding the doffer with the grinding device while the row unit is operating.
In a cotton harvester having an operable row unit, the row unit including picker drum with a plurality of picker bars rotatably mounting replaceable picker spindle assemblies having spindles of preselected diameter and taper and rotatable about spindle axes, the spindles defining rows of picker spindles, and a doffer column with a column of doffers rotatable about an upright axis adjacent the drum, the doffer column adjustable vertically, wherein each row of spindles has a corresponding doffer rotatable a preselected distance from the spindles for unwrapping cotton from the spindles, a spindle device for truing the doffers comprising:
- a replacement device adapted to replace at least one of the spindles in a row of spindles, the replacement device including a grinding surface having a taper generally conforming to the taper of the spindle, wherein the replacement device is generally spindle-shaped and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the spindle that is replaced so that the replacement device contacts the doffer while the remaining spindles in the row are offset from the doffer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.