US 5,660,034 AGranted

Folding root crop defoliator

AssigneeWEC Company

InventorsDon Gates, David R. Shuff

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A foldable root crop defoliator wherein the implement has a central frame with lateral wings pivotally attached to the central frame. The front end of the central frame is adjustably attached to a hitch for towing the defoliator. Plant top cutting and shredding devices are mounted to the wing frames and are driven by a power train connected to the power-take-off (PTO) of the towing vehicle. In a use orientation, the two lateral wings are independently adjustable relative to the ground. Also, they have a range of free motion, and are able to "float" independently over the ground that they are immediately above. For a travel or storage orientation, each lateral wing is rotated upward to a vertical position by actuating a lifting device mounted on the central frame. The lifting device includes, for example, a piston and cylinder, and toggle linkage assembly. By being foldable, the defoliator may be reduced to a much smaller width, making it safer to transport and easier to store.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A foldable defoliator comprising:

a hitch adapted for connection with a towing vehicle for movement in a direction of travel;
a central frame member having a front end and a rear end, said front end being pivotally attached to said hitch, said rear end of said central frame member being supported at opposite sides by a plurality of ground-engaging wheels;
a plurality of wing members, each of said wing members having an inboard end and an outboard end, each of said inboard ends being pivotally connected to said central frame member, each of said wing members extending outwardly from said central frame, each of said outboard ends of said wing members being supported by at least one ground-engaging wheel at said outboard end;
a support frame, a bottom member of said support frame being mounted on said central frame member, a top end of said support frame opposed to said bottom member of said support frame and displaced upwardly from said central frame member;
a piston and cylinder assembly including a toggle linkage and a pair of pistons and cylinders, each of said pistons and cylinders having a first and second end, each of said pistons and cylinders being mounted to said top end of said support frame so that the pistons and cylinders may extend in a downward direction;
said piston and cylinder assembly operable to rotate at least one of said wing members in a direction perpendicular to said direction of travel to a vertical, upwardly extending transport or storage position;
means for actuating said piston and cylinder assembly;
means, mounted below each said wing member, for cutting and shredding foliage;
and
means for driving said means for cutting and shredding.

7 more elements

A ground-treating implement operable to be moved over the ground, comprising:

a frame;
at least one wing including an inboard edge and an outboard edge remote from said inboard edge, a pivot articulably and operatively connecting said wing to said frame and disposed intermediate said inboard edge and said outboard edge, said wing rotatable around said pivot between an in-use position in which said wing is disposed near the ground and a transport or storage position in which said outboard edge of said wing is disposed remotely from the ground;
and
a wing lifter operatively connected to said frame and operatively connected to a point on said wing inboard of said pivot, said wing lifter operable to push down on said wing inboard of said pivot to rotatably raise said outboard edge to said transport or storage position, said wing lifter operable to pull up said wing at a position inboard of said pivot to lower said outboard edge of said wing from said transport or storage position to said in-use position.

1 more element

A ground-treating implement operable to be moved over the ground on an axis of travel, said implement comprising:

a strut frame;
at least one implement frame extending in a direction at an angle to the direction of travel and having at least one outboard end, at least one outboard wheel mounted to said implement frame for supporting said outboard end of said implement frame above the ground, a pivot operatively and articulably connecting said implement frame to said strut frame;
at least one strut wheel operatively connected to said strut frame for supporting said strut frame above the ground, said strut wheel disposed inboard from said outboard wheel and having an axis displaced from said pivot in a direction parallel to the axis of travel;
and
an implement frame lifter operatively connected to said implement frame at a point displaced in a direction parallel to the axis of travel from said pivot and operatively connected to said strut frame, said frame lifter operable to displace said strut frame downwardly around said pivot with respect to said implement frame to thereby lift said implement frame relative to the ground, such that said outboard wheel no longer engages the ground, said implement frame lifter operable to displace said strut frame upwardly around said pivot to thereby lower said implement frame relative to the ground, thereby causing said outboard wheel to engage the ground.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/530,458Filed 12 Sep 1995
Granted: 26 Aug 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A01D 23/02
Topping machines: cutting the tops before being lifted
A01B 73/042
Foldable about a horizontal axis: specially adapted for actively driven implements
A01D 2023/022
Cutting the tops before being lifted: rotatable cleaning devices, e.g. brushes, for removing the rests of vegetal material on the root-crops not…
A01D 2023/028
Devices with movable knives for topping, e.g. rotatable cutting disks: cutters rotating around a shaft forming a cutting rotor