US 5,778,644 AGranted

Crop harvesting platform having a reversible drive for the reel, cutterbar center-feed augers and conditioner rolls

AssigneeDeere & Company

InventorsMelvin William Keller, David Henry Diebold, Steven Lawrence Schmid, Stanley Paul Wellman, Frederick Carl Krambeck, Thomas Daryl Bebernes

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Abstract

A self-propelled windrower is provided with a platform including a reel which sweeps crop to be cut over a sickle cutterbar and into the nip of a pair of counter-rotating center-feed augers that, in turn, deliver the crop to the nip of a pair of counter-rotating conditioner rolls; and these driven components may be reversed to disgorge slugs of crop. The reversible drive includes a hydraulic pump carried by the traction unit and coupled to a motor carried by the platform. The hydraulic motor on the platform is coupled to power a main gear box which distributes power to the driven components of the platform. Operation of the pump is electro-hydraulically controlled with a single switch being operable to effect forward operation of the platform drive train, and with a second switch being designed to be moved and held in place to effect and maintain the drive train in reverse. Both switches cannot be operated at the same time, however the machine can be reversed with the platform lowered, fully raised, or anywhere in between.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In a crop harvesting platform including a plurality of driven crop treating elements including a crop engaging reel, a crop cutting sicklebar arrangement, at least one center-feed auger, and upper and lower conditioning rolls, a reversible drive arrangement, comprising:

a constant mesh gear train including an input gear and upper and lower conditioner roll drive gears;
a reversible power device coupled to said input gear;
an auger chain drive coupled for rotating in unison with one of said upper and lower conditioner roll drive gears for directly driving said at least one center-feed auger;
a sicklebar knife drive including:
a knife drive toothed-belt sprocket mounted for rotating in concert with said at least one center-feed auger, a knife drive belt idler, a knife drive housing including an output shaft coupled to said sicklebar knife, an input shaft having an input toothed-belt sprocket secured thereto, and a toothed belt entrained about said knife drive toothed-belt sprocket, said knife drive belt idler and said input toothed-belt sprocket;
and a reel drive including:
a first belt sheave mounted for rotation in unison with said one of said upper and lower center-feed augers, a jackshaft, a second belt sheave mounted on said jackshaft, a reel drive belt entrained about said first and second belt sheaves, a belt tensioning means including idler pulley means engaged with said reel drive belt for maintaining tension in said belt for both forward and reverse drive of said reel, a first reel drive chain sprocket mounted on said jackshaft, a reel shaft, a second reel drive chain sprocket mounted on said reel shaft, and a reel drive chain entrained about said first and second reel drive chain sprockets.

4 more elements

In a crop harvesting platform including a plurality of driven crop treating devices including a reel, a cutting device including at least one reciprocable sicklebar knife, upper and lower center-feed augers, and upper and lower conditioning rolls, located serially from front to rear on the platform, a reversible drive arrangement, comprising:

a reversible power device;
a power distribution gear train including an input shaft coupled to said power device, an upper output shaft being generally axially aligned with and coupled for driving said upper conditioner roll, and a lower output shaft being generally axially aligned with and coupled for driving said lower conditioner roll;
said upper and lower center-feed augers respectively including upper and lower auger support shaft means located ahead of said upper and lower output shafts;
a first chain drive means being coupled between said upper output shaft and said upper auger support shaft means;
a second chain drive means being coupled between said lower output shaft and said lower auger support shaft means;
a sicklebar knife drive means coupled to said at least one sicklebar knife and including a knife drive input shaft located forwardly of said upper and lower auger support shaft means;
a toothed-belt drive means coupled between one of said upper and lower auger support shaft means and said knife drive input shaft;
said reel including a reel support shaft located ahead of said one of said first and second support shafts;
and a reel drive means being coupled between said one of said upper and lower auger support shaft means and said reel support shaft, whereby operating said reversible power device in reverse will result in all of the drive crop treating devices being driven in reverse.

6 more elements

In a crop harvesting platform including a plurality of driven crop treating devices including a reel, a cutting device including at least one reciprocable sickle bar, upper and lower center-feed augers, and upper and lower conditioning rolls, located serially from front to rear on the platform, a reversible drive arrangement for simultaneously reversing operation of all of said driven crop treating devices, comprising:

a power distribution gear drive including an input shaft;
a reversible hydraulic motor having an output shaft coupled to said input shaft and having "forward" and "reverse" work ports respectively for receiving working fluid pressure for driving said motor either forwardly or in reverse;
a pump coupled for supplying working fluid pressure to said motor;
electro-hydraulic control means including "forward" and "reverse" solenoids respectively energizable for establishing conditions effecting delivery of said working fluid pressure either to the "forward" work port or to the "reverse" work port of said motor;
said control means further including a "reverse" switch having a switch element normally engaged with an "open" contact and selectively movable to engage a "reverse" contact connected to said "reverse" solenoid;
a "forward" switch having a switch element selectively movable between "interlock" and "forward" contacts;
an "interlock" lead connected between said "interlock" contact and said switch element of said "reverse" switch;
a source of electrical power being connected to said switch element of said "forward" switch;
a "forward" drive relay switch including a switch element normally engaged with an "off" contact and a relay coil connected in series with said "forward" contact of said "forward" switch for moving said relay switch element into engagement with a "forward" contact which is coupled to said "forward" solenoid, whereby driving of said platform driven crop treating devices in a forward direction is initiated by movement of said "forward" switch element into engagement with said "forward" contact;
and driving of said platform driven crop treating devices in a rearward direction is initiated by first placing said switch element of said "forward" switch into engagement with said "interlock" contact and then moving and holding said switch element of said "reverse" switch into engagement with said "reverse" contact.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.