Extended height combine hopper leveling auger
AssigneeCrary Company
InventorsDavid S. Majkrzak, Todd A. Nesemeier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A leveling auger for an extendable height combine grain hopper is mounted onto supports pivoted on brackets so that the auger is effective to level grain in the hopper extension space when in a usable position. The auger will move grain into the regions defined by the hopper extensions. The supports can be pivoted to move the leveling auger to a lowered position. When in its lowered position, the auger is below the level of the hopper after the extension walls are folded down for clearance purposes. A separate grain level sensing switch is used for operating the leveling auger so that the leveling auger is run only when grain has reached a preselected height in the grain hopper.
Claims11
A leveling auger for a grain hopper on a harvesting machine the grain hopper comprising a base hopper having upper edges and extension walls hingedly mounted on the grain hopper and extending upwardly above the upper edges, the extension walls being foldable downwardly to reduce the height of the extension walls, the leveling auger comprising a laterally extending frame having supports for attachment to walls of a grain hopper, a pivot bracket on the frame including an upright support pivotally mounted for movement between a raised position wherein the upright support is upright, and a lowered position which would position the auger below the upper edges of the grain hopper, and an auger assembly mounted on an upper end of the upright support and extending at least partially across said grain hopper.
A grain leveling assembly for use with a combine having a fixed height grain hopper with foldable extension walls mounted on upper edges of the fixed height grain hopper, comprising a frame extending across a lateral dimension of the grain hopper, said frame having brackets for mounting onto the fixed height grain hopper with the frame having an auger support region a distance below the upper edges of the fixed height grain hopper, said frame having a pair of pivot brackets mounted thereon in the auger support region, each of said pivot brackets including a pivot pin supported to provide an axis of pivoting, a pair of upright supports, one mounted on each of said pivot pins of the pivot brackets and movable between an upright position and a generally lowered position, and a powered grain auger mounted on ends of the upright supports opposite from the pivot pins, said frame being positioned sufficiently below the upper edges of said base fixed height grain hopper so the powered grain auger is below a plane defined by the upper edges of the fixed height hopper when the upright supports are in their lowered position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.