US 6,145,289 AGranted

Windrow grouper arrangement

AssigneeDeere & Company

InventorsThomas Welsch, Pascal Georgel

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Abstract

A mower for harvesting crop includes windrow forming housing where crop is discharged after being cut. A windrow grouper attachment includes a crop conveyor attached to the main frame of the mower by a vertically swingable support which is selectively disposable in a lowered working position where it intercepts crop exiting the windrow forming housing and transfers it side ways and in a raised non-use position wherein it permits crop exiting from the mower to be deposited into a windrow directly behind the mower. The vertically swingable support for the crop conveyor is mounted to a slide that is in turn mounted for shifting laterally on a transverse beam of the mower main frame. By selectively manipulating the conveyor among its working, non-use and shifted positions, it is possible to deposit three windrows alongside each other for being subsequently picked up together for processing by another machine, such as an ensilage harvester, for example.

Claims5

Dependent claims

In a combination of a mower for severing crop and a windrow grouper attachment cooperating with the mower for placing windrows of crop adjacent each other, wherein said mower includes a mobile main frame having a transverse upper beam to one end of which is coupled a forwardly extending draft tongue and a header coupled to the main frame and including a rear crop discharge housing located beneath said transverse beam for depositing a windrow of crop centrally behind the mower, and said grouper attachment including a conveyor mounted to said transverse upper beam for movement between a lowered operative position, wherein it intercepts crop exiting said discharge housing before the crop falls to the ground, and a raised non-use position wherein it permits crop exiting said discharge housing to fall to the ground, the improvement comprising:

said grouper attachment further including a slide structure mounted to said transverse beam for shifting sideways relative to said beam;
and a powered actuator coupled between said main frame and slide structure for selectively shifting the latter from an inner first position to an outer second position;
and said conveyor being mounted to said slide structure for shifting movement together with said slide structure and for vertical movement relative to said slide structure, whereby the combined mower and grouper attachment may be operated to place three windrows in side-by-side relationship to one another for subsequently being picked up by a pick-up of a crop processing machine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.