Crop harvesting header with cam controlled movement of the reel fingers

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame structure arranged for movement in a direction of working movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested;
• a cutter bar arranged across a forward edge of the header frame structure for cutting the crop;
• a cut crop transport arrangement mounted on the header frame structure for receiving and transporting the cut crop for further processing;
• a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar;
• the reel being mounted on at least two mounting arms of the header frame structure for movement therewith in the direction of movement and for rotation about a reel axis generally parallel to the cutter bar, the mounting arms being mounted on the header frame structure for upward and downward movement relative to the cutter bar;
• the reel having a plurality of reel bats at spaced positions around the reel axis each reel bat having reel fingers projecting generally radially outwardly from the reel axis, the reel bats all lying on a common bat circle around the reel axis so that rotation of the reel causes the reel bats to follow a path of movement lying on the bat circle;
• each of the reel bats being pivotal about its respective bat axis parallel to the reel axis so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates;
• a cam member defining a non-circular cam track surrounding the reel axis and lying in a radial plane of the reel axis;
• the cam member being held during rotation of the reel in stationary angular location relative to the reel axis;
• the cam member being mounted with the reel for upward and downward movement with the mounting arms;
• the cam member being mounted with the reel on the mounting arms so as to maintain the cam track accurately in a radial plane of the reel axis as the reel axis moves with the mounting arms;
• each bat having associated therewith a respective control link with a cam follower on the control link which follows the cam track, such that, as the reel rotates through a series of angularly spaced positions of the bats, the movement of the follower on the cam track causes the respective control link to move relative to the respective bat axis to cause pivotal movement of the respective bat about the bat axis and thus, for each of the positions, to move the fingers of the bat around the bat axis to a required orientation relative to an axial plane of the reel axis passing through the bat axis;
• the cam member being mounted for rotational adjustment movement of the stationary angular location thereof around the reel axis.

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame structure arranged for movement in a direction of working movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested;
• a cutter bar arranged across a forward edge of the header frame structure for cutting the crop;
• a cut crop transport arrangement mounted on the header frame structure for receiving and transporting the cut crop for further processing;
• a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar;
• the reel having a plurality of reel bats at spaced positions around the reel axis each reel bat having reel fingers projecting generally radially outwardly from the reel axis, the reel bats all lying on a common bat circle around the reel axis so that rotation of the reel causes the reel bats to follow a path of movement lying on the bat circle;
• each of the reel bats being pivotal about its respective bat axis parallel to the reel axis so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates;
• and a cam member defining a non-circular cam track surrounding the reel axis and lying in a radial plane of the reel axis;
• each bat having associated therewith a respective control link with a cam follower on the control link which follows the cam track, such that, as the reel rotates through a series of angularly spaced positions of the bats, the movement of the follower on the cam track causes the respective control link to move relative to the respective bat axis to cause pivotal movement of the respective bat about the bat axis and thus, for each of the positions, to move the fingers of the bat around the bat axis to a required orientation relative to an axial plane of the reel axis passing through the bat axis;
• the reel including at each end a reel support shaft portion lying on the reel axis for supporting the reel for rotation about the reel axis;
• the cam member including a reel support member defining a longitudinal support axis with bearings supporting one reel support shaft portion at one end of the reel such that the bearings hold and maintain the shaft portion and the reel axis accurately coaxially with the support axis;
• the cam member being arranged to hold and maintain the cam track accurately in a radial plane of the support axis so as to hold the cam track in a radial plane of the reel axis;
• the cam member being mounted relative to the header frame structure so as to hold the cam track, during rotation of the reel, in stationary angular location relative to the reel axis;
• and the cam member being mounted relative to the header frame structure for rotational adjustment movement of the stationary angular location thereof around the longitudinal axis and therefore the reel axis.

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame structure arranged for movement in a direction of working movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested;
• a cutter bar arranged across a forward edge of the header frame structure for cutting the crop;
• a cut crop transport arrangement mounted on the header frame structure for receiving and transporting the cut crop for further processing;
• a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar;
• the reel having a plurality of reel bats at spaced positions around the reel axis each reel bat having reel fingers projecting generally radially outwardly from the reel axis, the reel bats all lying on a common bat circle around the reel axis so that rotation of the reel causes the reel bats to follow a path of movement lying on the bat circle;
• each of the reel bats being pivotal about its respective bat axis parallel to the reel axis so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates;
• a cam member defining a non-circular cam track surrounding the reel axis and lying in a radial plane of the reel axis;
• the cam track being held during rotation of the reel in stationary angular location relative to the reel axis;
• each bat having associated therewith a respective control link with a cam follower on the control link which follows the cam track, such that, as the reel rotates through a series of angularly spaced positions of the bats, the movement of the follower on the cam track causes the respective control link to move relative to the respective bat axis to cause pivotal movement of the respective bat about the bat axis and thus, for each of the positions, to move the fingers of the bat around the bat axis to a required orientation relative to an axial plane of the reel axis passing through the bat axis;
• each bat being adjustable relative to its associated control link to change the angle of the fingers of the bat around the bat axis, so as to adjust, for each of the positions, the respective orientation of said fingers relative to said axial plane.

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame structure arranged for movement in a direction of working movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested;
• a cutter bar arranged across a forward edge of the header frame structure for cutting the crop;
• a cut crop transport arrangement mounted on the header frame structure for receiving and transporting the cut crop for further processing;
• a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar;
• the reel having a plurality of reel bats at spaced positions around the reel axis each reel bat having reel fingers projecting generally radially outwardly from the reel axis, the reel bats all lying on a common bat circle around the reel axis so that rotation of the reel causes the reel bats to follow a path of movement lying on the bat circle;
• each of the reel bats being freely pivotal about its respective bat axis parallel to the reel axis so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates;
• a cam member defining a non-circular cam track surrounding the reel axis and lying in a radial plane of the reel axis;
• the cam track being held, during rotation of the reel, in stationary angular location relative to the reel axis;
• each bat having associated therewith a crank attached to the bat and having an outer end spaced outwardly of the bat axis for effecting pivotal movement of the bat about the bat axis;
• each bat having associated therewith a respective control link having one end freely pivotally connected to the outer end of the crank and having a cam follower at a second end of the control link for following the cam track;
• each control link having associated therewith a respective link member for communicating rotation of the reel to the control link such that the cam follower thereof is caused to move along the cam track at a predetermined position therein;
• such that, as the reel rotates through a series of angularly spaced positions of the bats, the movement of the respective follower on the cam track causes the respective control link to move relative to the respective bat axis to cause pivotal movement of the respective crank and thus the respective bat about the bat axis and thus, for each of the positions, to move the fingers of the bat around the bat axis to a required orientation relative to an axial plane of the reel axis passing through the bat axis.