Back to results
US 6,604,347 B2Granted
Energy absorber for hubs of agricultural disc drive
AssigneeNew Holland North America, Inc.
InventorsEdward H. Preipke, Imants Ekis, Timothy J. Kraus
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disc cutterbar with at least one cutterhead having a two-piece mounting hub, one piece rotatably driven and the other supporting a knife for severing standing crop material, with an epoxy layer bonding the two pieces together and forming a shear device therebetween. A brake is associated with the knife-supporting piece whereby upon failure of the shear device, the knife-supporting piece is stopped from rotating within one revolution. The brake includes upper and lower locking blocks having generally mating teeth. Upon failure of the shear device, the teeth of the upper and lower locking blocks engage, thereby stopping the rotation of the mounting hub.
Claims20
A disc cutterbar having a support member with a cutterhead affixed thereto, said cutterhead including:
- a disc member carrying a knife to sever standing crop material, said disc member drivingly connected to a mounting hub provided with a central mounting hole;
- a drive system including a drive shaft coaxially affixed in said mounting hole for rotation of said disc member about a generally upright axis;
- a shear device operable between said drive shaft and said disc member such that torque is transferred from said drive shaft through said mounting hub and shear device to said disc member;
- a brake including an upper locking block on the bottom of said mounting hub and a lower locking block non-rotatably connected to said support member, said upper and lower locking blocks being coaxial with said drive shaft and spaced apart from each other along the axis of said drive shaft;
- said drive shaft extending through said mounting hub and said upper and lower locking blocks, said upper locking block movable along said drive shaft upon failure of said shear device;
- and
- said upper and lower locking blocks including generally mating teeth, said teeth on said upper locking block having a shock absorbing section positioned to contact said teeth on said lower locking block upon failure of said shear device, whereby failure of said shear device allows said mounting hub to move on said drive shaft toward said lower locking block and said teeth on said upper and lower locking block engage, stopping rotation of said mounting hub.
4 more elements
A disc cutterbar comprising:
- a support member;
- a cutterhead affixed to said support member, said cutterhead including:
- a disc member carrying a knife to sever standing crop material, said disc member drivingly connected to a mounting hub provided with a central mounting hole;
- a drive system including a drive shaft coaxially affixed in said mounting hole for rotation of said disc member about a generally upright axis;
- a shear device operable between said drive shaft and said disc member such that torque is transferred from said drive shaft through said mounting hub and shear device to said disc member;
- a brake including an upper locking block on the bottom of said mounting hub and a lower locking block non-rotatably connected to said support member, said upper and lower locking blocks being coaxial with said drive shaft and spaced apart from each other along the axis of said drive sh
- said drive shaft extending through said mounting hub and said upper and lower locking blocks, said upper locking block movable along said drive shaft upon failure of said shear device;
- and
- said upper and lower locking blocks including generally mating teeth, said teeth on said upper locking block having a shock absorbing section positioned to contact said teeth on said lower locking block upon failure of said shear device, whereby failure of said shear device allows said mounting hub to move on said drive shaft toward said lower locking block and said teeth on said upper and lower locking block engage, stopping rotation of said mounting hub.
6 more elements
In a disc cutterbar having a support member with a cutterhead affixed thereto, the improvement comprising:
- a disc member carrying a knife to sever standing crop material, said disc member drivingly connected to a mounting hub provided with a central mounting hole;
- a drive system including a drive shaft coaxially affixed in said mounting hole for rotation of said disc member about a generally upright axis;
- a shear device operable between said drive shaft and said disc member such that torque is transferred from said drive shaft through said mounting hub and shear device to said disc member;
- a brake including an upper locking block on the bottom of said mounting hub and a lower locking block non-rotatably connected to said support member, said upper and lower locking blocks being coaxial with said drive shaft and spaced apart from each other along the axis of said drive shaft;
- said drive shaft extending through said mounting hub and said upper and lower locking blocks, said upper locking block movable along said drive shaft upon failure of said shear device;
- and
- said upper and lower locking blocks including generally mating teeth, said teeth on said upper locking block having a shock absorbing section positioned to contact said teeth on said lower locking block upon failure of said shear device, whereby failure of said shear device allows said mounting hub to move on said drive shaft toward said lower locking block and said teeth on said upper and lower locking block engage, stopping rotation of said mounting hub.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.