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US 7,401,457 B2Granted
Auger finger with tether for retaining and retracting the finger when broken
AssigneeCNH America LLC
InventorsGary L. Bich, Daniel J. Klein, Benjamin W. Ditchcreek, James F. Rayfield
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A finger for a crop gathering auger of a grain header for an agricultural combine, including a tether which spans a failure region of the finger and will retain a free end of the finger in connection with a mounting end thereof when the failure region is broken, and which is preferably additionally operable for automatically retracting the broken off free end into an auger drum and retaining it therein during subsequent rotation of the drum for limiting potential damage from the broken end and preventing entry of the broken end into crop handling equipment of the combine.
Claims25
An auger finger, comprising:
- a mounting end portion;
- an elongate free end portion opposite the mounting end portion;
- failure region at a predetermined location connecting the mounting and free end portions, the failure region being constructed so as to be weaker than at least the mounting end portion so as to break and disconnect the mounting and free end portions when the finger is subjected to a predetermined side loading condition;
- at least one tether connected between the free and mounting end portions and spanning the failure region so as to be capable of holding the free end portion in connection with the mounting end portion while allowing relative pivotal movement therebetween if the failure region is broken;
- and
- a rigid link configured to allow pivotal movement of the free end portion relative to the mounting end portion when the failure region is broken, wherein the rigid link has one end pivotally connected to the free end portion and an opposite end pivotally connected to the mounting end portion, the rigid link being configured to allow the free end portion and the mounting end portion to move a controlled distance apart when the failure region is broken to facilitate the relative pivotal movement of the free and mounting end portions.
3 more elements
An auger finger, comprising:
- an elongate rigid body including a mounting end portion, a free end portion opposite the mounting end portion, and a failure region at a predetermined location between the mounting and tree end portions and connecting the mounting and free end portions, the failure region being constructed so as to break and disconnect the free end portion from the mounting end portion when subjected to a predetermined side loading condition which is less than a side loading condition required for breaking at least the mounting end portion;
- at least one tether connected between the free end portion and the mounting end portion so as to span the failure region and hold the free end portion if the failure region is broken, while allowing relative pivotal movement of the free and mounting end portions about the broken failure region;
- and
- a rigid link having one end pivotally connected to the mounting end portion and an opposite end pivotally connected to the free end portion.
1 more element
An auger finger, comprising:
- an elongate rigid body including a mounting end portion, a free end portion opposite the mounting end portion, and a failure region at a predetermined location between the mounting and free end portions, the failure region being constructed so as to break under a side loading condition which is less than side loading conditions required for breaking at least the mounting end portion;
- and
- at least one tether connected between the free end portion and the mounting end portion so as to span the failure region and hold the free and mounting end portions together while allowing relative pivotal movement thereof if the failure region is broken, wherein the at least one tether is pivotally connected to at least one of the free end portion and the mounting end portion so as to allow limited relative longitudinal movement therebetween when the failure region is broken, to facilitate the relative pivotal movement of the free and mounting end portions about the broken failure region;
- wherein the mounting end is mounted in an internal cavity of a rotatable hollow drum of an auger of a grain header for an agricultural combine such that the failure region is located within the cavity and the free end portion extends outwardly from the drum, and such that if the failure region is broken during rotation of the drum the tether will retract the free end portion into the cavity and retain the free end portion in the cavity.
1 more element
A method of operation of a gathering auger of a header of an agricultural combine, comprising steps of:
- providing an elongate auger finger having a mounting end portion, a free end portion opposite the mounting end portion, a failure region at a predetermined location between the mounting and free end portions,
- and at least one tether connected between the free end portion and the mounting end portion and spanning the failure region, the tether being configured for holding the free and mounting end portions together while allowing relative pivotal movement thereof if the failure region is broken, the mounting end portion of the finger being mounted on an element in an internal cavity of a rotatable hollow drum of the auger such that the failure region and the at least one tether are located within the cavity and the free end portion extends outwardly from the drum through a hole in an outer surface thereof;
- providing a rigid link having one end pivotally connected to the mounting end portion and an opposite end pivotally connected to the free end portion;
- and
- if the failure region is broken, then during subsequent rotation of the drum, automatically operating the tether to retract the free end portion into the cavity and retain the free end portion in the cavity.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.