Drive arrangement and process for the drive of an agricultural implement

A combination of a vehicle connected with an operating implement, the combination having a drive arrangement for driving the implement, the drive arrangement having:

• a drive engine that is brought into driving connection over a separable power take-off shaft clutch with a power take-off shaft output;
• a drive line of the operating implement connected to the power take-off shaft output, the drive line including an overload clutch that disengages the drive line if a cut-off torque is exceeded;
• and,
• a control arrangement connected with and operated by a sensor at the power take-off shaft output induces an actuator to disengage the power take-off shaft clutch as soon as a torque detected by the sensor one of:
• reaches and exceeds a predetermined threshold torque value;
• wherein the control arrangement utilizes a first threshold torque value that corresponds to a torque that is less than the cut-off torque of the overload clutch, and the control arrangement, after exceeding the first threshold value and a disengagement of the power take-off shaft clutch occasioned thereby, induces the actuator to engage the power take-off shaft clutch and when the power take-off shaft clutch is engaged permits a torque at the power take-off shaft output that is larger than the cut-off torque of the overload clutch.

A method for driving an operating implement comprising the following steps:

• operating a drive engine that is connected so as to drive, over a power take-off shaft clutch that can be disengaged, with a power take-off shaft output;
• operating a drive line of the operating implement connected to the power take-off shaft output, that has an overload clutch, to disengage the drive line when a cut-off torque has been exceeded;
• operating a control arrangement that is connected with a sensor detecting a torque at the power take-off shaft output, to induce an actuator to disengage the power take-off shaft clutch as soon as the torque detected by the sensor has one of:
• reached and exceeded a predetermined threshold value;
• wherein the control arrangement uses a first threshold torque value that corresponds to a torque that is lower than the cut-off torque of the overload clutch, and the control arrangement after a first threshold value has been exceeded and the power take-off shaft clutch has been disengaged, instructs the actuator to engage the power take-off shaft clutch and permits a torque at the power take-off shaft output that is greater than the cut-off torque of the overload clutch when the power take-off shaft clutch is engaged.