[1]Uni'ted States Patent Office 39023@560 3,023,560 FORAGE HARVESTEI 7-R Vincent F. Krahn, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Del,.iv,rare Filed June 9, 1959, Ser. No. 819,086 9 Claims. (Cl. 56-23) This invention relates to forage harvesters for the cuttin- of a crop or the picking up of a crop w'@lich previously has been cut and windrowed, feeding the crop to a rotating cutter which severs the cut crop into more or less uniform len.-th for fora,-e and then passin- the cut crop to a wa-on which ordinarily is towed behind the fora.-e harvester. The fora-e harvegter shown in the vresent embodiment of the inveiition is for the cutting of grasses, including clover, alfalfa and other grassland crops, collecting the cut crop, severin.- it to more or less uniform length and depos,'ting it in a wagon. The forag-- harvester is adapted to b,- tow,-d behind a tractor rather than beinc., mounted on the tractor. The fora.-e harvester comprises a cutter bar for s.-vering the crop, the cutter bar bein.- of the ordinary sickle bar typ-. nnd moanted along the front edge of a feed platform. A f.-ed au,-er moiinted above the feed platform conducts the cut crop along the platform and to a rearwardly extending passage in which a rotary cutter is mounted for cutting the crop into more or less uniform length and throwing it ui)wardly throu.-I, a duct to the wagon. A featiire bf the present invention is the auger design and its positioning alon.- the forward ed.-e of the fe,-d platform @vhereby the spiral fl;,-ht of the auger projects forwardly of the cutter bar so as to sweep the cut crop away from the cutter bar as fast as it is cut, making it unnecessary to provide a reel operating in front of the ctitter bar. In addition, retractable fingers preferably are provided in the cylindrical central portion of the auger to aid in sweeping the cut crop rearwardly away from the cutter bar and onto the feed platform. A further feature of the present invention is the auger construction wliereby the au,-er flights are tapered opposite the rearwardly extending pasage to the rotary cutter, in combination with retractable fingers mounted on this section of tiie au.-er so as to move the crop rearwardly into the passage and, at the sam-- time, distribute the crop moi-e or 1,-ss uniforri-ly across the width of the passage. Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a compact and li,-ht-wei.-ht forage harvester of the typedescrib,-d havipg a lesser number of operating parts; to provide such a fora.ae harvester in which the feed auger also serves the purpose of a conventioiial roll in clearing the cutter bar of cut crop; to provide a forage harvester organization in which a feed auger of improved design operates without a reel to move the cut crop onto the feed table and then rearwardly to the rotary cutter; and generally to imp--ove forag,- harvesters of the type described. Other objects and objects relating to details and economies of manufacture and operation will become more apparent from the detailed description to follow. My invention is cleprly defined in the appended claims. In the claims, as well as in the description, parts may at times be identified by specific names for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the context and with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the per-tinent prior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in wbich: FIGURE I is a perspective view of a forage harvester construct.- d according to the present invention, the forPatented Mar. 6, 1962 2 ward end of the tongue, drive shaft assembly, and operati-.ig handle being broken away and the top portion of the de@livery duct and braces beina broken away, all for convenience ol. illustration; 5 FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the forage harvester of FIGURE 1, the forward end of the tongue and drive shaft assembly and a portion of one of the ground wheels being broken away ar@d the top portion of the delivery duct being omitted for convenience of illustration; 10 FIGURE 3 is a vertical section of the forage harvester taken @-enerally along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, a portion of the crop deflector at the right of the margin being broken away; FIGURE 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic right side 1.5 elevation of the drive train, portions of the drive train being broken away for clarity of illustration; and FIGURE 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic left side elevation of t@ic drive train, portions of the drive train being broken away for clarity of illustration; and 20 FIGURE 6 is a detailed elevation of the height adjusting mechanism of the forage harvester. Thd forage harvester of the present invention comprises a frame 11 wh:@ch is supported by a pair of ground wheels 12, 12. A toii.aue 14 extends forwardly from the 25 frame 11 for attachment to a tractor in a conventional manner. Preferably, the tongue is pivotally connected to the frame 11 in accordance with usual practice to provide, for towin.- the forage harvester directly behind the tractor during transportation or offset somewhat to the 30 right of the tractor for operation. The fora.-c harvester includes a header 15 extending transversely of the machine preferably for approximately six feet to cut a six-foot swath, The header 15 is supported by the frame 11. 35 A cutting chamb.-r 16 is located be'@ind an end of the header 15 and likewise is supported from the frame 11. The cutting chamber receives the crop from the header 15 and a cyliridrical cutter 17 atid shear bar 19 serve to cut the crop to more or less uniform lengths aid throw 40 the crop upwardly through a more or less conventional delivery duct 20 for depositin.- the crop in a wagon, not shown, towed behind the forage, harvester. The header 15 comprises a feed platform 21 having a shelfli'--e bottorii wall or forward portion 22 rearwatdly 45 upwardly inclined aiid an upwardly extending rear wall 24. Generally vertical left apd right end walls 25 and 26 are provided at the ends of the header, the end wall bein,@ extended forwardly of the forward portion 22 of the feed platform. An angle 33 extends along the length 50 of the rear wall 24. A cutter bar 27 extends along the forward edge 29 of the portion 22 of the feed platform. The cutter bar 27 preferably is of the conventio-,ial sickle bar type and has a reciprocating knif,- 30 and a series of spaced knife guards 55 31 projecting forwardly a short distance from the knife. The cutter bar is operated by a cutter bar drive mechanism 32 which may be generally similar to that disclosed in Witt et al. United States Patent 2,912,814. A feed auger 34 extends for the length of tl-,e feed C ,o platfonn 21. The auger 34 includes a cvlindrical center se,.tion 35 which may be formed of sheet metal and a spiral flight 36 extendi@n,@ rad,'ally outwardly from the center section. The feed auger is mounted '.'Or rotation on its axis 65 by a tubular shaft 37 exteiding axially from the ends of t@e auger. The shaft 37 is rotatably supported at its right end in the header side wall 26 and at its left end at the forward end of ia left auger support arm 39, the rear end of which is pivotally mounted on the end wall 25 of the header for limited swingin@ movement. An 70 arcuate slot 41 is prov;ded in the left end wall 25 of the header to permit limited vertical movement of the left
[2]3 end of the auger. The shaft 37 is journalled in the wall 26 and arin 39 by self-aligninbearin,-s of atiy wellk-.iown tv e to permit the left end of the auger to rise .P somewhat. A series of retractable fingers 4,4' may be provided in the center section 35 of the auger, the fingers 44 preferably comprising more or less rigid rods which proiect between the turns of the auger flight 36. The retract@ble fmgers 44 are slidably received -,vithin the center section 35 of the ;atiger, at maximum extension extend radiaily ont,;vard@ly from the center section for about the same dis@tance as the radial extent of the auger flight 36 and, when reti-acted, are substantially coi-npletely retracted within the ce-iiter section. The fingers 44 are at maximum extension wlien projecting generally horizontally Lorward from the center,section 35 and are retracted a maximum when extending generally horizor@tally rearwardly, the fingers @moving towards extended position in the upper quadrants of the center section and retracting in the lo,k@,er quadrants, and lht, upper and lower quadrants lying above and below a horizontal plane, not shown, through the axis of the auger. The retractable fin.-er construction is generally similar to that shown in Oehler Ur.ited States Patent No. 2,529,180 of November 7, 1950. The retractable finger mechanism is operated by a stationary shaft 45 within the auger shaft 37 and projecting from the right end thereof. An arm 46 secured to tn e riklit end wall 26 holds the shaft 45 against turnin@. An opening 47 is formed in the rear wall 24 of the feed platform, the opening being located at the left end of the feed platform and being ali.-ned with the rearwardly extending cutting chamber or passage 16. The auger flight 36 is of unform radial extent from the right end of the auger to the left side of the opening 47, and then the portion of the flight lying in front of ,tiie opening is decreased more or less uniformly in radial extent so that the radial extent of the flight at the left side of the opening 47 (the left end of the a-uger) is very slight. The retractable fingers 44 in the portion of ihe auger to the right of the opening 47 preferably are spaced 180' apart, while in front of the opening two additional fingers are provided, preferably for ;a total of @four fingers 90' apart. If desired, a rigid, triangular fin 49 may be provided ;at the left end of @the auger 34 projecting from the center section 35 in a radial plane through the axis of the auger. A short flii 50 lyirt.- in a plane perpendicular to the axis 49 of the au@,er may also be provided to aid in feleding the crop thrbu.o,h the opening 47. A pair of transversely extending feed rolls 51 and 52 extend from side to side of the cutting chamber 16 of the forage harvester across the opening 47 and immediately behind the rear wall 24 of the feed table. Preferably, the lower feed roll 51 is mounted on a fixed axis or shaft 48 journalled in the cutting chamber 16. This roll may have a smooth cylindrical surface. The upper feed toll 52 preferably is provided with sertated, longitudinal, axially extending ribs 54 to aid in gripping, compressing, and holding t@he crop as it comes ,througli the openin-, 47. The upper feed roll 52 is mounted on a shaft 53 rotatably supported on forward ends of arms 55, 55 pivotally mounted on the outside surface of the sides of cutting chamber 16 to permit the rofl to rise and fall as required to accommodate varyin.- amounts of crop. The transversely extending shear bar 19 is located immediately to the rear of the lower feed roll 51. Ttic shear bar 19 may consist of an an.-le 57 extending across the cutting chamber 16 from side to side, to wwch is secured a replaceable shearing element 59. The cylindrical cutter 17 is located to the r--ar of the shear bar 19, the cutter being rot@@tably support6d by an ,axial sliaft 61. The cutter 17 has a plurality of radially extending spiders 62 secured to the shaft 61 and several a4ally extending knives 64 are @s@rured to the spiders 31023,560 4 by clamp'ing bolts 65. Backing bolts 66 threadably engaged with the spiders and turned a.@ainst the back edges of the knives 64 facilitate adjustment alid securing of the knives. The knives 64 are adjusted to move in very close proximity to the ihear bar as the cutter 17 is rotated so as to cut the crop as it passes over the shear bar aiid into the path of the knives. This cylindrir-al cutter coiistruction is more or less conventional. The cylindrical cutter 17 is contained within a trans10 versely extending, generally cylindrical casin.a 67 extendin.- axially of the cutter and formed of an upper casing wall 69 and a lower casing wall 70. The casing 67 fits closely around the cylinder defined by the path ol' the knives 64 and the upper casing wall and shear bar 19 15 define an inlet 71 -located above the shear bar and directly behind the upper feed roll 52. The lower casing wall 70 is formed to define a tangential, upwardly extendin.-I outlet 72 which discharges into the delivery duct 20. The dehvery duct 20 may be provided with a custom,,iry 20 upiv,ard and rearward extension, not shown, to direct cut forage crop upward and back@ward to a towed wagon. Preferably, the top edge 75 of the lower -casing wall 70 is offset forwardly from the rear side 76 of the delivery duct 20 to provide an opening which rnay be used 25 for clean out, which admits air to the duct to facilillate carrying the crop, and which provides an outlet for the lower end of the duct if the cutter 17 is stopped while crop is -being fed through the machine, in ord7ei to avoid plugging the duct by crop which is cut and thrown by 30 the cutter, but with insufficient velocity to leave the top of the duct. The wheels 12, 12 are carried on rearwardly extending arms, one arm Ill being shown. The arms are fixed to a tubular member 112 extending,within a @transversely 35 extending tubular por@tion of the frame 11 (see FIGURE 3). The tubular member 112 is rotated to lower or elevate the wheels for height adjustment of the machine by means of a hydraulic cylinder 113 operated by a hose 114 extending from the ti-actor. The cylinder is sup40 ported a@t one end by frame members 115 and 116 secured to the frame 11 and forming an abutment for the cylinder. A lever 117 connected with the opposite end of the cylinder is fixed to the tubular member 112 to rotate the member. If desired, a counter-balancin- spring 118 45 may be connected between @the frame 11 and a portion of the lever IL17 to co@unter-balance in part the weight of the lever and facili;tate adjustment. The drive mechanism for the forage harvester includes a drive shaft 77 which extends alon.- the top of the 5o tongue 14. A universal joint 79 is provided at the rear end of the drive shaft. T'he forward end of the drive shaft 77 is provided with a universal joint and coupling, not shown, for connerting to the power take-off shaft of the towing tractor. 65 The drive shaft drives a ri.-ht angle drive gearbox 80 mounted on the frame 11 adjacent the left ground wheel 12. The output shaft 81 directly drives the shaft 61 of the cylindriral cutter through a flexible r-oupling 82. In addition, a sprocket 84 on the output sbaft-81, through clo chain 85, drives a sprocket 86 on a counter shaft 87 extending through the top portion of the cutting chamber 16. A second, alternative sprocket 89 may be provided on -the shaft 87 to accelerate the speed of the feed roll drive relative to the speed of the cylindrical 65 cutter if a longer clit of the material is desired. A sprocket 90 on the shaft 87 at the right-hand side of the cutting chamber (see FIGURE 4), through chain 91, drives a sprocket 92 fixed to a secoiid counter shaft 94. The shaft 94, through sprockets 95 and 96 and 70 chains 97 and 99, respectively, drives sprockets 100 and 101- fixed to tl-.e lower and upper feed roll shafts 48 and 53. Idler sprockets 102, 102 support the chain 97 as ii3dicated in the drawings. A sprocket 104 fixed to the counter shaft 87 adjacent 75 the sprocket 8,9 drives a chain 105 leading to a sproc@,et
[3]5 106 fixed to the auaer drive shaft 37. An idler sprocket 107 is located adjacent the pivotal mountin- of the auger support arin 39 to aid in maintainin- more or less uniform tension on the chain despite m(>vement of the auger. 'fhe cutter bar drive 32 is driven by a drive train, includ;ng a V belt 108 driven from the input shaft of the gear box 80 and drivin.- a shaft 109 extending foma.-dly along the left side of the forage harvester. A universal joint 110 connects the forward end of the shaft 109 with the cutter bar drive 32. In the operation of the machine, the forward location of the auger 34 serves to sweep the cut crop from the cutter bar 27 as rapidly as it is cut. The retractable fin,@ers 44 aid the action of the au.-er flight 36 so as to sweep the crop rearwardly against the rear wall 24 of the feed platform and then laterally to the left to the opening 47. The gradual reduction in the radial extent of the flight 36 opposite the opening 47, to,-ether with the retractable fingers 44 in th,:s section of the auger, serve to d-istribute the crop more or less uniformly across the width of the opening and to push the crop throu-h the opening and between the feed rolls 51 and 52. The feed rolls progress the cut crop in a steady stream across the shear bar 56 and to the back of the knives 64 which, in cooperation wilh the shear bar, sever the crop in the customary manner. The knives 64 carry the crop rearwardly and upwardly along the surface of the lower casing wa@U 70 of the cylindrical casing and throw the material upwardly thioug.q the delivery duet 20 with sufficient velocity to carry the material through the duct and into a trafled wagon. What is
