Patent Application
20240268273
Not applicable
Not applicable
The present invention relates to equipment used to improve the efficiency and profitability of agricultural operations. More specifically, the present invention relates to machines, specifically windrowers, use to collect stover into windrowers for baling.
Stover is the crop residue left in the field after harvesting grain. Stover includes the leaves and stalks of field crops, such as corn, sorghum, and other small grains, that are commonly left in a field after harvesting.
Farmers have found various uses for the stover gathered and removed from fields. Historically, stover has been primarily used for livestock bedding, but in some cases, it can also provide some nutritional value as part of livestock feed rations. More recently, stover has been used as a source of energy. Stover has been used as a source material in ethanol production. Stover may also be burned as a heat source or used directly in other forms of energy production.
Gathering and removing stover from a field typically involves several steps. First, the farmer must cut-off the stover and reduce the particle size of the stover. This step is typically performed using a conventional crop shredder machine, which deposits the processed stover back on the ground. The second step is a raking operation. More specifically, the field is raked to deposit the processed stover into windrows. Third, a baler machine is used to harvest the processed stover as bales.
Today, many farmers perform the first and second steps outlined above in a single pass using a windrower machine. Windrower machines combine the operations of cutting off and reducing the particle size, with the operation of depositing the product into windrows in preparation for subsequent harvest using a baler.
Originally, windrow machines had a center discharge like the Model 180 and 240 Center Discharge Windrowers made by Loftness Specialized Equipment of Hector, Minnesota. As farming operations grew and farmers strived for greater efficiency, “End Discharge” windrowers such as the Loftness Draper Windrowers were developed. The advantage of the “End Discharge” system, is that the product from the entire width of the cutting unit is delivered to one end of the machine. As such, when the farmer makes a full round, (traveling across the field in one direction and then returning back in the opposite direction), the processed stover is deposited into groups of two immediately adjacent (co-mingled) windrows. Each such group of two such windrows may be harvested together by the baler in a single pass. This reduces by half the number passes through a field that the baler must make.
Center discharge windrowers typically used air deflector panels to simply deflect or throw the material to the center. Prior efforts to design “End Discharge” windrowers that would use air deflector panels to deflect to the side of the machine proved unsuccessful. Trying to move all the processed stover to the end of the machine using air alone seemed to be impractical and consistently being able to do so seemed unachievable.
Equipment manufacturers responded by developing machines that incorporated some type of mechanical means to deliver the product to the end. These mechanical delivery means included employing either (i) a screw-type auger extending through a u-shaped trough, (ii) a steel pintle/drag chain with cross-slats, or (iii) as in the Loftness Draper Windrowers, a rubber belt conveyor. While these designs satisfactorily deliver processed stover to to the end of the machines, and made it possible to deposit the processed stover into groups of two immediately adjacent (co-mingled) windrows, these prior art designs have certain disadvantages.
First mechanical designs using auger or drag chain or event belt conveyors have the potential to get clogged or plugged up in various crop conditions. Second, there is the potential for stover to get wrapped around the moving parts, causing added resistance, or possible damage to the machine. Third, maintenance costs in the form of labor and replacement parts, not to mention the costly downtime if the machine breaks down during the busy harvest schedule, make such mechanical designs less than ideal.
A real need, therefore, still exists for a simple and effective way, that overcomes the foregoing disadvantages, to move substantially all the stover processed by a shredder to the end of the machine and to deposit the processed stover into groups of two immediately adjacent (co-mingled) windrows.
The present invention provides various improvements related to machines able, in a single pass, to (i) cut-off and reduce the particle size of the stover, and (ii) deposit the processed stover back on the ground into groups of two immediately adjacent (co-mingled) windrows when the farmer makes a full round. i.e., traveling across the field in one direction and then returning back). These improvements reduce maintenance costs and downtime, the risk of clogging, and the amount of and dirt and other foreign materials that ultimately find their way into bales.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a windrower comprises a shredder having a plurality of spinning knives located in a housing having an elongate discharge opening. As the knives spin, they process the stover by chopping it into a fine particulate. The spinning of the knives also creates an airflow such that the air and stover particulate entrained therein, exits the discharge opening. Windrowers made in accordance with the present invention further comprise a wing having a stowed position and a deployed position. A pair of linkages and at least one linear hydraulic actuator are used to move the wing between its stowed position and its deployed position. The wing, when in the wing's deployed position, is adapted to direct the airflow and the entrained stover to one side of the machine where the processed stover is deposited in a row on the ground. In the absence of the wing, the airflow generated by spinning knives would hurl the entrained material through a discharge opening, up into the air, scattering the processed stover behind the machine in a randomized fashion.
Directing substantially all the stover material from the discharge opening to one side of the machine is achieved by attaching the wing behind the discharge opening. The wing extends the full length of discharge opening and has a deposit end and a non-deposit end. When deployed, the wing is angled relative to the housing is such that the non-deposit end of the wing is closer to the housing than the deposit end of the wing.
The wing includes a primary baffle assembly comprising a top plate having a first proximal end and a first distal end, a bottom plate having a second proximal end and a second distal end, and a transition extending between the first distal and second distal end. When the wing is deployed, the first and second proximal ends are positioned closest to the housing such that the top plate, transition, and bottom plate form a first channel open toward the discharge opening of the shredder. The top plate resides above the top of the discharge opening and the second proximal end is below the bottom the discharge opening.
The wing further comprises a secondary baffle assembly positioned within the first channel of the primary baffle assembly. The secondary baffle assembly extends the full length of the primary baffle assembly. The secondary baffle assembly descends from the top plate of the primary baffle assembly and then curves back toward, but is spaced by a gap from, the transition and bottom plate. As so constructed, secondary baffle assembly, together with the primary baffle assembly, form a secondary channel open at the bottom and extending the length of the wing. Both the primary and secondary channels are also open at the deposit end of the wing.
The wing may further comprise a tertiary baffle assembly adjacent to the deposit end openings of the first and second channels. The tertiary baffle assembly may simply be a plate or series of teeth coupled to the wing and banging down adjacent to and spaced from the deposit end openings of the first and second channels.
When a windrower made in accordance with the present invention is used, the wing is deployed. As the knives of the shredder spin, an airflow is created up and out through the discharge opening of the housing into the primary and secondary channels of the wing. The overall angle of the wing and the shapes of the first and second channels serve to redirect virtually all this airflow toward and out the deposit end openings of the first and second channels. More specifically, a first airflow entering the wing from the discharge opening is divided by the primary and secondary baffle assemblies into two distinct second and third airflows. The second airflow is deflected and directed along the first channel to and out the discharge end. The third airflow comprises air entering the secondary channel through the gap. The shape of the secondary baffle causes this air to move in a rotational and longitudinal screw-like fashion through the secondary channel to the discharge end of the wing. As the windrower moves through a field, the knives draw the stover into the housing, chop it into a fine particulate, and entrains the processed stover particulate into the air flows. As such, substantially all the processed stover travels into the first and second channels and then through the first and second channels to and out the openings of the channels at the deposit end of the wing. Material striking the tertiary baffle assembly after exiting the first and second channels at the discharge end of the wing then falls to the ground in an organized row.
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts:
This description of the preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”. “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressively described otherwise.
The windrower 1 shown in the drawings has two main assemblies, specifically a shredder 2 and wing 3. The shredder 2 sits on a frame selectively supported by two independent sets of wheels. The first independent set of wheels comprises wheels 12 and 13 which are deployed to permit the windrower 1 to be towed using a first hitch assembly 14. The wheels 12/13 and hitch assembly 14 are typically employed when towing the windrower 1 along roads and highways. The second set of wheels comprises wheels 16, 17, 18 and 19. Wheels 16 through 19 are typically used when towing the windrower 1 using a second hitch assembly 20. The wheels 16 thorough 19 and the second hitch assembly 20 are typically employed when towing the windrower 1 across a farm field to perform a windrowing operation.
As illustrates, for example in
The frame 10 supports a housing 26. Mounted within the housing are a plurality of rotary blade assemblies 28 each coupled to, and for rotation with, an axle 30 extending substantially the entire length of the frame. The shredder 2 also includes a power takeoff, gearbox and banded belt assembly which deliver rotational power to the axle 30 and rotary blade assemblies 28. Rotary speeds of the blade assemblies 28 range from about 1450 to 2000 revolutions per minute at about 280 horsepower.
Each rotary blade assembly 28 includes a plurality of blades 32. The blades 32 perform three functions as they are rotated. First, blades 32 pull and sever stover from the ground. Second, blades 32 process the stover into a fine particulate. Third, blades 32 create a first airflow into which the processed stover is entrained. This first airflow, and the processed stover entrained therein, is ejected from the housing through an elongate discharge opening 34 at the rear of the housing 26 and extending substantially along its entire length. Absent the presence of the wing 3, the airflow would scatter the processed stover in a randomized fashion behind the shredder 2 as it is pulled across the field by a tractor (not shown) coupled to the second hitch assembly and power takeoff.
One objective of the present invention is to prevent scattering of the processed stover and, instead, deposit the processed stover in a windrow adjacent a side of the windrower 1. This objective is met by employing a wing 3 constructed, and coupled to the frame 10 and housing 26, as discussed below.
The wing 3 extends between a non-deposit end 40 and a deposit end 42. The wing 3 has a deployed position relative to the housing 26 shown in
When the wing 3 is in its deployed position, the non-deposit end 40 of the wing sits closer to the housing 26, and the housing's elongate discharge opening 34, than the deposit end 42 of wing 3. In other words, the wing 3 is angled relative to the housing 26 and discharge opening 34. This angle causes processed stover ejected from the elongate discharge opening and engaging the wing to move along the wing toward the discharge end. The angle of the wing alone, however, is not enough to successfully deposit the processed stover in a windrow adjacent the windrower 1. The wing 3 is constructed with important design features that permit this to occur.
Specifically, the wing 3 has a primary baffle assembly 50 and a secondary baffle assembly 70. The primary baffle assembly 50 comprises a top plate 52 having a first proximal end 54 and a first distal end 56. The primary baffle assembly 50 further comprises a bottom plate 58 having a second proximal end 60 and a second distal end 62. A transition 64 extends between and couples the distal ends 56 and 62 so that the top plate 52 and the bottom plate are angled relative to each other creating a primary channel 66 facing the elongate discharge opening 34. As shown in various figures, the top plate 52 resides above the elongate discharge opening 34 and the bottom plate 58 extends below the bottom of the elongate discharge opening 34 when the wing 3 is in the deployed position. The primary channel may be closed at the non-deposit end 40 of the wing 3 but is open toward the elongate discharge opening 34 and at the deposit end 42 of the wing 3.
The secondary baffle assembly 70 resides in a top portion of the primary channel 66. As shown in
In some embodiments of the invention, the wing 3 may also include a tertiary baffle assembly 90 adjacent the open ends of the primary channel 66 and secondary channel 80 at the deposit end 42 of the wing 3. The tertiary baffle assembly 90 operates to deflect to the ground the processed stover exiting the primary channel 66 and secondary channel 80 through their open ends at the deposit end 42 of the wing 3. The tertiary baffle assembly may comprise a single descending panel 92 or a plurality of such panels or rods. Employing rods or a plurality of panels allows air to pass through as the stover is directed to the ground.
When the windrower 1 is in use, the wing 3 is placed in its deployed position and the windrower 1 is hitched to a tractor and the power takeoff is mechanically coupled to the tractor's engine and engaged causing the rotary blade assemblies 28 to spin. As the tractor pulls the windrower 1 through a farm field, the blades 32 pull the stover left in the field into the housing 26, cut the stover into particles (i.e., processed stover) and create a first airflow in which the processed stover becomes entrained. This first airflow and the entrained processed stover exits the housing 26 through the elongate discharge opening 34 and then is caught by the wing 3. The wing 3 divides the first airflow into two distinct second and third airflows, specifically a second airflow created in the primary channel and a third airflow created in the secondary channel.
The shape of the primary baffle assembly 50 redirects the first airflow such that some of this airflow is directed along the primary channel 66 toward the deposit end 42 of the wing 3 and a substantial portion (most) of this airflow is directed into the secondary channel 80 through the gap 76. The secondary baffle assembly 70 causes the air entering the secondary channel 80 to flow both in a rotational and longitudinal screw-like fashion toward and out the deposit end 42 of the wing 72. The continuous influx of air through the gap acts as an air curtain. When a tertiary baffle assembly 90 is employed, processed stover exiting through the open ends of the primary channel 66 and secondary channel 80 at the deposit end 42 of the wing 3 is deflected to the ground by the tertiary baffle assembly 90 to form a windrow.
When the windrower 1 is not in use or needs to be transported over a public roadway, the wing 3 is be moved to its stowed position shown in
Various additional advantages of the present invention should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing detailed description and the accompanying drawings. This disclosure is therefore not intended to be limiting.
