Patent Application
20130025249
The present invention generally relates to cotton harvester spindle assemblies, and more particularly to spindle nuts for cotton harvester spindle assemblies.
In order to harvest cotton, cotton harvesters commonly include two to six forwardly-located row units. Each row unit supports a pair of upright drums in a cam track. The upright drums have from twelve to sixteen spindle bars. Each spindle bar, in turn, rotatably supports up to twenty cotton harvester spindles.
Each spindle is supported in the spindle bar by an assembly including a threaded metal nut having a cylindrically-shaped aperture and a two-piece metal bushing pressed into opposite ends of the aperture. The threaded metal nut is manufactured by machining a hex bar. The spindle is inserted into the two-piece bushing and a dust collar is placed over the spindle adjacent the outer end of the nut. The opposite end of the nut is then threaded into the spindle bar so that a spindle bevel gear meshes with a similar bevel gear on a drive shaft that extends through the spindle bar. Such a spindle assembly is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,671, which is of common ownership with the present invention. In operation, a large amount of mass is put into motion when the picker drums are rotated.
Alternatively, each spindle may be supported by an assembly including a plastic nut and a single elongated bushing extending substantially the entire length of the plastic nut. Such a spindle assembly is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,680, which is also of common ownership with the present invention.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a spindle assembly for a cotton harvester. The spindle assembly includes an elongated nut having a first end with a threaded portion configured for receipt by the spindle bar. The elongated nut also has a second end, opposite the first end, with a tool receiving portion configured to be received by a tool to tighten the threaded portion of the first end into the spindle bar. The elongated nut further has an aperture extending through the elongated nut from the first end to the second end. The spindle assembly also includes a cotton harvester spindle having a bearing portion rotatably supported by the aperture of the elongated nut and a picking end projecting outwardly from the second end of the elongated nut. The elongated nut is hard coat anodized to improve wear resistance.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a spindle assembly for a cotton harvester. The spindle assembly includes an elongated nut having a first end with a threaded portion configured for receipt by the spindle bar. The elongated nut also has a second end, opposite the first end, with a tool receiving portion configured to be received by a tool to tighten the threaded portion of the first end into the spindle bar. The elongated nut further has an aperture extending through the elongated nut from the first end to the second end. The elongated nut further yet has a lubricant groove extending along the aperture from the first end towards the second end. The spindle assembly also includes a cotton harvester spindle having a bearing portion rotatably supported by the aperture of the elongated nut and a picking end projecting outwardly from the second end of the elongated nut. The elongated nut is hard coat anodized to improve wear resistance.
In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a spindle assembly for a cotton harvester. The spindle assembly includes an elongated nut having a first end with a threaded portion configured for receipt by the spindle bar. The elongated nut also has a second end, opposite the first end, with a tool receiving portion configured to be received by a tool to tighten the threaded portion of the first end into the spindle bar. The elongated nut further has an aperture extending through the elongated nut from the first end to the second end. The elongated nut also has a lubricant groove extending along the aperture from the first end towards the second end. The elongated nut further has a notch in the first end in fluid communication with the lubricant groove. The elongated nut also has a lubricant cavity positioned between the first end and the second end and in fluid communication with the lubricant groove. The spindle assembly also includes a cotton harvester spindle having a bearing portion rotatably supported by the aperture of the elongated nut and a picking end projecting outwardly from the second end of the elongated nut. The elongated nut is hard coat anodized to improve wear resistance.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
The elongated nut 15 is fabricated from aluminum, magnesium, or other metal or metal alloy that is lighter than steel. Alternatively, the elongated nut 15 is fabricated from a metal or metal alloy that is lighter than a plastic nut with a powdered metal bushing. The elongated nut 15 is hard coat anodized for improved durability of the aperture 40 and improved wear resistance to abrasive crop material. Alternatively, other specialized abrasive and corrosion resistant coatings are used such as Tufram® from the General Magnaplate Corporation of Linden, N.J. The elongated nut 15 is cold formed to create most of the features and to minimize waste. After cold forming, the threaded portion 25 and the aperture 40 are machined into the elongated nut 15. Alternatively, the elongated nut 15 is completely machined.
As illustrated in
Referring to
The cotton harvester spindle assembly 10 further includes a notch 90. In the illustrated embodiment, three notches 90, 95, 100 are shown. The notches 90, 95, 100 are formed in the first end 20 of the elongated nut 15 and are in fluid communication with the corresponding lubricant grooves 75, 80, 85.
During assembly, the cotton harvester spindle 45 is positioned such that the bearing portion 50 is rotatably supported by the aperture 40 of the elongated nut 15 and the picking end 55 projects outwardly from the second end 30 of the elongated nut 15. The threaded portion 25 of the elongated nut 15 is threaded into the spindle bar. The tool receiving portion 35 is received by a tool (not shown) to tighten the threaded portion 25 of the first end 20 into the spindle bar. The mating surface 65 of the flange 60 contacts the spindle bar and enables a smaller, more positive drive profile to be used such as a twelve-point drive profile 70 or a hex drive profile. The flange 60 and twelve-point drive profile 70 helps to reduce the total volume, weight, and cost of the elongated nut 15 while enabling consistent torque and nut retention due in part to a large contact area between the flange 60 and the spindle bar.
In operation, the spindle assembly 10 is engaged with the spindle bar of a cotton harvester (not shown) such that the cotton harvester spindle 45 rotates freely within the one piece elongated nut 15. Lubricant flows from inside the spindle bar, through the notches 90, 95, 100, and through the lubricant grooves 75, 80, 85 to lubricate the bearing portion 50 of the cotton harvester spindle 45.
The one-piece hard coat anodized elongated nut 15 provides significant weight reduction. The weight reduction decreases the load on a cam arm (not shown) and a cam roller of a unit (not shown), which allows for a faster drum speed and consequently a faster harvesting speed. The weight reduction also allows more units to be used while the hard coat anodizing prevents galvanic corrosion from occurring between the aluminum elongated nut 15 and the aluminum spindle bar.
The spindle assembly 210 includes an elongated nut 215 having a lubricant cavity 300 positioned between a first end 220 of the elongated nut 215 and a second end 230. The lubricant cavity 305 is in fluid communication with a lubricant groove 275 and a notch 290. The lubricant cavity 305 is also in fluid communication with a lubricant groove 285 and a notch 300.
In operation, the spindle assembly 210 operates similarly to the spindle assembly 10 and only the differences will be discussed. Lubricant flows from inside the spindle bar, through the notches 290, 300, through the lubricant grooves 275, 285, and to the lubricant cavity 305.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
