Swathing unit

Abstract

A swathing unit (12) for an agricultural mower (4) includes at least one side deflector plate (14) that defines one side of a discharge opening (18) and is adjustable between a wide swath configuration and a narrow swath configuration. The side deflector plate (14) is attached to a pivot mechanism (30) and is angularly adjustable about a pivot axis (X) between an inner position and an outer position. The side deflector plate (14) comprises a first plate element (20) that is attached to the pivot mechanism and a second plate element (22) that is attached to the first plate element and is adjustable to adjust the overall length of the side deflector plate. The second plate element is attached to a control element (32) that cooperates with a guide element (42) to control adjustment of the length and the angular position of the side deflector plate. Movement of the control element relative to the guide element causes simultaneous adjustment of the length and the angular position of the side deflector plate (14).

Claims

1. A swathing unit for an agricultural mower, the swathing unit comprising a side deflector plate that at least partially defines a first side of a discharge opening and is adjustable between a wide swath configuration and a narrow swath configuration, wherein the side deflector plate is attached to a pivot mechanism and is angularly adjustable about a pivot axis of the pivot mechanism between an inner position and an outer position, and wherein the side deflector plate comprises a first plate element attached to the pivot mechanism and a second plate element attached to the first plate element and adjustable relative to the first plate element to adjust a length of the side deflector plate, and wherein the second plate element is attached to a control element that cooperates with a guide element to control adjustment of the length and an angular position of the side deflector plate, wherein the guide element guides movement of the control element relative to the guide element to cause simultaneous adjustment of the length and the angular position of the side deflector plate.

2. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the guide element is configured so that when the side deflector plate is in the narrow swath configuration the side deflector plate is located in the inner position and has an extended length, and when the side deflector plate is in the wide swath configuration the side deflector plate is located in the outer position and has an unextended length.

3. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis is substantially normal to a plane of crop flow through the swathing unit.

4. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the length of the side deflector plate is adjustable in a direction substantially radial to the pivot axis.

5. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the first plate element and the second plate element are telescopically adjustable.

6. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the first plate element and the second plate element have similar profiles.

7. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the first plate element and the second plate element are configured for sliding relative movement.

8. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the control element comprises a control pin attached to the second plate element, and the guide element comprises an elongate slot having an inner end and an outer end, wherein the control pin extends through the elongate slot and is adjustable along a length of the elongated slot between the inner end and the outer end.

9. A swathing unit according to claim 8, wherein the inner end of the elongate slot is located farther from the pivot axis than the outer end of the elongate slot.

10. A swathing unit according to claim 8, wherein the elongate slot extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a working direction of the swathing unit.

11. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the control element comprises a locking element for locking the control element in a chosen position relative to the guide element.

12. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the control element comprises an actuator for adjusting a position of the control element relative to the guide element.

13. A swathing unit according to claim 1, wherein the first deflector plate and the second deflector plate are located at opposite ends of the swathing unit, which define a first side and an opposite second side of the discharge opening.

14. A swathing unit according to claim 1, further comprising a rear plate that extends across a width of the swathing unit above the side deflector plate.

15. An agricultural mower comprising a mower unit and a swathing unit, the swathing unit comprising a side deflector plate that at least partially defines a first side of a discharge opening and is adjustable between a wide swath configuration and a narrow swath configuration, wherein the side deflector plate is attached to a pivot mechanism and is angularly adjustable about a pivot axis of the pivot mechanism between an inner position and an outer position, and wherein the side deflector plate comprises a first plate element attached to the pivot mechanism and a second plate element attached to the first plate element and adjustable relative to the first plate element to adjust a length of the side deflector plate, and wherein the second plate element is attached to a control element that cooperates with a guide element to control adjustment of the length and an angular position of the side deflector plate, wherein the guide element is configured to guide movement of the control element relative to the guide element to cause simultaneous adjustment of the length and the angular position of the side deflector plate.

16. An agricultural mower according to claim 15, further comprising a conditioning unit operationally located between the mower unit and the swathing unit.

Description

(1) An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a rear isometric view of an agricultural mower attached to the rear of a tractor, with the swathing unit in a wide swath configuration;

(3) FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of an agricultural mower attached to the rear of a tractor, with the swathing unit in a narrow swath configuration;

(4) FIG. 3 is an outer side view of a side deflector plate in a wide swath configuration;

(5) FIG. 4 is an outer side view of a side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration;

(6) FIG. 5 is an inner side view of a side deflector plate in a wide swath configuration;

(7) FIG. 6 is an inner side view of a side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration;

(8) FIG. 7a is an inner side view of the side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration, and FIG. 7b is a cross-section n line A-A of FIG. 7a;

(9) FIG. 8 is a composite isometric view from the rear of the swathing unit, showing a side deflector plate in narrow swath and wide swath configurations;

(10) FIG. 9 is a composite view of the swathing unit from above, showing a side deflector plate in narrow swath and wide swath configurations;

(11) FIG. 10 is a composite view of the swathing unit from below, showing the side deflector plate in narrow swath and wide swath configurations;

(12) FIG. 11 is a sectional inner side view of the swathing unit showing the side deflector plate in a wide swath configuration;

(13) FIG. 12 is a sectional inner side view of the swathing unit showing the side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration;

(14) FIG. 13 is a view of the swathing unit from below showing the side deflector plate in a wide swath configuration;

(15) FIG. 14 is a view of the swathing unit from below showing the side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration;

(16) FIG. 15 is a top view of the swathing unit showing the side deflector plate in a wide swath configuration, and

(17) FIG. 16 is a top view of the swathing unit showing the side deflector plate in a narrow swath configuration.

(18) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a tractor 2 carrying an agricultural mower 4 via a support arm and suspension assembly 6. In this embodiment the mower 4 is mounted on the rear of the tractor 2 and is positioned to one side of the tractor. It should be understood however that the mower 4 may alternatively be mounted on the tractor in a different location (for example on the front of the tractor), or used in combination with one or more mowers (for example in a butterfly configuration with mowers on both sides of the tractor), or it may be supported in numerous other ways (for example it may be trailed behind the tractor).

(19) In this embodiment the agricultural mower 4 includes a mower unit 8 comprising, for example, a cutter bar having a plurality of rotating cutter discs, a conditioning unit 10 comprising a plurality of steel flails mounted on a rotating bar, and a swathing unit 12. The mower unit 8 and the conditioning unit 10 are conventional and so will not be described in detail. It should be understood however that both the mower unit 8 and the conditioning unit 10 may be of different types: for example, the mower unit 8 may include a set of rotating cutter drums or a sickle bar cutter comprising a set of reciprocating knives, and the conditioning unit 10 may include a pair of contra-rotating conditioning rollers.

(20) The swathing unit 12 includes a pair of substantially vertical side deflector plates 14 mounted at opposite ends of the agricultural mower 4 and a substantially horizontal rear plate 16 that is mounted above the side deflector plates 14 and extends across the width of the mower 4. The side deflector plates 14 and the rear plate 16 together define a discharge opening 18 through which cut crop material is discharged from the agricultural mower 4, the flow of crop material through the opening 18 lying substantially in a plane. The plates 14, 16 control the width and direction of the flow of crop material and guide the discharged crop material to form a swath on the ground.

(21) One of the side deflector plates 14 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 to 7. The side deflector plate 14 includes an inner plate member 20 and an outer plate member 22, which in this embodiment are connected together by a pair of bolts 24, which pass through respective bolt holes in the inner plate member 20 and an elongate slot 28 in the outer plate member 22. This mechanism allows the outer plate member 22 to slide relative to the inner plate member 20, between an unextended configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and an extended configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

(22) The inner plate member 20 is attached to a pivot mechanism, for example comprising a hinge 30, which allows pivoting movement of the side deflector plate 14 about the pivot axis X of the hinge. In an embodiment the pivot axis is substantially normal to the plane of crop flow through the swathing unit, for example within 30 relative to the plane of crop flow. A control pin 32 is attached to the outer plate member 22. The control pin 32 may be used to adjust the position of the outer plate member 22 relative to the inner plate member 20, thereby adjusting the overall length of the side deflector plate 14 in a direction radial to the pivot axis of the hinge 30, for example within 30 relative to a line that is radial to the pivot axis.

(23) With reference to FIG. 7b it can be seen that the side deflector plate 14 has a profile comprising a substantially vertical middle part 34, a lower part 36 that is inclined inwards (i.e. towards the centre line of the swathing unit 12) at an angle of about 45 relative to the vertical, and a small upper part 38 that is also inclined inwards at an angle of about 45 relative to the vertical. The inner and outer plate members 20, 22 both have a similar profile, allowing them to slide relative to one another in a substantially horizontal direction.

(24) As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the side deflector plate 14 is attached through the hinge 30 to a side frame element 40 of the swathing unit 12. This allows the side deflector plate 14 to pivot between a wide swathing configuration 14 in which the plate is pivoted outwards to lie parallel to the side frame element 40, and a narrow swath configuration 14 in which it is pivoted inwards towards the centre line of the swathing unit 12.

(25) The control pin 32 extends upwards through a slot 42 in an upper frame element 44 of the swathing unit 12 and is attached by a screw thread to a clamping knob 46. In this embodiment the slot 42 is straight and extends in a direction perpendicular to the working direction of the agricultural mower 4. It should be understood however that the slot 42 may alternatively be curved and/or it may be set at a different angle relative to the working direction of the agricultural mower 4.

(26) The side deflector plate 14 may be adjusted between the wide swathing configuration 14 and the narrow swathing configuration 14 by pushing the knob 46 inwards or outwards so that the control pin 32 slides along the slot 42 between an inner position of the knob 46 and an outer position 46. The side deflector plate 14 can then be fixed in the selected position (in either the narrow swathing configuration or the wide swathing configuration, or at an intermediate position) by turning the screw threaded clamping knob 46 to clamp the plate 14 against the upper frame element 44.

(27) Moving the control pin 32 along the slot 42 also causes sliding movement of the outer plate member 22 relative to the inner plate member 20, which changes the overall length of the side deflector plate 14 in a direction substantially radial to the pivot axis X of the hinge 30. This results from the fact that the ends of the slot 42 are not the same distance from the pivot axis X of the hinge 30. As shown most clearly in FIGS. 15 & 16, the distance from the inner end 42 of the slot 42 to the pivot axis X is greater than the distance from the outer end 42 to the pivot axis X. Therefore, when the slide deflector plate 14 is in the wide swathing configuration 14 the length of the side deflector plate is reduced, and when the side deflector plate 14 is in the narrow swathing configuration 14 the length of the plate is increased.

(28) Adjusting the position of the side deflector plate 14 is therefore a very simple operation, involving loosening the knob 46, sliding the knob inwards or outwards as required, and then re-tightening the knob. This simultaneously adjusts both the angular position and the length of the side deflector plate 14, and ensures that the length of the side deflector plate 14 is adjusted proportionally with the angle of the plate. This provides the advantage that the spacing between the top edge of the side deflector plate 14 and the underside of the rear plate 16 is maintained at or near a constant value.

(29) A further advantage of this arrangement is that it can be easily adapted to automatic or semi-automatic operation, using a linear actuator such as a hydraulic ram to adjust the position of the control pin 32. Only a single actuator is then required to adjust both the angle and the length of the side deflector plate 14.