Swath Roller Attachment for a Swather Tractor

Abstract

A swather with a crop cutting header includes a swath roller for rolling on the swath carried on a mounting assembly attached to the tractor frame and a lifting assembly for lifting the roller free from the swath where a control unit is arranged to lift the swath roller to the raised position thereof when the header is raised to the raised position thereof. The control unit also includes a GPS position sensing system so that the roller is lifted at positions determined by the GPS position sensing system. The mounting assembly comprises a mounting frame rigidly attached to the rear walking beam of the tractor so that the mounting frame is held at a set position relative to the tractor determined by a position of the beam so that the swath roller is not pivotally mounted relative to the tractor.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. An agricultural tractor comprising: a tractor frame having a cab; a header mounted on support members at a forward end of the frame to be moved in a longitudinal working direction across the ground; the header being arranged in a working position to cut a standing crop and to form a swath of the crop for deposit on the ground behind the tractor; a first pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame at positions spaced transversely of the frame adjacent the forward end for supporting the tractor adjacent the header; a second pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame at positions spaced transversely of the frame adjacent a rearward end of the tractor and spaced to allow the passage of the swath between the second pair of wheels; a swath compression member for compressing the swath; a mounting assembly for attaching the swath compression member to the tractor for forward movement with the tractor; a lifting assembly for lifting the swath compression member upward from the swath so that in a raised position the swath compression member is free from the swath for passage over the swath; wherein the tractor includes a control unit for controlling lifting of the header from the working position to a raised position thereof; and wherein the control unit is arranged to automatically operate the lifting assembly to lift the swath compression member to the raised position thereof in response to the header being raised to the raised position thereof.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 wherein there is provided a manually operable control for operation by a driver of the tractor for actuating the raising and lowering of the header by the control unit.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the control unit includes a GPS position sensing system for actuating the raising of the compression member at a location determined by the GPS system.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the control unit includes a GPS position sensing system for actuating the raising of the compression member at a location determined by the GPS system.

25. An agricultural tractor comprising: a tractor frame having a cab; a header mounted on support members at a forward end of the frame to be moved in a longitudinal working direction across the ground; the header being arranged in a working position to cut a standing crop and to form a swath of the crop for deposit on the ground behind the tractor; a first pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame at positions spaced transversely of the frame adjacent the forward end for supporting the tractor adjacent the header; a second pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame at positions spaced transversely of the frame adjacent a rearward end of the tractor and spaced to allow the passage of the swath between the second pair of wheels; a swath compression member for compressing the swath; a mounting assembly for attaching the swath compression member to the tractor for forward movement with the tractor; a lifting assembly for lifting the swath compression member upward from the swath so that in a raised position the swath compression member is free from the swath for passage over the swath; wherein there is provided a GPS position sensing system and wherein the lifting assembly for lifting the swath compression member is operated at positions determined by the GPS position sensing system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0067] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a swather tractor having a swath roller attachment according to the present invention.

[0068] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the rear end only of the tractor of FIG. 1 showing the swath roller attachment in enlarged view.

[0069] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the rear end only of the tractor of FIG. 1 showing the swath roller attachment.

[0070] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the rear end of the tractor and the swath roller attachment.

[0071] In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0072] In FIG. 1 is shown a swather tractor of the above type which includes a frame 10 with a front axle 11 and a rear axle 12. On the frame 10 is mounted a motor 13 driving a gear box and pump assembly schematically indicated at 14 for communicating hydraulic drive fluid to the various components of the tractor for propelling the tractor and for driving a header 16 mounted on the tractor. In one example, the engine drives a gearbox at the rear of the engine that splits the power to two pump assemblies. One pump assembly has two pumps (one for each wheel) for traction drive and each pump controls one wheel. The other pump assembly has four pumps (two for header drive, one for lift functions and one providing supercharge oil). In the embodiment shown the header 16 for cutting a standing crop is carried on support arms 16A mounted on the tractor at the forward end in conventional manner which provide a floating and lifting actin for the header. The tractor includes a cab 17 including steering 18 and control elements 19 operable by the driver with those control elements and steering acting to communicate control movements to a fluid control system generally indicated at 20 which supplies the fluid to the various elements to be driven.

[0073] The tractor includes first wheels 21 and 22 mounted on legs 23 extending downwardly from the front axle 11. Each leg carries a drive motor 24 for providing drive power to the respective wheel 21, 22 in response to the supply of hydraulic fluid from the control unit 20. The wheels 21 and 22 are mounted on hubs attached to the motors 24 so that the wheels are supported at a fixed angle to the frame so as to be parallel to each other and parallel to a center line 26 of the tractor. Thus the tractor is not steered by pivotal movements of the wheels which are fixed.

[0074] The rear axle 12 is mounted for pivotal movement on a center pivot 12A defining a horizontal axis longitudinal of the center line of the tractor so as to form what is commonly known as a walking beam. At the outer end 28, 29 of the axle 12 is mounted a respective castor wheel 31 which can swivel around a vertical pivot member 32 of the castor. Thus the wheels on the axle 12 are castor wheels which are again not steered but merely free to rotate around the vertical axis defined by the pivot 32. The wheels can also include independent suspensions systems of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,648 (Otto) issued Sep. 20, 2011 to the present assignees.

[0075] Tractors of this type are well known and are highly maneuverable since the steering is effected by differential speed or differential rotation of the wheels 21 and 22 with the castor wheels 31 merely following the steering action as required. It is well known that such tractors are generally used with the driven wheels 21 and 22 forward so that the implement is in front of those wheels.

[0076] In the present invention there is provided a swath roller 40 for rolling on the swath 4 formed by the header and fed between the rear wheels 31. The swath roller is carried on a mounting assembly 42 attaching the swath roller to the tractor for forward movement with the tractor. The mounting assembly is rigidly attached to a component of the tractor, which as shown is the rear walking beam 12 such that the mounting assembly is held at a set position relative to the tractor determined by a position of the component and the swath roller 40 is not pivotally or rotatably mounted relative to the tractor.

[0077] Alternatively the mounting assembly can be directly attached to the frame of the tractor or, in cases where the rear beam 12 is fixed to the frame, to the rear beam.

[0078] The mounting assembly includes a pair of arms 43, 44 rigidly attached to the axle 12 of the tractor and extending rearwardly from the tractor so that the arms 43, 44 move with the tractor and are not rotatably or pivotally mounted relative to the tractor. Each of the arms has a forward end welded or attached to the beam 12 and extends therefrom rearwardly to a rear end 42A. The arms are cantilevered from the beam 12 and include no cross members so that the arms form the structure for supporting the roller without any frame.

[0079] The assembly further includes a pair of depending cylinders 45, 46 attached to the arms at the rear end of the arms and carrying the swath roller at a lower end of the cylinders. The cylinders are fixed to the mounting assembly that is the arms 43, 44 to prevent pivotal or rotatable mounting of the swath roller on the tractor so that the location of the swath roller does not pivot or rotate relative to the tractor. The depending cylinders are double or single acting cylinders extendible along their length so that they are extendible to raise and lower the swath roller relative to the mounting assembly and hence relative to the tractor.

[0080] The cylinders provide a floating action by retracting in response to loads from the swath roller greater than a set value. This is typically carried out by providing an accumulator which receives fluid from the cylinders when the pressure within the cylinders exceeds a set value determined by the accumulator.

[0081] The lower ends 49 of the cylinders carry a transverse axle 47 extending across between the cylinders and the swath roller includes bearings 48 at each end which are attached to the mounting assembly at the axle 47. The swath roller can be formed of metal or plastic molding as preferred. Pressure from the roller on the swath 41 can be provided by the weight of the roller or by pressure from the cylinders.

[0082] The cylinders 45, 46 can be operated by a fluid control system to act as a lifting assembly for lifting the swath roller upward from the swath so that in a raised position the swath roller is free from the swath for passage over the swath. The operation of the lifting cylinders 45, 46 for the swath roller is effected by a control unit 51 of the tractor for controlling lifting of the header from the working position to a raised position thereof.

[0083] The control unit 51 can be actuated by a control 50 in the cab which can be under direct driver control or which can be arranged to lift the swath roller to the raised position thereof when the header is raised to the raised position thereof. Thus the driver uses the control 50 to operate the control of the header and this operation automatically acts to lift the swath roller. Thus the driver can raise the header for movement of the tractor over the swath at a turn or other maneuvering situation and can lower the header when cutting is to be continued and the swath roller is automatically raised and lowered at the same times.

[0084] Thus for example the control unit can be mechanically operated in that the swath roller is raised and lowered by a hydraulic valve block to divert oil flow to hydraulic cylinders of the lifting assembly of the swath roller. Alternatively the system can be soft-ware controlled by the control unit which operates valves to supply fluid to the lift cylinders as required. The swath roller is adjustable in height relative to the ground by the control unit 51 as operated by the driver control system 50 in order to change the pressure on the swath and wherein the control unit is arranged to operate the height adjustment only when the tractor is stationary.

[0085] Alternatively the swath roller is raised and lowered by an electric device such as relay triggering electric current to electric actuators of the lifting assembly of the swath roller.

[0086] As shown the control unit 51 includes a GPS position sensing system 52 of a conventional arrangement for actuating the raising of the header to halt crop cutting for maneuvering of the tractor with the header raised and for lowering the header to return to the working position at positions determined by the GPS position sensing system such as at the end of a field.

[0087] The swath roller is mounted the rear of the tractor behind the rear wheels.

[0088] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.