Abstract
Ear lifter for a mower of a harvesting machine with finger guards attached to a cutter bar. The ear lifter has a support rail with a first end for attachment to the cutter bar, a stalk lifter connected to a second end of the support rail and a locking lever, wherein the locking lever has a support surface for support on one of the finger guards and can be fixed in at least two positions relative to the support rail in order to set a distance between the finger guard and the support rail.
Claims
1. An ear lifter for a mower of a harvesting machine with finger guards which are attached to a cutter bar, the ear lifter comprising: a support rail with a first end for fastening to the cutter bar, and a stalk lifter connected to a second end of the support rail and a locking lever, wherein the locking lever has a support surface for support on one of the finger guards and is fixable in at least two positions relative to the support rail in order to set a distance between the finger guard and the support rail, and wherein an elongate recess is provided on the ear lifter and the locking lever is guided displaceably in the elongate recess.
2. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the elongated recess is arranged in the support rail or in that the elongated recess is arranged in a holder for the finger guard arranged on the support rail.
3. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever has latching recesses, one of the latching recesses in each position interacting with a latching portion on an edge region of the elongate recess in order to fix the locking lever in the respective position.
4. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever is arranged pivotably in the elongate recess, a resulting pivot axis extending transversely to a longitudinal extent of the elongate recess and being displaceable in a direction of the longitudinal extent of the elongate recess.
5. The ear lifter according to claim 4, wherein the locking lever has a connecting portion and a supporting portion arranged side by side in the elongate recess, the locking lever being held at the connecting portion pivotably about the pivot axis in the elongate recess, and the support surface and the latching recesses being formed on the supporting portion.
6. The ear lifter according to claim 5, wherein the support surface is arranged on a side of the supporting portion facing the mowing finger and the latching recesses are arranged on a side of the supporting portion facing away from the support surface.
7. The ear lifter according to claim 3, wherein the locking lever has a connecting recess, the connecting recess being provided to receive a connecting edge region of the elongate recess at an end of the elongate recess opposite the latching portion.
8. The ear lifter according to claim 7, wherein the connecting recess is delimited by webs, the end portions of which receive the connecting edge region between them.
9. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever is designed as a plate, wherein two pins protrude from at least one surface of the plate in order to hold the locking lever pivotably and displaceably in the elongate recess.
10. The ear lifter according to claim 3, wherein the latching portion forms an acute angle (A) with a surface of the finger guard cooperating with the locking lever in the installed position.
11. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever has an actuating portion for manual actuation, wherein a concave shape for receiving a finger of an operator is formed on the actuating portion.
12. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever has an actuating hook for actuation by the finger guard, the actuating hook being designed to embrace a tip of the finger guard in such a way that the locking lever is displaced into one of the positions when a distance between the mowing finger and the support rail is changed.
13. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever has a stiffening effect with respect to a bending stress on the support rail in a region of the elongate recess, a stiffening effect of the locking lever being greater in a first bending direction (Z) than in a second bending direction (?Z) opposite to the first bending direction.
14. The ear lifter according to claim 3, wherein the locking lever is pretensioned by a spring in the direction of the latching portion.
15. The ear lifter according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is intended to be in contact with a side of the finger guard facing the support rail.
16. An ear lifter for a mower of a harvesting machine with finger guards which are attached to a cutter bar, the ear lifter comprising: a support rail with a first end for fastening to the cutter bar; and a stalk lifter connected to a second end of the support rail and a locking lever, wherein the locking lever has a support surface for support on one of the finger guards and fixable in at least two positions relative to the support rail in order to set a distance between the finger guard and the support rail, wherein an elongate recess is provided on the ear lifter and the locking lever is guided displaceably in the elongate recess, and wherein the locking lever has latching recesses, one of the latching recesses in each position interacting with a latching portion on an edge region of the elongate recess in order to fix the locking lever in the respective position.
17. The ear lifter according to claim 16, wherein the locking lever has a connecting recess, the connecting recess being provided to receive a connecting edge region of the elongate recess at an end of the elongate recess opposite the latching portion.
18. An ear lifter for a mower of a harvesting machine with finger guards which are attached to a cutter bar, the ear lifter comprising: a support rail with a first end for fastening to the cutter bar; and a stalk lifter connected to a second end of the support rail and a locking lever, wherein the locking lever has a support surface for support on one of the finger guards and fixable in at least two positions relative to the support rail in order to set a distance between the finger guard and the support rail, wherein an elongate recess is provided on the ear lifter and the locking lever is guided displaceably in the elongate recess, and wherein the locking lever is arranged pivotably in the elongate recess, a resulting pivot axis extending transversely to a longitudinal extent of the elongate recess and being displaceable in a direction of the longitudinal extent of the elongate recess.
19. The ear lifter according to claim 18, wherein the locking lever has a connecting recess, the connecting recess being provided to receive a connecting edge region of the elongate recess at an end of the elongate recess opposite the latching portion.
20. The ear lifter according to claim 19, wherein the connecting recess is delimited by webs, the end portions of which receive the connecting edge region between them.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0031] Further features and advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the Figures
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of an ear lifter;
[0033] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the ear lifter;
[0034] FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a mower with the ear lifter according to FIG. 2;
[0035] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the mower with the ear lifter according to FIG. 1;
[0036] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 1;
[0037] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 2;
[0038] FIG. 7 shows a detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 2 in a sectional view;
[0039] FIG. 8 shows an illustration of the mower according to FIG. 3 with a plurality of ear lifters in different positions;
[0040] FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter by means of a detail in a sectional view;
[0041] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the embodiment according to FIG. 9;
[0042] FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter by means of a detail in a side view;
[0043] FIG. 12 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 11, adjusted to a greater distance between the finger guard and the support rail;
[0044] FIG. 13 shows a detail of the embodiment of the ear lifter according to FIG. 2 in a side view;
[0045] FIG. 14 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter by means of a detail in a perspective view;
[0046] FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the assembly of the embodiment according to FIG. 14;
[0047] FIG. 16 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter by means of a detail in a side view;
[0048] FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of the embodiment according to FIG. 16;
[0049] FIG. 18 shows a further embodiment of the mower with the ear lifter according to FIG. 16 by means of a detail in a side view;
[0050] FIG. 19 shows a side view of another embodiment of the ear lifter on the mower;
[0051] FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of a detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 19;
[0052] FIG. 21 shows the detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 19 in a further perspective view.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0053] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the ear lifter 1. A Cartesian coordinate system with three orthogonal spatial directions is represented by the arrows X and Z, which point in the X-direction and the Z-direction respectively. The third spatial direction Y corresponds to the viewing direction into the drawing plane. The Cartesian coordinate system applies to all figures and is indicated there with arrows X, Z and, if applicable, Y for perspective views. Identical reference signs in different Figures denote identical components. Recurring components with the same reference signs are not necessarily named repeatedly.
[0054] The ear lifter 1 shown in FIG. 1 for a mower of a harvesting machine is intended to be attached to a cutter bar with finger guards (not shown). A support rail 5 has a first end 6 for fastening to the cutter bar. A stalk lifter 8 is arranged at a second end 7 of the support rail 5, which is intended to lift up and mow kinked or stored stalks. A locking lever 17 with a support surface 19 for support on one of the mowing fingers can be fixed in at least two positions relative to the support rail in order to set a distance between the mowing finger and the support rail 5. The locking lever 17 can be a plate-shaped component that can be manufactured from a sheet metal plate by punching or cutting, for example. An elongate recess 3 is provided on the ear lifter 1, which in the illustrated exemplary embodiment is formed on a holder 14 for the finger guard. Details of the holder 14 and the locking lever 17 arranged in the elongate recess 3 will be exemplified by means of further Figures. The locking lever 17 is slidably guided along the elongate recess 3. A main direction of extension of the elongate recess 3 runs essentially in a plane spanned by the X-direction and the Y-direction. A spring 11 can hold the locking lever 17 in a rear position, i.e. pretension the locking lever 17 in the direction of the first end 6.
[0055] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the ear lifter 1. The design of the ear lifter 1 is comparable to the design shown in FIG. 1 with regard to the arrangement of the support rail 5 and the stalk lifter 8. A difference between the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that the holder 14 for the finger guard (not shown) is arranged on the side of the support rail 5 facing away from the stalk lifter 8. In the installation position on the cutter bar (not shown), the holder 14 is therefore located under the support rail 5 or on the side of the support rail 5 facing the ground. In the exemplary embodiment of the ear lifter 1 shown in FIG. 2, the elongate recess 3 is formed in the support rail 5. This allows the locking lever 17 with the support surface 19 for support on the finger guard to be used to adjust the distance between the finger guard and the support rail 5 by setting the locking lever 17 in different positions relative to the support rail 5. The spring 11 pretensions the locking lever 17 against a rear end of the elongate recess 3, i.e. in the direction of the first end 6.
[0056] FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a mower or a mower arrangement with the ear lifter 1 as shown in FIG. 2 and the finger guard 2. The first end 6 of the support rail 5 is fixed above the finger guard 2 to a cutter bar (not shown) by fastening means 32. The illustration serves to clarify the interaction of the locking lever 17 on the ear lifter 1 with the finger guard 2. The support surface 19 (see FIG. 2) of the locking lever 17 is supported on a side 20 of the finger guard 2 facing the support rail 5. This is in the following also referred to as the upper side 20 of the finger guard 2. If the locking lever 17 is fixed in one of the at least two positions relative to the support rail 5, then the locking lever 17 forms a spacer between the support rail 5 and the finger guard 2. The support rail 5 is deflected upwards in the negative Z-direction compared to a tension-free position and thus exerts a spring force in the Z-direction, which acts on the surface 20 of the finger guard 2 via the locking lever 17. The first end 6 of the support rail 5 is attached to the cutter bar above the finger guard 2. This gives the mower more clearance in its lower section. The ear lifter 1 attached above the finger guard 2 therefore has the holder 14 on the underside of the support rail 5 facing away from the stalk lifter 8.
[0057] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the mower or the mowing arrangement, with the ear lifter 1 as shown in FIG. 1 being attached to the cutter bar, which is not shown, together with the finger guard 2. The ear lifter 1 is arranged below the finger guard 2 so that the finger guard 2 is located between the support rail 5 and the stalk lifter 8. Accordingly, the holder 14 for the finger guard 2 is also attached to the upper side of the support rail 5 facing the stalk lifter 8. The elongate recess 3 for holding the locking lever 17 could in principle also be made in the support rail 5 in this embodiment. However, an advantageously simpler design of the locking lever 17 is made possible by the fact that the elongate recess 3 is designed in the holder 14. The support surface 19 (see FIG. 1) is supported on the upper side 20 of the finger guard 2. When the locking lever 17 is fixed in one of the at least two positions relative to the support rail 5, the locking lever 17 forms a spacer between the finger guard 2 and the support rail 5. The locking lever 17 is fixed to the holder 14, which is firmly connected to the support rail 5. The spring force of the deflected support rail 5 acting in the Z direction thus acts on the finger guard 2 via the holder 14 and the locking lever 17.
[0058] The two embodiments of the ear lifter 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 can be described as basic embodiments, which are jointly characterized by the fact that the support surface 19 is intended to be in contact or to be brought into contact with the side 20 of the finger guard 2 facing the support rail 5. Further details of the basic embodiments are explained below by means of further illustrations.
[0059] FIGS. 5 to 8 illustrate the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in more detail. FIG. 5 shows a detail of the ear lifter 1 to be screwed on under the finger guard 2 according to FIG. 2 in a perspective view of a part of the support rail 5 with the rear end 6 and the holder 14 for the finger guard 2, which is not shown, attached to the upper side of the support rail 5. The elongate recess 3 in the holder 14 is continuous and can also be referred to as a slotted hole 3. The locking lever 17 has a plurality of latching recesses 22, one of the latching recesses 22 cooperating with a latching portion 15 at an edge region of the elongate recess 3 to fix the locking lever 17 in one of its positions relative to the support rail 5. The spring 11 in the form of a leaf spring is connected to the support rail 5 and/or to the holder 14 and can extend through the elongate recess 3 in order to pretension the locking lever 17 against the latching portion 15 and thus hold it in position.
[0060] FIG. 6 shows a detail of the ear lifter 1 to be screwed on above the finger guard 2 according to FIG. 1 in a perspective view of a part of the support rail 5 with the rear end 6 and the holder 14 for the finger guard 2, which is not shown, attached to the underside of the support rail 5. The elongate recess 3 in the support rail 5 is continuous. One of the latching recesses 22 on the locking lever 17 interacts with the latching portion 15 on an edge region of the elongate recess 3 to fix the locking lever 17. In this embodiment, the edge region of the elongate recess 3 is formed on the support rail 5. The spring 11 in the form of a spiral spring is connected to the support rail 5 and can extend through the elongate recess 3 in order to pretension the locking lever 17 against the latching portion 15 and thus hold it in position. The shapes of the spring 11 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are not assigned to the embodiments and can be exchanged or designed in a different way.
[0061] In the following, the embodiments according to FIGS. 5 and 6 are additionally described together with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, since the features of the locking lever 17 are identical in both embodiments. FIG. 7 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 6 in a longitudinal section in the plane spanned by the X-direction and the Z-direction through the ear lifter 1. The locking lever 17 could also be arranged in the elongate recess 3 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. In the illustration, the latching recess 22 of the locking lever 17 engages with that latching portion 15 on the holder 14 or on the support rail 5, which is arranged closer to the support surface 19. It can be seen that the distance between the support rail 5 and the finger guard 2 in both embodiments depends on which one of the latching recesses 22 receives the latching portion 15. The latching portion 15 is formed by the rear edge region of the elongate recess 3, wherein the rear edge is to be understood as the end of the elongate recess 3 facing the first end 6, irrespective of whether this is formed on the holder 14 or on the support rail 5. The locking lever 17 is pretensioned by the tension spring 11 in the direction of the latching portion 15 and is thus held in the respective position. This allows the height of the ear lifter to be adjusted in relation to the mower, as can be seen in FIG. 8.
[0062] In order to be able to alternately connect one of the latching recesses 22 with the latching portion 15, the locking lever 17 is pivotably arranged in the elongate recess 3. A resulting pivot axis 16, about which the locking lever 17 pivots, is not an axis formed by physical features, since the locking lever 17 is held in the slotted hole 3 by pins 4 in the depicted exemplary embodiment. The pins 4 extend transversely to the main direction of extension of the slotted hole 3 essentially in the Y direction and are arranged on both sides of the component with the slotted hole 3, i.e. the holder 14 or the support rail 5. This means that the locking lever 17 can be moved and pivoted along the slotted hole 3. The pivot axis 16 extends transversely to the plane spanned by the X-direction and the Z-direction, approximately in the Y-direction and approximately centrally between the two pins 4. The position of the pivot axis 16 is indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6; in FIG. 7 it extends approximately in the Y direction, perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, between the two pins 4. Since the locking lever 17 is seated with play in the elongate recess 3, the direction of the pivot axis 16 can vary slightly in relation to the Y direction. The pivot axis 16 is stationary relative to a connecting portion 9 of the locking lever 17, on which the pins 4 are arranged, and is accordingly moved along the slotted hole 3 with the locking lever 17.
[0063] The connecting portion 9, which holds the locking lever 17 pivotably about the pivot axis 16 in the elongate recess 3, is arranged along the elongate recess 3 or in the X-direction at an angle to a supporting portion 10 of the locking lever 17. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the connecting portion 9 is connected to the supporting portion 10 via a first leg 18. An edge of the supporting portion 10 facing the support rail 5 forms the support surface 19. The latching recesses 22 are also formed on the supporting portion 10, wherein the latching recesses 22 are arranged at different distances from the support surface 19. For this purpose, the supporting portion 10 has a second leg 21, which is angled in relation to the first leg 18 and on which the latching recesses 22 are arranged. The support surface 19 is arranged on a side of the supporting portion 10 facing the finger guard 2 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), while the second leg 21, or the latching recesses 22, are arranged on a side of the supporting portion 10 facing away from the support surface 19.
[0064] The locking lever 17 can have an actuating portion 12 for manual actuation, which has a concave shape 28 for ergonomically accommodating an operator's finger. The concave shape 28 can open towards the first end 6, allowing advantageous actuation with the thumb, while the other fingers of the operator's hand can reach under the support rail 5. This allows the locking lever 17 to be pulled against the force of the spring 11 in the direction of the second end 7 in order to release the latching recess 22 from the latching portion 15. With the operator's fingers gripping under the support rail 5, the support rail 5 can be adjusted to the desired height and the locking lever 17 can be fixed to the locking section 15 again, for example with another locking recess 22. The height can therefore be adjusted without tools and basically with just one hand. The actuating portion 12 is arranged on a side of the latching recesses 22 or the second leg 21 facing away from the support surface 19, so that the actuating portion 12 advantageously protrudes upwards out of the slotted hole 3. The actuating portion 12 can, for example, be connected to the second leg 21 and connected to the connecting portion 9 via a third leg 23, so that the locking lever 17 forms a stable, annularly closed shape. The two locking recesses 22 shown in the exemplary embodiment correspond to two different height settings of the support rail 5. In both height settings, the support rail 5 is deflected upwards. This results in a third height setting in which the locking rail 5 is not deflected. In this case, a surface 35 on the second leg 21 is in contact with the latching portion 15, as the locking lever 17 does not have to be fixed in position against the spring force of the support rail 5. The second leg 21 has stops 37 projecting at both ends in the direction of the first end 6, which interact with the upper or lower side of the support rail 5, or the holder 14, in the region of the latching portion 15 and thus limit a swivel range of the locking lever 17.
[0065] FIG. 8 shows a representation of the mower with a plurality of ear lifters 1 arranged one behind the other in the direction of view or Y-direction, or a plurality of the mower arrangements, here exemplarily with the ear lifters 1 in the embodiment according to FIG. 2. The three ear lifters 1 have three different height settings, in each of which the support rail 5 is set in a different position or at a different angle to the finger guard 2. Each of the height settings corresponds to one of the positions of the locking lever 17. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that the ear lifter 1 according to FIG. 4 is set higher in relation to the mower by reducing the distance between the support rail 5 and the finger guard 2, while the ear lifter 1 according to FIG. 3 is set higher in relation to the mower by increasing the distance between the support rail 5 and the finger guard 2.
[0066] With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, which are described together, a further embodiment of the ear lifter 1 is described. The embodiment is based on the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 2, but can also be transferred to the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1 by transferring the features described below with regard to the elongate recess 3 and the support rail 5 to an elongate recess 3 on the holder 14. According to the embodiment, it is provided that the latching portion 15 encloses an acute angle A with the surface 20 of the finger guard 2, which is only indicated here. The surface 20 of the finger guard 2 is generally aligned approximately horizontally in the installation position on the mower, i.e. parallel to a plane spanned by the X-direction and the Y-direction. An advantage of the embodiment is that the spring force acting in the Z direction of the support rail 5 deflected in the opposite direction to the Z direction holds the locking lever 17 in its position. The latching portion 15 acts with a proportion of the spring force dependent on the angle A in the direction of the latching recess 22, which is supported on the surface 20 of the finger guard via the second leg 21 and the support surface 19. The angle A, for example, has an angular dimension of at least 10?, in particular from 20? to 30?. The openings of the latching recesses 22 on the second leg 21 of the supporting portion 10 are aligned with the latching portion 15. The angled shape of the latching portion 15 is achieved in the illustrated exemplary embodiment by the elongate recess 3 having an S-shaped or Z-shaped profile in the direction of its longitudinal extension. The spring 11 applies a spring force to the locking lever 17 in the area of the connecting portion 9 in the direction of the first end 6, thereby also holding it in position.
[0067] In this exemplary embodiment, the locking lever 17 also differs from the embodiments described above in that three locking recesses 22 are provided, which make it possible to fix the ear lifter 1 in three different height settings. The three latching recesses 22 can be realized in any of the embodiments described in this application.
[0068] With reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, a further embodiment of the mower or mower arrangement is described below. FIGS. 11 and 12 each show the mower or the mower arrangement consisting of the finger guard 2 and the ear lifter 1, which is only partially shown. The ear lifter 1 and the finger guard 2 are attached to the cutter bar, which is not shown, by fastening means 32. The embodiment shown refers to the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 2. However, the features relating to the locking lever 17 can also be transferred to the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the locking lever 17 has an actuating hook 29 for actuation by the finger guard 2, wherein the actuating hook 29 is designed to embrace a tip 30 of the finger guard 2 in such a way that the locking lever 17 is displaced into one of the positions and engages when the distance between the finger guard 2 and the support rail 5 is changed. In FIG. 11, the ear lifter 1 is set to its lowest position. For this lowest setting position, the locking lever 17 does not necessarily have to be fixed in one position, as the force of the support rail 5 acting in the Z direction does not act on the finger guard 2 via the locking lever 17 and the locking lever 17 has no function as a spacer between the ear lifter 1 and the finger guard 5. The surface 35 of the supporting portion 10 rests against the latching portion 15 at the rear edge of the elongate recess 3. The latching recesses 22 are arranged adjacent to the surface 35 on the side opposite the support surface 19. The actuating hook 29 is arranged on the connecting portion 9 of the locking lever 17 and is shaped so that it engages around the finger guard tip 30 in the height setting shown in FIG. 11. As a result, the ear lifter 1 can be advantageously moved to one of the positions without manual actuation of the locking lever 17. When the support rail 5 is deflected upwards, i.e. against the Z direction, the distance between the support rail 5 and the surface 20 of the finger guard 2 is increased. The locking lever 17 is pivoted clockwise by the actuating hook 29 engaging under the finger guard tip 30. Due to the shape of the actuating hook 29 and the displaceability of the locking lever 17 along the elongate recess 3, the actuating hook 29 slips off the finger guard tip 30 under continued deflection of the support rail 5, as shown in FIG. 12. The locking lever 17 was previously pivoted clockwise until one of the latching recesses 22 reaches the latching portion 15 and the force of the spring 11 causes the locking lever 17 to engage in one of the positions. Depending on the shape of the actuating hook 29, it can engage in the upper or lower latching recess 22.
[0069] FIG. 13 shows a detail of the embodiment of the ear lifter 1 according to FIG. 2 in a side view. A further advantage of the embodiment, which also applies to other embodiments, is explained with reference to FIG. 13. The locking lever 17 has a stiffening effect with respect to a bending stress on the support rail 5 in the region of the elongate recess 3, the stiffening effect of the locking lever 17 being greater in a first bending direction in the Z direction than in a second bending direction opposite to the first bending direction, which is designated ?Z. The support rail 5 is regularly subjected to bending during operation. Due to uneven ground or stones protruding from the ground, the support rail 5 is often deflected upwards, i.e. in the second bending direction ?Z, which is why the support rail 5 must be designed to be correspondingly elastic in order to avoid any resulting damage. If the second end 7 of the support rail 5 penetrates the ground, a downward deflection in the first bending direction Z can also occur. This is undesirable as the ear lifter 1 can dig into the soil and be destroyed. Broken off parts of the destroyed ear lifter can in turn cause considerable further damage to the harvester. For this reason, it is advantageous if the support rail 5 is stiffer in the first bending direction Z than in the second bending direction ?Z. Such a stiffening effect of the locking lever 17 is given here and it is illustrated by a triangle 33 drawn for explanation purposes. A base 34 of the triangle 33 corresponds to the distance defined by the locking lever 17 between the surface 20 of the finger guard 2 and the support rail 5, or more precisely the latching portion 15. A tip 36 of the triangle 33 indicates the point of the fastening section 9 in which the support rail 5 is held between the pins 4 and which is connected to the base 34 via the first leg 18. The section of the support rail 5 located between the tip 36 and the base 34 cannot be deflected downwards in the first bending direction Z, but can be deflected in the opposite second bending direction ?Z.
[0070] With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, further embodiments of the ear lifter 1 are described. FIG. 14 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter 1 by means of a detail in a perspective view. The embodiment shown corresponds to the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The features of this embodiment relating to the elongate recess 3 and the locking lever 17 can also be transferred to the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The locking lever 17, which is designed as a plate, has the two pins 4 which protrude from at least one surface of the plate in order to hold the locking lever 17 pivotably and displaceably in the elongate recess 3. The pins 4 can protrude from the surfaces of the plate on both sides of the locking lever in the Y direction, or only from one of the surfaces. At least one of the pins 4 can be designed as a pin that is seated in a hole in the locking lever 17. An advantage is that the at least one pin can be inserted into the locking lever 17 after the locking lever 17 is positioned in the elongate recess 3. The locking lever 17 is then positively connected to the support rail 5 or the holder 14 in all spatial directions.
[0071] In the embodiment shown, at least one of the pins 4 is formed in one piece with the locking lever 17, which can be achieved, for example, by producing the pin 4 by cup drawing or as a notch by a forming process. The production of the pin 4 can advantageously take place simultaneously with the production of the locking lever 17, which considerably simplifies the production of the locking lever 17. The other pin 4 can be designed as a pin that can be subsequently inserted into the locking lever 17. Production is further simplified if both pins 4 are formed in one piece with the locking lever 17, as shown in the illustrated embodiment. In this case, the elongate recess 3 is provided with an expansion 31 extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the elongate recess 3, which can also be referred to as a notch or widening of the elongate recess 3.
[0072] FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the assembly of this embodiment, in which the locking lever 17 is inserted into the elongate recess 3 in such a way that the pin 4 is inserted through the expansion 31. FIG. 14 shows that, when the ear lifter 1 is mounted, the pin 4 cannot reach the expansion 31 arranged approximately in the middle of the elongate recess 3 and therefore cannot be lost during operation. Even on the single ear lifter 1 in an unmounted state, the locking lever 17 is securely connected to the ear lifter 1 as long as one of the latching recesses 22 is connected to the latching portion 15 and the spring 11 applies a force to the locking lever 17 in the direction of the first end 6.
[0073] Further embodiments of the ear lifter 1 and the mower or the mower arrangement are described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18. FIG. 16 shows a further embodiment of the ear lifter 1 by means of a detail in a side view. FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 18 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the mower or the mower arrangement with the ear lifter 1 as shown in FIG. 16. FIGS. 16 to 18 are described together below. The embodiment is described on the basis of the basic embodiment according to FIG. 2, wherein distinguishing features of the elongate recess 3 and the locking lever 17 can be transferred to the basic embodiment according to FIG. 1. The locking lever 17 has a connecting recess 24, which is intended to receive a connecting edge region 25 of the elongate recess 3. The connecting recess 24 is formed on the connecting portion 9. The connecting edge region 25 is arranged at a front end of the elongate recess 3 opposite the latching portion 15. The connecting edge region 25 accommodated in the connecting recess 24 provides a positive connection in the Z direction between the support rail 5, or the holder 14, and the locking lever 17. The pins 4 of the previously described embodiments can thus be advantageously omitted, which further simplifies the manufacture of the locking lever 17. In the perspective view of FIG. 17, it can be seen that the elongate recess 3 has a correspondingly smaller extension in its main direction of extension. The connecting recess 24 is delimited by webs 26, the end sections 27 of which accommodate the connecting edge region 25 between them or rest against the connecting edge region 25. In the exemplary embodiment, the tension spring 11 does not extend through the elongate recess 3, but acts on one of the end sections 27 on one of the webs 26. In the embodiment shown, the locking lever 17 can also be moved along the elongate recess 3 so that the latching recesses 22 can engage the latching portion 15 and be released again. The pivot axis 16, which results from the pivotability of the locking lever 17, extends approximately parallel to the Y direction between the end sections 27.
[0074] Further embodiments of the ear lifter 1 and the mower or the mower arrangement are described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. FIG. 19 shows a side view of a further embodiment of the mower with the ear lifter 1. FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 19. FIG. 21 shows the embodiment from FIG. 19 in a further perspective view. FIGS. 19 to 21 are described together below. The embodiment is described on the basis of the basic embodiment according to FIG. 2, wherein distinguishing features of the elongate recess 3 and the locking lever 17 can be transferred to the basic embodiment according to FIG. 1. The locking lever 17 comprises the connecting recess 24, which is intended to receive a connecting edge region 25 of the elongate recess 3. The connecting recess 24 is formed on the connecting portion 9. The connecting edge region 25 is arranged at a front end of the elongate recess 3 opposite the latching portion 15. The connecting edge region 25 accommodated in the connecting recess 24 provides a positive connection in the Z direction between the support rail 5, or the holder 14, and the locking lever 17. The connecting recess 24 is delimited by webs 26, the end sections 27 of which accommodate the connecting edge region 25 between them or rest against the connecting edge region 25. The smaller connecting recess 24 compared to the embodiment according to FIGS. 16 to 18 is delimited by a connecting web 38 opposite of the opening. A recess 39 extending through the locking lever 17 in the Y-direction is provided between the connecting web 38 and the supporting portion 10, which saves mass and material of the locking lever 17.
[0075] In the exemplary embodiment, the tension spring 11 does not extend through the elongate recess 3. The tension spring 11, a leaf spring which is fastened together with the holder 14 for the finger guard, is approximately V-shaped, with one leg being arranged on the support rail 5 by the fastening means 32 and a second leg acting on one of the end sections 27 on one of the webs 26. In the embodiment shown, the locking lever 17 as well can be moved along the elongate recess 3 so that the latching recesses 22 can engage the latching portion 15 and be released again. The pivot axis 16, which results from the pivotability of the locking lever 17, extends approximately parallel to the Y direction between the end sections 27.
[0076] According to the embodiment, it is provided that the latching portion 15 forms an acute angle A with the surface 20 of the finger guard 2, as shown in the embodiment according to FIG. 9. The surface 20 of the finger guard 2 is generally aligned approximately horizontally in the installation position on the mower, i.e. parallel to a plane spanned by the X-direction and the Y-direction. An advantage of the embodiment is that the spring force acting in the Z direction of the support rail 5 deflected in the opposite direction to the Z direction holds the locking lever 17 in its position. The latching portion 15 acts with a proportion of the spring force dependent on the angle A in the direction of the latching recess 22, which is supported on the surface 20 of the finger guard 2 via the support surface 19. The angle A, for example, has an angular dimension of at least 10?, in particular from 20? to 30?. The openings of the latching recesses 22 of the supporting portion 10 are aligned with the latching portion 15. The angled shape of the latching portion 15 is achieved in the illustrated exemplary embodiment by the elongate recess 3 having an S-shaped or Z-shaped profile in the direction of its longitudinal extension. The tension spring 11 applies a spring force to the locking lever 17 in the area of the connecting portion 9 in the direction of the first end 6, thereby also holding it in position.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0077] 1 Ear lifter [0078] 2 Finger guard [0079] 3 Elongate recess [0080] 4 Pin [0081] 5 Support rail [0082] 6 First end [0083] 7 Second end [0084] 8 Stalk lifter [0085] 9 Connecting portion [0086] 10 Supporting portion [0087] 11 Spring [0088] 12 Actuating portion [0089] 14 Holder for the finger guard [0090] 15 Latching portion [0091] 16 Pivot axis [0092] 17 Locking lever [0093] 18 First leg [0094] 19 Support surface [0095] 20 Side of the finger guard facing the support rail [0096] 21 Second leg [0097] 22 Latching recesses [0098] 23 Third leg [0099] 24 Connecting recess [0100] 25 Connecting edge region [0101] 26 Webs [0102] 27 End portions [0103] 28 Concave shape [0104] 29 Actuating hook [0105] 30 Tip of the finger guard [0106] 31 Expansion [0107] 32 Fasteners [0108] 33 Triangle [0109] 34 Base [0110] 35 Surface [0111] 36 Tip [0112] 37 Stop [0113] 38 Connecting web [0114] 39 Recess [0115] A Angle [0116] X, Y, Z Spatial directions
