Kit for converting a tandem arrangement into a single wheel arrangement for a towed agricultural machine

Abstract

A kit for converting a tandem arrangement into a single-wheel arrangement for a towed agricultural machine includes an adapter with an attachment flange and fastener holes formed in this flange for the attachment of the attachment flange to a machine frame of the towed agricultural machine, a supporting axle mount formed on the attachment flange, a single-wheel axle arranged on the attachment flange, and a wheel flange arranged on the single-wheel axle for attaching a wheel rim.

Claims

1. A kit for converting a tandem arrangement into a single-wheel arrangement for a towed agricultural machine, comprising: a machine frame, a supporting axle protruding from an outer side of the machine frame, a tandem axle carrier of the tandem arrangement, the tandem axle carrier coupled to two wheel rims, an adapter with an attachment flange and fastener holes formed in the attachment flange for the attachment of the attachment flange to a machine frame of a towed agricultural machine to replace a tandem axle carrier, a supporting axle mount formed on the attachment flange to accommodate the supporting axle, a single-wheel axle arranged on the attachment flange, and a wheel flange arranged on the single-wheel axle for attaching one of the two wheel rims.

2. A towed agricultural machine, for the selective operation in a tandem arrangement or a single-wheel arrangement, comprising: a machine frame, and a supporting axle protruding from each of two sides of the machine frame, a tandem axle carrier coupled to two wheel rims, an adapter including; an attachment flange and fastener holes formed in the attachment flange for selective attachment to the machine frame, a supporting axle mount formed on the attachment flange to accommodate the supporting axle, a single-wheel axle arranged on the attachment flange, and a wheel flange arranged on the single-wheel axle for attaching one of the two wheel rims, and wherein the tandem axle carrier and the adapter can selectively be exchanged to attach to the supporting axles.

3. The kit of claim 1, wherein the attachment flange comprises a first side which is a flat plane and a second side opposite to the first side, the fastener holes extending from the first side to the second side, and the surface of the first side is completely disposed on and attached to the machine frame.

4. The towed agricultural machine of claim 2, wherein the attachment flange comprises a first side which is a flat plane and a second side opposite to the first side, the fastener holes extending from the first side to the second side, and the surface of the first side is completely disposed on and attached to the machine frame.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Shown are:

(2) FIG. 1, a schematic perspective front side view of a kit for converting a tandem arrangement into a single-wheel arrangement for a towed agricultural machine,

(3) FIG. 2, a schematic perspective rear side view of the kit of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3, a schematic perspective side view of a towed agricultural machine with wheels in a tandem arrangement,

(5) FIG. 4, a schematic perspective side view of the towed agricultural machine from FIG. 3 with wheels dismounted from a tandem axle carrier,

(6) FIG. 5, a schematic perspective side view of the towed agricultural machine according to FIG. 4 with tandem axle carrier dismounted from a supporting axle,

(7) FIG. 6, a schematic perspective side view of the towed agricultural machine according to FIG. 5 with the kit from FIGS. 1 and 2 that can be mounted on the supporting axle, and

(8) FIG. 7, a schematic perspective side view of the towed agricultural machine from FIGS. 3 to 6 in a single-wheel arrangement with a mounted wheel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) A kit 10 shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2 for converting a towed agricultural machine 12 (see FIGS. 3 to 7) with a tandem arrangement 14 into a single-wheel arrangement 16 comprises an adapter 18 with a cylindrical attachment flange 20, a wheel axle 22 mounted on the attachment flange 20, a wheel flange 24 supported on the wheel axle, and a wheel hub 26 formed on the wheel flange 24 on a front side of the adapter 18 for holding a wheel rim 40 of a wheel 30.

(10) The attachment flange 20 comprises continuous fastener holes 32 arranged over the periphery of the flange, with which the attachment flange 20 can be mounted or attached to a machine frame 34 of the agricultural machine 12 by means of threaded bolts (not shown) in threaded holes 36 provided on the machine frame 34. On the front side of the adapter 18, starting from the wheel flange 24, threaded bolts 38 extend for fastening a wheel rim 40.

(11) On the back side of the adapter 18 (see FIG. 2), the attachment flange 20 is formed with a central receptacle 42 or recess or hole supporting axle mount 42) for holding one of supporting axles 44 arranged on both sides of the machine frame 34. The supporting axle 44 is equipped in the tandem arrangement 14 with a tandem axle carrier 46, wherein the tandem axle carrier 46 is oscillatingly suspended centrally on the supporting axle 44. On the side of the tandem axle carrier 46 there extend two wheel axles 48 at the same distance to the center of the tandem axle carrier 46, wherein the wheels 30 in the tandem arrangement 14 are mounted on these wheel axles (see FIG. 3).

(12) For converting the agricultural machine with a tandem arrangement 14 into the single-wheel arrangement 16, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, first the wheels 30 are removed from the wheel axles 48 (FIG. 4) and the tandem axle carrier 46 is dismounted from the supporting axle 44 (FIG. 5). Then the adapter 18 from the kit 10 is attached (FIG. 6), wherein the adapter 18 is pushed or placed with its supporting axle mount 42 formed on the back side onto the end of the supporting axle 44 and is bolted to the threaded holes 36 provided on the machine frame by means of the fastener holes 32 formed on the attachment flange 20 and threaded bolts (not shown). Then one of the previously dismounted wheels or a spare wheel (not shown) is set on the wheel flange 24 of the adapter 18 and fastened to the threaded bolts 38 by means of threaded nuts (not shown) provided for this purpose (FIG. 7). The conversion of the tandem arrangement 14 into the single-wheel arrangement 16 is repeated in the same way on the opposite side of the agricultural machine. A conversion from the single-wheel arrangement 16 to the tandem arrangement 14 is realized with the reverse of this sequence on both sides of the agricultural machine 10.

(13) As an example, a towed agricultural machine 10 was shown here in the form of a round baler with winder (combination press). The conversion described above of a tandem arrangement 14 into a single-wheel arrangement 16, however, can take place on any arbitrary towed agricultural machine, for example, on a simple round baler, a large baler, a towed agricultural sprayer, a planting machine, a sowing machine, a soil cultivating machine, an unloading wagon, a trailer, and other agricultural machines.