Reel mower attachment for mowing overgrown ground

Abstract

The invention relates to a reel mower attachment (1) for a tractor, comprising at least one reel mower unit (15) with at least one mowing reel (16) with cutting elements (17). In order to enable environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground, the reel mower attachment (1) has at least one suction unit (20) for suctioning up cuttings produced by the reel mower unit (15).

Description

Technical field The invention relates to a reel mower attachment for a tractor, comprising at least one reel mower unit with at least one mowing reel with cutting elements, at least one suction unit for suctioning cutting material produced by the reel mower unit, wherein the suction unit has a suction chamber extending over at least a major part of an axial length of the mowing reel, which is at least partially open on its side facing the mowing reel, and at least one suction port is arranged on which a suction hose can be connected. State of the art Various mowing implements are used to mow overgrown ground, which can optionally be mounted as attachments on a tractor. One example of such an attachment is a reel mower, which has a reel with cutting blades arranged at an offset from each other, working in conjunction with a stationary cutting blade of the reel mower attachment. Another type of mower attachment is the flail mower attachment. To achieve optimal cutting results, these attachments feature a device for generating an airflow directed away from the ground, which is used to straighten the vegetation to be mowed immediately before cutting. A disadvantage of these attachments is that animals living on the ground, especially insects, are sucked up, which is undesirable or even prohibited for environmental reasons. US 6,052,973 A discloses a ride-on mower with a vehicle body, a central spindle cutting unit, and lateral spindle cutting units arranged laterally to the central spindle cutting unit with respect to the direction of movement of the vehicle body, the cutting paths of the central spindle cutting unit and the lateral spindle cutting units partially overlapping. A first lifting mechanism connects the central spindle cutting unit to the vehicle body so as to allow vertical movement. The first lifting mechanism is operable to raise and lower the central spindle cutting unit without displacing it laterally to the direction of movement. Second lifting mechanisms connect the lateral spindle cutting units to the vehicle body so as to allow vertical movement. The lifting mechanisms are designed to raise and lower the lateral spindle cutting units without displacing them laterally to the direction of travel. US 2020 / 0128748 A1 discloses a triplex lawn mower with an open foot platform. The platform has a left platform section and a right platform section, each section being detachably attached to the triplex lawn mower by a coupling extending rearward from each section. The left and right platform sections define the perimeter of an opening located in front of a driver's seat when the platform is attached to the triplex lawn mower, the opening having a greater length and width than a center reel mower of the triplex lawn mower.A cover made of a semi-transparent sheet structure is removablely attached to the left and right platform sections above the central reel mower of the Triplex lawn mower, the cover being made of a semi-transparent sheet structure allowing the central reel mower to be visible to an operator during mowing. WO 2024 / 198258A1 discloses a mowing unit with an electrically driven cutting unit and a mounting frame to which the cutting unit is attached. The cutting unit has a cutting arrangement comprising an outer cylinder and cutting blades arranged on the outer cylinder. Disclosure of the invention One purpose of the invention is to enable environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. This problem is solved by the independent patent claim. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent patent claims, the following description, and the figures, whereby these embodiments, either individually or in combination with at least two of them, can represent an advantageous and / or further developing aspect of the invention. An inventive reel mower attachment for a tractor comprises at least one reel mower unit with at least one mowing reel with cutting elements and at least one suction unit for suctioning cutting material produced by the reel mower unit, wherein the suction unit has a suction chamber extending over at least a major part of an axial length of the mowing reel, which is at least partially open on its side facing the mowing reel, at least one suction port is arranged on which a suction hose can be connected, and wherein at least one driven auger is at least partially arranged in the suction chamber, with which cutting material located in the suction chamber can be conveyed in the direction of the suction port. With the reel mower attachment according to the invention, mowing is carried out by means of at least one reel mower unit, which has at least one mowing reel with cutting elements. In contrast to the use of a flail mower attachment described above, with a reel mower attachment, due to a differently designed cutting mechanism, it is not necessary to straighten the vegetation to be mowed immediately before cutting by means of an airflow directed away from the ground. Therefore, the invention eliminates the need to generate such an airflow, which would have the disadvantage described above. Consequently, this structural difference alone enables the invention to be used for environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. The cutting elements of the mower spindle run helically in the axial direction of the mower spindle. The cutting elements can, for example, be designed as cutting blades. The spindle mower attachment can have at least one drive unit, for example an electric one, for driving the mower spindle. A suction hose from a tractor's dust collection system can be connected to the suction unit, and the dust collection system can include at least one suction fan. The airflow required to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit is significantly less than the airflow required to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting. Furthermore, the cutting area of ​​the reel mower unit is effectively separated from the airflow used to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit by the clippings drawn into the suction unit. This reliably prevents animals from being sucked off the ground being mowed. Thus, despite the presence of the clippings extraction system according to the invention, environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground is made possible.Compared to generating an airflow to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting, generating an airflow to extract clippings from the reel mower unit is significantly less energy-intensive, as a suction fan can be much smaller and operate with lower energy consumption. Furthermore, due to the significantly simpler cutting process requiring less force, operating the reel mower attachment is considerably more energy-efficient than operating a conventional flail mower. The reel mower attachment according to the invention can be mounted at the front or rear of a tractor or on a tractor boom. However, the use of the reel mower attachment according to the invention is not limited to tractors. Instead, the reel mower attachment according to the invention can also be mounted on a differently designed utility vehicle and used for mowing. The presence of the intake chamber with at least one suction port allows the clippings produced by the reel mower unit to be extracted very evenly, or preferably along the entire axial length of the mower spindle. This improves clipping extraction by largely preventing clippings from remaining on the ground. The suction chamber can, for example, have an elongated housing whose longitudinal axis can be arranged parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle. The side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have at least one elongated suction opening that runs parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle. Alternatively, the side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have two or more suction openings arranged in a row and spaced apart from one another.The intake port may, for example, have an outwardly projecting connection nozzle. The connection nozzle may, for example, be inclined upwards. The presence of the auger in the extraction chamber allows for very even removal of the material being cut, which is particularly advantageous in longer extraction chambers. Furthermore, the auger eliminates the need to extract the material along the entire length of the chamber, which would further increase energy consumption. At least one drive, such as a hydraulic motor, can be mounted externally on an axial end wall of the extraction chamber to power the auger. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the screw conveyor has a shaft and two counter-rotating screw threads arranged thereon. The screw threads are axially spaced apart from each other. Due to the counter-rotating design of the screw threads, the material being cut is moved towards each other by the screw threads when the screw conveyor rotates, preferably up to a point in the suction chamber where the suction port is located. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the reel mower attachment has at least one controllable movement device configured to move the mowing spindle from a lower mowing position to an upper clearance position, and vice versa. This allows the reel mower unit or the mowing spindle to be raised to the upper clearance position as needed by means of the movement device, for example, to reliably prevent contact and resulting damage to the mowing spindle when driving over stones or the like. For this purpose, the movement device can have at least one actuator, which can be controlled, in particular electrically. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the mowing spindle is pivotably mounted on at least one pivot arm, which is arranged to pivot in one plane on a base frame of the reel mower attachment. The movement mechanism engages the base frame on one side and the pivot arm on the other. This causes the mowing spindle to perform a pivoting movement when moving from the lower mowing position to the upper clearance position, and vice versa. The pivot arm can, for example, be pivotally mounted about a pivot axis that may be aligned parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mowing spindle. The mowing spindle can, for example, be rotatably mounted on the pivot arm about its longitudinal center axis, for which at least one pivot bearing may be provided. The mowing spindle can, for example, be pivotally mounted at each end via its own pivot arm, i.e., at least partially positioned between the two pivot arms.The two swivel arms can, for example, be rigidly connected to each other via at least one component. This component can, for example, simultaneously serve as a cover, concealing the mower spindle on the side facing away from the suction unit. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the motion device comprises at least one controllable hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, be connected to a tractor's hydraulic system to actuate it. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, act on the base frame of the reel mower attachment on one side and on the at least one pivot arm on the other. If two pivot arms are present, the motion device can also have a separate hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder for each pivot arm. Alternatively, the motion device can have at least one electromechanical actuator instead of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the mower spindle has at least two axially arranged mower spindle subunits, each with cutting elements arranged circumferentially offset from one another. In this configuration, the cutting elements do not extend over the entire axial length of the mower spindle as is conventional, but only over a portion of its axial length. This means that if a cutting element is damaged, only the relatively short cutting element, compared to conventional cutting elements, needs to be replaced. This results in lower material consumption and therefore reduced operating and maintenance costs. The mower spindle can also have three or more such mower spindle subunits. According to a further advantageous embodiment, each mower spindle subunit has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange at each axial end section, to which the cutting elements of the respective mower spindle subunit are attached. Mower spindle subunits arranged axially directly adjacent to one another have a common mounting flange at their mutually facing axial end sections, and the cutting elements of the axially directly adjacent mower spindle subunits are arranged circumferentially offset from one another. The cutting element attached to each mounting flange is arranged radially spaced from an axis of the mower spindle. The number of mounting flanges is always one greater than the number of mower spindle subunits.Each cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by means of a fastening element. The fastening element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by at least one mechanical connection, such as a screw connection or a rivet connection. According to a further advantageous embodiment, each mounting flange has a circumferential row of axially extending mounting holes, through which the respective cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange in various positions around its circumference. This provides numerous different positions for attaching the respective cutting element to the mounting flange. This also makes it possible, for example, to configure the mower spindle as desired by easily adjusting the number of cutting elements in the respective mower spindle sub-unit to the specific requirements.The respective mounting hole can be used to guide a connecting element through it, allowing the mounting flange to be connected to the mounting element that holds the cutting element. The more mounting holes the row has, the more precisely the mower spindle subunit can be adapted to the specific requirements. The mounting holes can, for example, be evenly spaced around the circumference. According to a further advantageous embodiment, at least one cutting element is designed as a square bar. This makes the cutting element very robust and durable compared to a conventional cutting blade. The respective cutting element can be solid and have a rectangular, in particular square, cross-sectional area. A second aspect of the invention is a reel mower attachment for a tractor, comprising at least one reel mower unit with at least one cutting spindle with cutting elements and at least one controllable movement device configured to move the cutting spindle from a lower cutting position to an upper clearance position, and vice versa. This allows the reel mower unit or the cutting spindle to be raised to the upper clearance position by means of the movement device as needed, for example, to reliably prevent contact and resulting damage to the cutting spindle when driving over stones or the like. The movement device can, for this purpose, include at least one actuator, which can be controlled, in particular electrically. This aspect of the invention thus additionally solves the problem of providing a more durable reel mower attachment. The second aspect of the invention involves mowing by means of at least one reel mower unit, which has at least one mowing reel with cutting elements. In contrast to the use of a flail mower attachment described above, a reel mower attachment, due to its differently designed cutting mechanism, does not require the vegetation to be straightened immediately before cutting by means of an airflow directed away from the ground. Therefore, the invention eliminates the need to generate such an airflow, which would have the disadvantage described above. Consequently, this structural difference alone enables the invention to be used for environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. The cutting elements of the mower spindle run helically in the axial direction of the mower spindle. The cutting elements can, for example, be designed as cutting blades. The spindle mower attachment can have at least one drive unit, for example an electric one, for driving the mower spindle. The second object of the invention, or the corresponding reel mower attachment, can be mounted at the front or rear of a tractor or on a tractor boom. However, the use of the reel mower attachment is not limited to tractors. Instead, the reel mower attachment can also be mounted on a differently designed utility vehicle and used for mowing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the second part of the invention, the mowing spindle is pivotably arranged on at least one pivot arm mounted on a base frame of the reel mower attachment, the pivoting mechanism acting on the base frame on one side and on the pivot arm on the other. This causes the mowing spindle to pivot as it moves from the lower mowing position to the upper retraction position, and vice versa. The pivot arm can, for example, be pivotally arranged about a pivot axis that may be aligned parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mowing spindle. The mowing spindle can, for example, be rotatably arranged on the pivot arm about its longitudinal center axis, for which at least one pivot bearing may be provided.The mowing spindle can, for example, be pivotally arranged at each end via its own swivel arm, meaning it can be positioned at least partially between the two swivel arms. The two swivel arms can be rigidly connected to each other via at least one component. This component can, for example, simultaneously serve as a cover, concealing the mowing spindle on the side facing away from the suction unit. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second subject matter of the invention, the motion device comprises at least one controllable hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, be connected to a tractor's hydraulic system to actuate it. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, act on the base frame of the reel mower attachment on one side and on the at least one pivot arm on the other. If two pivot arms are present, the motion device can also have a separate hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder for each pivot arm. Alternatively, the motion device can have at least one electromechanical actuator instead of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second subject matter of the invention, the reel mower attachment comprises at least one suction unit for extracting clippings produced by the reel mower unit. For example, a suction hose from a tractor's dust collection system can be connected to the suction unit, the dust collection system being able to include at least one suction fan. The airflow required to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit is significantly less than the airflow required to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting. Furthermore, the cutting area of ​​the reel mower unit is effectively separated from the airflow used to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit by the clippings drawn into the suction unit. This reliably prevents animals from being sucked away from the ground being mowed.Despite the presence of the clippings extraction system according to the invention, the invention thus enables environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. Compared to generating an airflow to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting, generating an airflow to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit is also significantly less energy-intensive, since an extraction fan can be much smaller and operate with lower energy consumption. Furthermore, due to the significantly simpler cutting process requiring less force, operating the reel mower attachment is considerably more energy-efficient than operating a conventional flail mower. According to an advantageous embodiment of the second part of the invention, the suction unit has a suction chamber extending over at least a large part of the axial length of the mower spindle and being at least partially open on its side facing the mower spindle. At least one suction port is arranged on the chamber, to which a suction hose can be connected. This allows the clippings produced by the spindle mower unit to be extracted very evenly, or preferably over the entire axial length of the mower spindle, thus improving the extraction of clippings by largely preventing them from remaining on the ground. The suction chamber can, for example, have an elongated housing whose longitudinal axis can be arranged parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle.The side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have at least one elongated suction opening running parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle. Alternatively, the side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have two or more suction openings arranged in a row and spaced apart from each other. The suction connection can, for example, have an outwardly projecting connection nozzle. The connection nozzle can, for example, be arranged at an upward angle. According to a further advantageous embodiment, at least one driven screw conveyor is at least partially arranged in the extraction chamber, with which material being cut and conveyed in the extraction chamber towards the extraction port. This allows the material being cut and conveyed very evenly, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a longer extraction chamber. Furthermore, the presence of the screw conveyor means that the material being cut does not need to be extracted from the entire length of the extraction chamber, which would further increase energy consumption. The screw conveyor can, for example, have two counter-rotating screw threads arranged axially apart from each other, so that when the screw conveyor rotates, the material being cut is moved towards each other by the screw threads, preferably up to a point in the extraction chamber where the extraction port is located.To drive the screw conveyor, at least one drive, for example a hydraulic motor, can be arranged on the outside of an axial end wall of the extraction chamber. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second subject matter of the invention, the mower spindle comprises at least two axially arranged mower spindle subunits, each having cutting elements arranged circumferentially offset from one another. In this case, the cutting elements do not extend over the entire axial length of the mower spindle as is conventional, but only over a portion of the axial length. This means that if a cutting element is damaged, only the relatively short cutting element, compared to conventional cutting elements, needs to be replaced. This results in lower material consumption and thus reduced operating and maintenance costs. The mower spindle can also have three or more such mower spindle subunits.According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second subject matter of the invention, each mower spindle subunit has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange at each axial end section, to which the cutting elements of the respective mower spindle subunit are attached. Mower spindle subunits arranged axially directly adjacent to one another have a common mounting flange at their mutually facing axial end sections, and the cutting elements of the axially directly adjacent mower spindle subunits are arranged circumferentially offset from one another. The cutting element attached to each mounting flange is arranged radially spaced from an axis of the mower spindle. The number of mounting flanges is always one greater than the number of mower spindle subunits.Each cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by means of a fastening element. The fastening element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by at least one mechanical connection, such as a screw connection or a rivet connection. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second part of the invention, each mounting flange has a circumferential row of axially extending mounting holes, through which the respective cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange in various positions around its circumference. This provides many different positions for attaching the respective cutting element to the respective mounting flange. This also makes it possible, for example, to configure the mower spindle as desired by easily adjusting the number of cutting elements of the respective mower spindle subunit to the specific requirements.The respective mounting hole can be used to guide a connecting element through it, allowing the mounting flange to be connected to the mounting element that holds the cutting element. The more mounting holes the row has, the more precisely the mower spindle subunit can be adapted to the specific requirements. The mounting holes can, for example, be evenly spaced around the circumference. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the second subject matter of the invention, at least one cutting element is designed as a square bar. This makes the cutting element very robust and durable compared to a conventional cutting blade. The respective cutting element can be solid and have a rectangular, in particular square, cross-sectional area. A third object of the invention is a reel mower attachment for a tractor, comprising at least one reel mower unit with at least one mowing spindle with cutting elements, wherein the mowing spindle has at least two axially arranged mowing spindle subunits, each having cutting elements arranged circumferentially offset from one another. In this design, the cutting elements do not extend over the entire axial length of the mower spindle as is conventional, but only over a portion of its axial length. This means that if a cutting element is damaged, only the relatively short cutting element, compared to conventional cutting elements, needs to be replaced. This results in lower material consumption and therefore reduced operating and maintenance costs. The mower spindle can also have three or more such sub-units. The third aspect of the invention thus additionally solves the problem of providing a reel mower attachment with lower operating and maintenance costs. The third aspect of the invention involves mowing by means of at least one reel mower unit, which has at least one mowing reel with cutting elements. In contrast to the use of a flail mower attachment described above, a reel mower attachment, due to its differently designed cutting mechanism, does not require the vegetation to be straightened immediately before cutting by means of an airflow directed away from the ground. Therefore, the invention eliminates the need to generate such an airflow, which would have the disadvantage described above. Consequently, this structural difference alone enables the invention to be used for environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. The cutting elements of the mower spindle run helically in the axial direction of the mower spindle. The cutting elements can, for example, be designed as cutting blades. The spindle mower attachment can have at least one drive unit, for example an electric one, for driving the mower spindle. The third object of the invention, or the corresponding reel mower attachment, can be mounted at the front or rear of a tractor or on a tractor boom. However, the use of the reel mower attachment is not limited to tractors. Instead, the reel mower attachment can also be mounted on a differently designed utility vehicle and used for mowing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the third subject matter of the invention, each mower spindle subunit has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange at each axial end section, to which the cutting elements of the respective mower spindle subunit are attached. Mower spindle subunits arranged axially directly adjacent to one another have a common mounting flange at their mutually facing axial end sections, and the cutting elements of the axially directly adjacent mower spindle subunits are arranged circumferentially offset from one another. The cutting element attached to each mounting flange is arranged radially spaced from an axis of the mower spindle. The number of mounting flanges is always one greater than the number of mower spindle subunits.Each cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by means of a fastening element. The fastening element can be attached to the respective mounting flange, for example, by at least one mechanical connection, such as a screw connection or a rivet connection. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third object of the invention, each mounting flange has a circumferentially arranged row of holes with axially extending mounting holes, via which the respective cutting element can be attached to the respective mounting flange in various positions around its circumference. This provides many different positions for attaching the respective cutting element to the respective mounting flange. This also makes it possible, for example, to configure the mower spindle as desired by easily adapting the number of cutting elements of the respective mower spindle subunit to the specific requirements.The respective mounting hole can be used to guide a connecting element through it, allowing the mounting flange to be connected to the mounting element that holds the cutting element. The more mounting holes the row has, the more precisely the mower spindle subunit can be adapted to the specific requirements. The mounting holes can, for example, be evenly spaced around the circumference. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third subject matter of the invention, at least one cutting element is designed as a square bar. This makes the cutting element very robust and durable compared to a conventional cutting blade. The respective cutting element can be solid and have a rectangular, in particular square, cross-sectional area. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third object of the invention, the reel mower attachment has at least one suction unit for extracting clippings produced by the reel mower unit. For example, a suction hose from a tractor's dust collection system can be connected to the suction unit, the dust collection system being able to include at least one suction fan. The airflow required to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit is significantly less than the airflow required to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting. Furthermore, the cutting area of ​​the reel mower unit is effectively separated from the airflow used to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit by the clippings drawn into the suction unit. This reliably prevents animals from being sucked away from the ground being mowed.Despite the presence of the clippings extraction system according to the invention, the invention thus enables environmentally friendly mowing of vegetated ground. Compared to generating an airflow to straighten vegetation immediately before cutting, generating an airflow to extract clippings produced by the reel mower unit is also significantly less energy-intensive, since an extraction fan can be much smaller and operate with lower energy consumption. Furthermore, due to the significantly simpler cutting process requiring less force, operating the reel mower attachment is considerably more energy-efficient than operating a conventional flail mower. According to an advantageous embodiment of the third object of the invention, the suction unit has a suction chamber extending over at least a large part of the axial length of the mower spindle and being at least partially open on its side facing the mower spindle. At least one suction port is arranged on the chamber, to which a suction hose can be connected. This allows the clippings produced by the spindle mower unit to be extracted very evenly, or preferably over the entire axial length of the mower spindle, thus improving the extraction of clippings by largely preventing them from remaining on the ground. The suction chamber can, for example, have an elongated housing whose longitudinal axis can be arranged parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle.The side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have at least one elongated suction opening running parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mower spindle. Alternatively, the side of the suction chamber facing the mower spindle can, for example, have two or more suction openings arranged in a row and spaced apart from each other. The suction connection can, for example, have an outwardly projecting connection nozzle. The connection nozzle can, for example, be arranged at an upward angle. According to a further advantageous embodiment, at least one driven screw conveyor is at least partially arranged in the extraction chamber, with which material being cut and conveyed in the extraction chamber towards the extraction port. This allows the material being cut and conveyed very evenly, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a longer extraction chamber. Furthermore, the presence of the screw conveyor means that the material being cut does not need to be extracted from the entire length of the extraction chamber, which would further increase energy consumption. The screw conveyor can, for example, have two counter-rotating screw threads arranged axially apart from each other, so that when the screw conveyor rotates, the material being cut is moved towards each other by the screw threads, preferably up to a point in the extraction chamber where the extraction port is located.To drive the screw conveyor, at least one drive, for example a hydraulic motor, can be arranged on the outside of an axial end wall of the extraction chamber. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third subject matter of the invention, the reel mower attachment comprises at least one controllable movement device configured to move the mowing spindle from a lower mowing position to an upper clearance position, and vice versa. This allows the reel mower unit or the mowing spindle to be raised to the upper clearance position by means of the movement device as needed, for example, to reliably prevent contact and resulting damage to the mowing spindle when driving over stones or the like. For this purpose, the movement device can comprise at least one actuator, which may be electrically controlled. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third object of the invention, the mowing spindle is pivotably arranged on at least one pivot arm mounted on a base frame of the reel mower attachment, the movement mechanism acting on the base frame on one side and on the pivot arm on the other. This causes the mowing spindle to perform a pivoting movement when moving from the lower mowing position to the upper retraction position, and vice versa. The pivot arm can, for example, be pivotally arranged about a pivot axis that may be aligned parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mowing spindle. The mowing spindle can, for example, be rotatably arranged about its longitudinal center axis on the pivot arm, for which at least one pivot bearing may be provided.The mowing spindle can, for example, be pivotally arranged at each end via its own swivel arm, meaning it can be positioned at least partially between the two swivel arms. The two swivel arms can be rigidly connected to each other via at least one component. This component can, for example, simultaneously serve as a cover, concealing the mowing spindle on the side facing away from the suction unit. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the third subject matter of the invention, the motion device comprises at least one controllable hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, be connected to a tractor's hydraulic system to actuate it. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder can, for example, act on the base frame of the reel mower attachment on one side and on the at least one pivot arm on the other. If two pivot arms are present, the motion device can also have a separate hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder for each pivot arm. Alternatively, the motion device can have at least one electromechanical actuator instead of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the attached figures using a preferred embodiment, wherein the features explained below can represent an advantageous and / or further developing aspect of the invention both individually and in different combinations with one another. Brief description of the characters Figure 1 shows a schematic and perspective rear view of an embodiment of a reel mower attachment according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of the reel mower attachment shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a schematic rear view of the reel mower attachment shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows another schematic side view of the reel mower attachment shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a schematic front view of the reel mower attachment shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 shows a schematic and perspective rear view of the reel mower unit shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to 6; Figure 7 shows a schematic sectional view of the reel mower attachment shown in Figure 4 with the mowing reel in the lower mowing position. Fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the reel mower attachment shown in Fig. 4 with the mowing reel in the upper retraction position; Fig.Figure 9 shows a schematic and perspective representation of the mowing spindle shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 to 8; and Figure 10 shows a schematic front view of the extraction unit shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 6 to 8. Detailed description of the characters In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent components are marked with the same reference symbols. Repeated descriptions of such components may be omitted to avoid unnecessary repetition. Fig. 1 shows a schematic and perspective rear view of an embodiment of a reel mower attachment 1 according to the invention for a tractor not shown. The reel mower attachment 1 has a connecting device 2 by means of which the reel mower attachment 1 can be coupled to a boom of the tractor (not shown). The reel mower attachment 1 also has a base frame 3, which is rotatably connected to the connecting device 2 about a pivot axis 5 via a pivot bearing 4. In order to be able to rotate the base frame 3 relative to the connecting device 2, the reel mower attachment 1 has an electromechanical drive unit 6, which may, for example, include a worm gear (not shown). The base frame 3 has a web section 7 extending transversely to the axis of rotation 5, on which a leg section 8 or 9 extending transversely to the web section 7 is arranged axially at each end. A roller 10 is rotatably mounted about its longitudinal center axis at the lower end sections of the leg sections 8 and 9. Furthermore, the reel mower attachment 1 has a pivoting mechanism 11 by means of which the base frame 3 is pivotably connected to the pivot bearing 4 or to the connecting device 2 about a pivot axis 12 oriented transversely to the axis of rotation 5. For this purpose, the web section 7 of the base frame 3 is pivotably connected to the pivot bearing 4 or to the connecting device 2 via a pivot bearing (not shown). The pivoting mechanism 11 has a controllable drive 13 in the form of a hydraulic cylinder, which acts on the web section 7 of the base frame 3 on one side and on a lever element 14 that is fixedly connected to the web section 7 on the other. Furthermore, the reel mower attachment 1 comprises a reel mower unit 15 with a mowing reel 16 having several cutting elements 17. The cutting elements 17 are each designed as a square bar. The reel mower unit 15 also includes a fixed cutting blade 18 that interacts with the cutting elements 17 and is connected at its axial ends to the respective leg sections 8 and 9 via connecting elements 19. The reel mower attachment 1 also includes a suction unit 20 for extracting clippings produced by the reel mower unit 15. The suction unit 20 has a suction chamber 21 extending approximately over the axial length of the mowing reel 16. The side facing the mowing reel 16 (not shown in Fig. 1) is at least partially open, and a suction port 22 is arranged centrally on the chamber, to which a suction hose (not shown) can be connected. The suction chamber 21 is connected at its axial ends to one of the leg sections 8 and 9 of the base frame 3, respectively. The reel mower attachment 1 has two controllable motion devices 23, of which only one motion device 23 is shown in Fig. 1. Each motion device 23 is configured to move the mowing reel 16 from the lower mowing position shown in Fig. 1 to an upper clearance position shown in Fig. 8, and vice versa. For this purpose, the mowing reel 16 is pivotally mounted on the base frame 3 via two pivot arms 24 and 25, each of which is pivotally mounted in a plane. Each motion device 23 engages the base frame or the respective leg section 8 or 9 thereof on one side and the respective pivot arm 24 or 25 on the other. Each motion device 23 has a controllable pneumatic cylinder 26, which engages the base frame or the respective leg section 8 or 9 thereof on one side and the respective pivot arm 24 or 25 on the other. The two pivot arms 24 and 25 are rigidly connected to each other via a connecting rod 27, which extends laterally at a distance from the mowing spindle 16 and runs parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the mowing spindle 16. Each pivot arm 24 or 25 is pivotably connected to the base frame 3 via its own pivot bearing 28 or 29 about a pivot axis S1 or S2 oriented transversely to the axis of rotation 5. An electromechanical spindle drive 31 for driving the mowing spindle 16 is arranged on the left side wall 30 of the spindle mower unit 15 shown in Fig. 1. The mowing spindle 16 has five axially arranged mowing spindle subunits 33, each with circumferentially offset cutting elements 17. In Fig. 1, only an axial end of one of the mowing spindle subunits 33 is shown. The complete structure of the mowing spindle 16 is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 9. Each mower spindle subunit 33 has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange 34 at each axial end section, of which only one mounting flange 34 is shown in Fig. 1. The cutting elements 17 of the respective mower spindle subunit 33 are attached to the mounting flanges 34 of the respective mower spindle subunit 33. The axially adjacent mower spindle subunits 33 have a common mounting flange 34 at their mutually facing axial end sections, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 9. The cutting elements 17 of the axially adjacent mower spindle subunits 33 are arranged circumferentially offset from one another, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 9. Each mounting flange 34 has a circumferential row of holes with axially extending mounting holes 35, via which the respective cutting element 17 can be attached circumferentially in various positions to the respective mounting flange 34. The reel mower attachment 1 also has two buffer elements 32 arranged on the respective leg sections 8 and 9 of the base frame 3, of which only one buffer element 32 is shown in Fig. 1. The buffer element 32 interacts with a stop element 36 arranged on the side wall 30. The respective buffer element 32 is adjustable to set a distance between the cutting elements 17 and the stationary cutting blade 18. For this purpose, the respective buffer element 32 has a threaded sleeve 41 into which a stop component 42 is screwed and thus axially adjustable on the threaded sleeve 41. The reel mower unit 15 also has a cover 37 which partially covers the mowing reel 16 from above and therefore makes it less accessible. At an axial end side of the extraction chamber 21 facing the viewer of Fig. 1, a drive 39 in the form of a hydraulic motor is arranged, with which a screw conveyor arranged in the extraction chamber 21, shown in Fig. 7, Fig. 8 and Fig. 10, can be driven. Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view of the reel mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 1. The side of the reel mower attachment 1 shown on the left in Fig. 1 is shown. Among other things, a larger section of the mowing spindle 16 is shown, so that several cutting elements 17 can be seen and a larger section of the mounting flange 34 can be seen. Fig. 3 shows a schematic rear view of the reel mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 1. Among other things, both movement devices 23 with their pneumatic cylinders 26 are shown, the movement devices 23 being essentially identical in construction. Fig. 4 shows another schematic side view of the reel mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 1. It shows the side of the reel mower attachment 1 shown on the right in Fig. 1. Among other things, the second buffer element 32 and the second stop element 36 interacting with it are shown. In addition, a rotary bearing 43 is arranged on the axial end side of the extraction chamber 21 facing the viewer of Fig. 4, via which the screw conveyor shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 10 is rotatably arranged in the extraction chamber 21. Fig. 5 shows a schematic front view of the reel mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 1. Among other things, the five axially arranged mower reel sub-units 33 are shown, each having circumferentially offset cutting elements 17. Each mower spindle subunit 33 has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange 34 at each axial end section, i.e., a total of two mounting flanges 34. The cutting elements 17 of the respective mower spindle subunit 33 are attached to the mounting flanges 34 of the respective mower spindle subunit 33. The axially adjacent mower spindle subunits 33 have a common mounting flange 34 at their mutually facing axial end sections. The cutting elements 17 of the axially adjacent mower spindle subunits 33 are arranged circumferentially offset from one another. Fig. 6 shows a schematic and perspective rear view of the spindle mower unit 15 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to 6. Among other things, fastening elements 38 are shown, by means of which the cutting elements 17 are attached to the mounting flanges 34. The fastening elements 38 are identical in construction. Each fastening element 38 has three openings 40 arranged in a row, which are aligned with three mounting holes 35 of the respective mounting flange 34 for fastening. A fastening element (not shown), for example a screw connection or a rivet connection, passes through each pair of opening 40 and its corresponding mounting hole 35. The respective cutting element 17 is attached to radially outwardly projecting end sections of the respective fastening elements 38. The respective cutting element 17 is welded to the respective two fastening elements 38. Fig. 7 shows a schematic sectional view of the spindle mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 4 with the mowing spindle 16 in the lower mowing position. The figure shows, among other things, how the cutting elements 17 interact with the stationary cutting blade 18. The suction chamber 21 shows the auger 44, which has a shaft 45 and two counter-rotating auger threads 46 arranged thereon, with only one of the auger threads 46 being shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 shows a schematic sectional view of the reel mower attachment 1 shown in Fig. 4 with the mowing reel 16 in the upper retraction position. In the upper retraction position, the mowing reel 16 is spaced apart from the stationary cutting blade 18 and arranged higher than in the lower mowing position. Fig. 9 shows a schematic and perspective view of the mowing spindle 16 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 to 8. The mowing spindle sub-unit 33 shown on the left in Fig. 9 is shown as an exploded view, while the four other mowing spindle sub-units 33 are shown in a fully assembled state. It is shown, among other things, that each mounting flange 34 has a mounting disc 47 having mounting holes 35 and at least one support ring 48 arranged coaxially on the mounting disc 47, wherein the outer diameter of the mounting disc 47 is larger than the outer diameter of the support ring 48. The respective support ring 48 serves to radially support the fastening elements 38 attached to the respective mounting flange 34, which makes the mower spindle 16 significantly more robust. The axially outer mounting flanges 34 each have only a single support ring 48, which are arranged on opposite sides of the two outer mounting flanges 34. Each of the central mounting flanges 34 arranged between the outer mounting flanges 34 has a support ring 48 on each of its opposite sides, i.e., a total of two support rings 48. Fig. 10 shows a schematic front view of the extraction unit 20 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 6 to 8. In particular, the two axially spaced and counter-rotating worm gears 46, arranged on the common shaft 45, are shown. Due to the counter-rotation of the worm gears 46, the worm gear 46 shown on the left in Fig. 10 conveys the material being cut from the left to the center of the extraction chamber 21, while simultaneously the worm gear 46 shown on the right in Fig. 10 conveys the material being cut from the right to the center of the extraction chamber 21. The material being cut is then extracted from the extraction chamber 21 via the extraction port 22 in the center. Reference symbol list 1 Spindle mower attachment 2 Connecting device 3 Base frame 4 Swivel bearing 5 Pivot axis 6 Drive unit 7 Web section of 3 8 Leg section of 3 9 Leg section of 3 10 Roller 11 Swivel mechanism 12 Swivel axis 13 Drive of 11 14 Lever element of 11 15 Spindle mower unit 16 Mowing spindle 17 Cutting element 18 Cutting blade 19 Connecting element 20 Extraction unit 21 Extraction chamber 22 Extraction port 23 Movement device 24 Swivel arm 25 Swivel arm 26 Pneumatic cylinder 27 Connecting rod 28 Swivel bearing 29 Swivel bearing 30 Side wall of 15 31 Spindle drive 32 Buffer element 33 Mowing spindle sub-unit 34 Mounting flange 35 Mounting hole 36 Stop element 37 Cover 38 Mounting element 39 Drive 40 Opening on 38 41 Threaded sleeve of 32 42 Stop component of 32 43 Rotary bearing 44 Auger 45 Shaft of 44 46 Auger thread 47 Mounting washer of 34 48 Support ring of 34 S1 Swivel axis S2 Swivel axis

Claims

A reel mower attachment (1) for a tractor, comprising at least one reel mower unit (15) with at least one mowing spindle (16) with cutting elements (17), at least one suction unit (20) for suctioning cutting material produced by the reel mower unit (15), wherein the suction unit (20) has a suction chamber (21) extending over at least a major part of an axial length of the mowing spindle (16), which is at least partially open on its side facing the mowing spindle (16), at least one suction port (22) is arranged on which a suction hose can be connected, characterized in that at least one driven auger (44) is at least partially arranged in the suction chamber (21), with which cutting material located in the suction chamber (21) can be conveyed in the direction of the suction port (22). Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the auger (44) has a shaft (45) and two counter-rotating auger threads (46) arranged thereon. Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least one controllable movement device (23) which is configured to move the mowing spindle (16) from a lower mowing position to an upper retraction position, and vice versa. Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the mowing spindle (16) is pivotably arranged via at least one pivoting arm (24, 25) arranged in a plane on a base frame (3) of the spindle mower attachment (1), wherein the movement device (23) engages on the one hand the base frame (3) and on the other hand the pivoting arm (24, 25). Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the movement device (23) has at least one controllable hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder (26). Spindle mower attachment (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the mowing spindle (16) has at least two axially arranged mowing spindle subunits (33) which each have circumferentially offset cutting elements (17). Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that each mower spindle subunit (33) has a circumferentially formed and radially outwardly projecting mounting flange (34) at each axial end section, to which the cutting elements (17) of the respective mower spindle subunit (33) are attached, wherein axially adjacent mower spindle subunits (33) have a common mounting flange (34) at their axially facing end sections and the cutting elements (17) of the axially adjacent mower spindle subunits (33) are arranged circumferentially offset from each other. Spindle mower attachment (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that each mounting flange (34) has a circumferentially arranged row of holes with axially extending mounting holes (35) via which the respective cutting element (17) can be attached circumferentially in different positions on the respective mounting flange (34). Spindle mower attachment (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least one cutting element (17) is designed as a square bar.

Images