Cutting unit for a combine harvester

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cutting unit (1) for a combine harvester comprising a feed trough (2), the rear wall (3) of which is assigned a conveying opening for cut material and upstream of which a transverse screw conveyor (4) is arranged, the base of the feed trough (2) having an upper base part (5) for adapting the length of the cutting table to respective harvesting conditions, and a lower base part (7) which is slidably guided relative to the upper base part (5) in the direction of travel (6), bears a cutter bar (8) at the front and can be moved between a front working position which is extended forwards in the direction of travel and a rear working position (Av, Ah) which is retracted rearwards in the direction of travel. The cutting unit further comprises a reel (9), which is arranged above the base and can be moved transversely with respect to the base. In order to provide a large adjustment range alongside a simple construction, it is proposed that the lower base part (7) projects rearwards beyond the upper base part (5) in its rear working position.

Description

[0001] Cutting unit for a combine harvester

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The invention relates to a cutting unit for a combine harvester with a feed trough whose rear wall is assigned a conveying opening for cut material and to which a transverse auger is arranged, wherein the bottom of the feed trough comprises an upper bottom part and a lower bottom part which is guided in the direction of travel so as to be slidable relative to the upper bottom part in order to adapt the cutting table length to the respective mowing conditions, which carries a cutting bar at the front and can be moved between a front working position extended forward in the direction of travel and a rear working position retracted backward and with a reel arranged above the ground which can be moved transversely to the ground.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] A well-tuned header is essential for the proper operation of a combine harvester. The cutterbar, reel, and intake auger must be coordinated in terms of their performance and adjusted to the specific crop being harvested to ensure the necessary smooth interaction during cutting and orderly crop intake. Crucially important for header operation is the position of the cutterbar relative to the intake auger and reel, depending on the length of the crop. Inadequate alignment of the cutterbar, reel, and intake auger can lead to intake problems, blockages, and clumping, resulting in significant crop losses. A header of the type described above is disclosed, for example, in AT 410744 B.By sliding the front section of the cutting table under the rear section, the cutting table length can be adjusted in a particularly simple and elegant way, depending on the crop being harvested. With the front section extended forward in the direction of travel (long section), long-stemmed crops can be harvested, while with the front section retracted backward in the working position (short section), short-stemmed crops can be harvested. To ensure optimal crop flow after each cut, it is necessary to maximize the adjustment range of the variable section. After being cut, the crop should fall towards the cross auger in such a way that it can be picked up by the auger. This results in the most efficient crop flow.The crop is then drawn in by the transverse auger towards the center of the head and conveyed through the feed opening in the rear wall of the head to an inclined conveyor of the combine harvester, which carries out the threshing process. To ensure a sufficiently large adjustment range, the front section of the head is divided into overlapping sections, which can be pushed together or pulled apart via telescopic guide tubes according to their combined overlapping areas. All in all, the telescopic design results in a relatively complex header unit.

[0006] DE 34 07 812 A, DE 195 04 244 C and DE 195 08 887 C also disclose a transversely divided floor comprising a rear, frame-fixed floor section and a front floor section adjustable in the direction of travel. The front floor section, which supports the cutting bar, is adjustable via suitable actuating drives, and the floor plate of the front floor section overlaps the top surface of the floor plate connected to the rear floor section. Since the rear floor section forms a trough to accommodate the feed screw, the curvature of the trough relatively narrowly limits the adjustment range of the front floor section when shortening the cutting table, resulting in a comparatively limited adjustment range for the cutting table overall.Extending the cutting table beyond this relatively short travel distance necessitates that the front base section be moved forward a correspondingly long way after unlocking, and that the resulting gap between the front and rear base sections be bridged with a separate intermediate base plate. Despite the unsatisfactory adjustment options, the known cutting units are quite complex in design and manufacture, and are associated with comparatively high production costs.

[0007] Description of the invention

[0008] The invention is therefore based on the objective of creating a cutting unit of the type described above, which is characterized by its reliable, wide-ranging adjustability and simple construction.

[0009] The invention solves the problem by having the lower floor part project beyond the upper floor part in its rear working position.

[0010] According to the invention, the floor is divided transversely. To adapt the cutting table length to the respective mowing conditions, the floor comprises a frame-fixed upper floor section and a lower floor section that is guided in a sliding position relative to the upper floor section in the direction of travel. Both floor sections overlap each other along the adjustment path, with the lower floor section being able to be slid under the upper floor section when the cutting table is shortened from the front to the rear working position until it projects beyond the upper floor section in its rear working position. The lower floor section thus projects rearward beyond the upper floor section and, in particular, not only beyond the upper floor section but also beyond the intake trough into the area where the combine harvester's inclined conveyor is located, under which the floor can also be pushed. For this purpose, the lower floor section is attached to the trough or...The upper part of the messenger is guided accordingly and preferably infinitely adjustable between the working positions by means of an adjusting drive. This allows for a maximum adjustment range with a particularly simple design.

[0011] While the lower floor section can simply be suspended from the upper floor section so that it can slide in the direction of travel, for a particularly robust construction that can also be easily placed on the ground and protects the floor from damage, it can be advantageous if the lower floor section can be moved in a drawer-like guide, open at both the front and back, with a sliding mechanism. This type of drawer guide, designed as a pass-through, is mounted under the upper floor section. For maintenance purposes, the lower floor section can be easily pulled forward out of the drawer guide after releasing the appropriate locking mechanisms and, if necessary, the drive connections for the sliding mechanism. As is common with vehicles, the terms "front" and "back" refer to the main working direction.

[0012] To improve the lateral stability of the lower base section in wider bases, two or more drawer guides can be arranged side-by-side across the width of the cutting unit, allowing the lower base section to be moved together. This prevents the lower base section from sagging.

[0013] If the header is to be used on slopes, it is necessary to design it to be pivotable around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. For this purpose, the combine harvester can pivot the header around this longitudinal axis, depending on the slope, using a rotating device associated with the feeder house, for example, a turntable. The pivoting device can, in particular, be part of the combine harvester to which the header according to the invention can be coupled. To prevent a collision between the lower floor section, which projects rearward beyond the upper floor section in its rear working position, and the feeder house of the combine harvester during such pivoting, a rear end section of the lower floor section can have a flap that pivots downwards in the rear working position. The flap can extend across the entire width of the floor.Preferably, the flap is inserted into a receiving opening located in the center of the table, viewed across its width, and is pivotally mounted on the lower floor section so as to be adjustable around a pivot axis parallel to the table surface. The width of the flap is chosen such that the fixed rear end sections of the lower floor section, which flank the flap, are spaced away from the inclined conveyor when the cutting unit is pivoted to its maximum extent around the aforementioned longitudinal axis of the vehicle, thus preventing collisions with it. The flap can open automatically in the rear working position of the lower floor section, or even before, in the simplest case by gravity, and close when the lower floor section is moved forward, for example, by simply lifting the flap off its guide. Furthermore, a locking mechanism can be provided to prevent the combine harvester from reversing with the flap lowered.which automatically raises the mower deck when reversing.

[0014] To ensure clean harvesting of particularly short-stemmed crops and their feeding into the inclined conveyor, it is advantageous for the distance parallel to the ground between the transverse auger and an intersection point of the cutter bar in the rear working position to be between 5 and 30 cm, especially 15 cm. This short distance is also necessary because the reel, which assists in feeding the crop to the auger with longer stalks, would collide with the auger when processing short stalks due to the reel and auger geometry. This short distance allows short stalks to be gripped directly by the auger's intake fingers without the assistance of the reel.

[0015] To ensure clean harvesting of particularly long-stemmed crops and their feed to the inclined conveyor, it is advantageous for the distance between the transverse auger and an intersection point of the cutter bar to be 80 to 120 cm, ideally 100 cm, parallel to the ground in the front working position. The reel can be adjusted not only in height relative to the ground, but also in its distance from the feed roller, allowing it to be positioned as desired above the cutter bar depending on the working position of the lower ground section.

[0016] Brief description of the invention

[0017] The invention is illustrated in the drawing as an example. It shows

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a cutting unit in a partially cut-away side view with its lower bottom part in the forward extended working position,

[0019] Fig. 2 shows the cutting unit from Fig. 1 with its lower bottom part in a rearward-retracted working position and

[0020] Fig. 3 shows a top view of a cutting unit with its lower bottom part in a retracted rear working position.

[0021] Ways to implement the invention

[0022] A cutting unit 1 for a combine harvester (not shown in detail) comprises a feed trough 2, the rear wall 3 of which has a conveying opening for the cut material, and a transverse auger 4 is arranged upstream of it. The floor of the feed trough 2 comprises an upper floor section 5 and a lower floor section 7, which is guided in a sliding position relative to the upper floor section 5 in the direction of travel 6. The lower floor section 7 carries a cutter bar 8 at its front and is movable between a front working position Av, Ah, extended forward in the direction of travel 6 and a rear working position Av, Ah, and is equipped with a reel 9 arranged above the floor and movable transversely to the floor. In its rear working position Ah, the lower floor section 7 projects a certain distance beyond the upper floor section 5.

[0023] The lower base section 7 is movable in a drawer guide 10, open at the front and rear, with a sliding drive (not shown in detail), for example, a rack and pinion drive, scissor drive, hydraulic drive, or the like, engaging at one end on the lower base section 7 and at the other end on the trough 2 and / or the upper base section 5. Two or more drawer guides arranged side by side can be provided across the width b of the cutting unit, in which the lower base section 7 can be moved.

[0024] A rear end section of the lower base part 7 has a flap 11 that can be pivoted downwards in the rear working position. In the exemplary embodiment, the flap 11 is inserted into a receiving opening 12 provided in the center of the table, extending across the width of the cutting unit b or the table width, and is pivotally adjustable about a pivot axis 13 parallel to the table surface.

[0025] To enable the header to operate on slopes, it is necessary to design the header to be pivotable around a longitudinal vehicle axis 14. For this purpose, the combine harvester can pivot the header 1 around said longitudinal vehicle axis 14, depending on the slope, using a rotating device 16 associated with the inclined conveyor 15, for example a turntable.

[0026] The distance parallel to the ground between the transverse conveyor screw 4 and an intersection point of the cutting bar 8 is Ah = 5 to 30cm, in particular 15cm, in the rear working position.

[0027] The distance parallel to the ground between the transverse conveyor screw 4 and an intersection point of the cutting bar 8 is Av = 80 to 120cm, in particular 100cm, in the front working position.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Cutting unit (1) for a combine harvester with a feed trough (2) the rear wall (3) of which a conveying opening for cut material is assigned and a transverse auger (4) is arranged upstream, wherein the floor of the feed trough (2) comprises an upper floor section (5) and a lower floor section (7) which is guided in the direction of travel (6) relative to the upper floor section (5) in order to adapt the cutting table length to the respective mowing conditions, and which carries a cutting bar (8) at the front and is movable between a front working position (Av, Ah) extended forward in the direction of travel and a rear working position (Av, Ah) retracted backward and with a reel (9) arranged above the floor and movable transversely to the floor, characterized in that the lower floor section (7) projects beyond the upper floor section (5) in its rear working position.

2. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower bottom part (7) can be displaced in a drawer guide (10) open to the front and rear with a sliding drive.

3. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to claim 2, characterized in that two or more drawer guides (10) arranged side by side are provided over the width (b) of the cutting unit, in which the lower bottom part (7) can be displaced.

4. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a rear end section of the lower bottom part (7) has a flap (11) which can be pivoted downwards in the rear working position.

5. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to claim 4, characterized in that the flap (11) is inserted into a receiving opening (12) provided in the center of the table when viewed across the table width and is pivotably adjustable about a pivot axis (13) parallel to the table surface.

6. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the ground-parallel distance between the transverse auger (4) and an intersection point of the cutter bar (8) in the rear working position Ah = 5 to 30 cm, in particular 15 cm.

7. Cutting unit for a combine harvester according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the ground-parallel distance between the The distance between the transverse conveyor screw (4) and the intersection point of the cutting bar (8) in the front working position Av = 80 to 120cm, in particular 100cm, is .

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