Agricultural Implement Folding Frame for Transport Clearance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural implement frames struggle to minimize their cross-sectional area during transport to fit within highway clearance requirements, especially as they are designed to achieve wider lateral spans for field cultivation.
Innovation Solution
A folding frame configuration for agricultural implements that includes a main frame and inner wing frame members articulated to pivot perpendicularly for transport, with additional flip frame members that pivot out of the plane to occupy less space, allowing the inner wing frames to extend aft and reduce the overall height and width during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If frame members are articulated to extend laterally to maximum width for field cultivation, then field coverage is improved, but the cross section in transport position cannot be minimized to fit highway clearance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into multiple articulated segments including main frame members, inner wing frame members, and outer wing frame members that can independently pivot and fold relative to each other, enabling complex motion sequences to achieve minimal transport cross-section
Solution Approach 2:
The folding mechanism utilizes three-dimensional spatial rearrangement where frame members pivot about perpendicular axes and transition from lateral extension to vertical stacking, effectively converting lateral dimension to vertical dimension during transport configuration
2Productivity
If the lateral width of the agricultural implement is increased to cultivate wider swaths, then productivity is improved, but the ability to fit within highway clearance requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure employs dynamic articulation mechanisms with multiple pivot points and folding members that allow the implement to transition between extended field configuration and compact transport configuration, adapting its dimensions to different operational requirements
Data Source
AI summary
A large field cultivator has forward and rear wing frames that are articulated to a main frame between a field position in which they extend laterally and a transport position in which they pivot forward and rearward about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the frames in the field position. A pair of flip up frames secured to the aft frames pivot out of the way so that the rear wing frame assemblies may be pivoted inward to the transport position.