Flexing Crop Lifter Ski Mounting Plate Inversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexing crop lifters are prone to damage when navigating field contours and turns, as they extend a significant distance forward, leading to crop loss and operational inefficiencies due to their design.
Innovation Solution
A flexing crop lifter apparatus with a ski mounting plate extending rearward and downward from the guard finger, allowing the ski member to attach at the rear end of this plate under the knife, reducing the forward extension and incorporating a lifting arm that flexes to maintain the required range of motion, thus minimizing damage and improving operational proximity to the cutting knife.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ski member extends a significant distance forward from the guard finger, then the crop lifter can follow ground contours and maintain flexing range of motion, but the crop lifter is subject to damage when passing through dips or ditches and pushes crop stems away from the knife
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending the ski member forward from the guard finger point, the patent inverts the design by having the ski member attach to the rear end of a mounting plate that extends rearward from the guard finger. This reverses the conventional forward-extension approach and places the flexing mechanism behind the guard finger, reducing forward projection and associated damage risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension by having the ski mounting plate extend downward from the guard finger, and the ski member attach at the rear end of this plate. This vertical arrangement allows the ski member to achieve necessary flexing range of motion through a combination of vertical and horizontal movement, reducing the need for excessive forward extension.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ski member extends a significant distance forward from the guard finger, then the crop lifter can provide sufficient flexing range of motion, but the cutting knife is positioned farther from the ground reducing cutting effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the ski member attachment point at the rear end of a mounting plate that extends rearward from the guard finger, rather than having the ski member extend forward from the guard finger. This inversion allows the cutting knife to be positioned closer to the ground while the ski member achieves its flexing range of motion through the rearward and downward mounting plate configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design reduces the risk of damage to the crop lifter and crop, maintaining effective cutting performance by keeping the cutting knife closer to the ground and reducing the distance the ski member extends forward, enhancing operational stability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The ski member and the ski mounting plate are configured to flex
Data Source
AI summary
A flexing crop lifter apparatus includes a finger recess portion configured to receive a forward end of a guard finger, and a securing portion is adapted for attachment to the cutting header. A ski mounting plate extends rearward and downward from the finger recess portion under an attached guard finger. A ski member is attached at a rear end thereof to a rear end of the ski mounting plate and extends forward under the ski mounting plate and curves upward at a front end thereof. A lifting arm extends rearward from the front end of the ski member back and over a knife of the cutting header when the apparatus is attached to the guard finger. The ski member and the ski mounting plate are configured to flex.