Foldable Triple Front Disk Mower Cutting Width and Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural mowers face challenges in maximizing cutting width for efficient operation while maintaining a compact transport width, especially for forward-mounted applications, where foldable options are limited and can disrupt the center of gravity and visibility.

Innovation Solution

A foldable cutterbar design with movable outboard portions that can be aligned above the central cutterbar for transport, minimizing the impact on visibility and center of gravity, and featuring collapsible shrouds to reduce height and weight, allowing for wider cutting swaths and easy reconfiguration between operational and transport modes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If foldable mower portions are used to extend operating width, then cutting width is increased, but forward visibility is blocked and center of gravity shifts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting widthVSAvoidforward visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cutterbar portions are folded vertically upward into a third dimension (above the central portion) rather than horizontally outward, allowing the mower to achieve a compact transport width while keeping folded portions elevated to clear the operator's line of sight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The cutterbar is divided into multiple independent portions (central and outboard) that can be independently positioned between operable and folded configurations, allowing selective deployment and compact storage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If wider mowers are used to maximize cutting width, then productivity increases, but transport width becomes excessive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting widthVSAvoidtransport width

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The mower features dynamically reconfigurable cutterbar portions that can transition between extended (operable) and folded (transport) positions, allowing the same machine to optimize for either cutting width or transport width as needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The outboard cutterbar portions are positioned to nest above the central cutterbar portion when folded, creating a compact stacked configuration that minimizes both width and height during transport

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Length of moving object

If foldable cutterbar portions are repositioned for transport, then transport width is reduced, but center of gravity shifts forward

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport widthVSAvoidcenter of gravity

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

By folding cutterbar portions vertically upward rather than horizontally inward, the mass is redistributed in the vertical dimension, maintaining a more favorable longitudinal weight distribution and minimizing forward center of gravity shift during transport

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS9918430B2Foldable triple front disk mower for self-propelled windrowers

Publication Date: 2018.03.20 CNH IND CANADA

AI summary

A foldable agricultural mower for preferable forward mounting on a tractor, the mower having a central cutterbar and at least one foldable wing cutterbar disposed on a first end of the central cutterbar. The foldable wing cutterbar is movable from an operable position that is generally in line with the central cutterbar to a folded position that is generally parallel to and spaced above the central cutterbar. A second wing cutterbar may be provided on the opposite end of the central cutterbar and similarly moveable between an operable position that is generally in line with the central cutterbar and a folded position that is generally parallel to and spaced above the central cutterbar, the second cutterbar being disposed above the first cutterbar when both are in the folded position.