Movable Tongue Rake for Offset Windrow Placement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current center delivery rake implements often require the tow vehicle to drive over existing windrows, leading to leaf loss, damage, and reduced feed quality, as they are designed to be directly behind the vehicle, making it difficult to position the outgoing windrow between incoming windrows without disturbing the crop material.
Innovation Solution
A rake implement with a movable tongue and actuator system that allows lateral offsetting relative to the tow vehicle, enabling the frame to position the outgoing windrow between incoming windrows, thereby avoiding damage and ensuring proper drying of the crop material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rake implement is positioned directly behind the tow vehicle, then the structure is simple and stable, but the outgoing windrow cannot be positioned between incoming windrows without the tow vehicle driving over existing windrows
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue is made movable relative to the frame through a positioning mechanism that allows the tongue to be adjusted between different lateral positions. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the rake implement to be positioned at an offset from the tow vehicle centerline, allowing the outgoing windrow to be deposited between incoming windrows without the tow vehicle driving over existing windrows.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable tongue acts as an intermediary element between the tow vehicle and the rake arms. By positioning the tongue at an offset from the tow vehicle centerline, it mediates the position of the entire rake implement, enabling the outgoing windrow to be placed in the optimal location between incoming windrows while the tow vehicle follows a different path.
2Manufacturing precision
If the tow vehicle drives over incoming windrows to position the outgoing windrow correctly, then the rake implement can deliver the windrow to the desired location, but crop material is damaged and feed quality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The movable tongue positioning mechanism allows the rake implement to be dynamically positioned at an offset from the tow vehicle centerline. This enables the outgoing windrow to be deposited precisely between incoming windrows on undisturbed soil, eliminating the need for the tow vehicle to drive over existing windrows and thus preventing crop damage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the outgoing windrow is positioned on previously covered soil, then the tow vehicle can avoid driving over incoming windrows, but the crop material does not dry efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The movable tongue allows precise positioning of the rake implement laterally offset from the tow vehicle. This enables the outgoing windrow to be deposited on undisturbed soil that has not been previously covered by cut crop, providing better drainage and air circulation for efficient drying, while the tow vehicle follows a different path that avoids driving over the windrows.
Data Source
AI summary
A center delivery rake implement includes a tongue movably attached to a frame for movement about a vertical axis. A tongue actuator interconnects the tongue and the frame. The tongue actuator is selectively controllable to position the tongue relative to the frame such that the central tongue axis may be non-parallel relative to the central longitudinal axis of the frame, whereby a lateral position of the frame relative to the tow vehicle is adjustable during operation. An implement controller may control the tongue actuator to position the frame in a desired position based on a determined location of an existing windrow.