Towed Agricultural Implement Wheel Alignment Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Towed agricultural implements with caster-type wheels face issues during cornering and sloping terrain, leading to wheel misalignment and potential damage to the sward, and existing solutions either compromise on wheel functionality or require cumbersome adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The design prevents wheels from aligning with the central axis of the chassis, using pivotally connected wheel assemblies with angled arms to limit movement, ensuring wheels remain aligned with the direction of travel and allowing vertical adjustment for sloping surfaces, thus maintaining effective ground engagement without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If caster type wheels are used to support the chassis, then the wheels can freely swivel and adapt to terrain, but the wheels tend to misalign during cornering and on slopes causing damage to the sward
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly incorporates a dynamic limiting mechanism where the arm can pivot freely within certain limits but is constrained by geometric stops (elbow and rear surface contacts) to prevent extreme misalignment angles. This allows the wheel to adapt dynamically to terrain variations while maintaining alignment bounds that protect the sward during cornering and on slopes.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-pivoting wheel assemblies are used instead of caster wheels, then wheel misalignment is prevented, but the advantage of caster wheel adaptability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is designed with selective mobility: the arm pivots freely within operational ranges to adapt to terrain, while geometric constraints (elbow contact with vertical surface, rear surface contact with wheel assembly) dynamically limit the pivoting to prevent harmful misalignment. This creates a semi-rigid behavior that adapts when needed but prevents damage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If lockable pivoting wheels are used on slopes, then wheel alignment is maintained, but resetting of wheel assemblies is required before and after use
Solution Approach 1:
The geometric constraint system automatically maintains wheel alignment without requiring operator intervention. The elbow and rear surface contacts passively prevent pivoting beyond safe angles during cornering and on slopes, eliminating the need for manual locking and resetting operations while continuously protecting against misalignment damage.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the towed implement is raised when turning, then wheel misalignment is prevented, but continuous ground engagement and effective operation is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly maintains dynamic geometric constraints that prevent misalignment during cornering while keeping the implement grounded and operational. The arm pivots within limits defined by elbow and rear surface contacts, allowing the wheels to follow the turn naturally without raising the implement, thus maintaining both protection and productivity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A towed agricultural implement including one or more processing units each supported on a chassis 2 is disclosed, in which the or each chassis supports the or one of the processing units on a central axis, the chassis being provided with a left hand side wheel assembly supporting structure 40 and a right hand side wheel assembly supporting structure 40, free ends of the wheel assembly supporting structures 40 being provided with wheel assemblies 38, each wheel assembly comprising a wheel 38 mounted on a wheel mounting 50, and the wheel mounting 50 being rotatable about an inclined axis and the wheel 30 being rotatable about a horizontal axis. The wheel assembly supporting structures 40 and the wheel mountings 50 are adapted to allow limited relative movement of each wheel mounting 50 with respect to the wheel assembly supporting structures 40 which enables greater control when the towed agricultural implement is towed about a corner.