U.S. patent application number 10/338260 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-05 for elevated trailer drawbar for an agricultural combine.
Invention is credited to Johnson, Orlin W..
Application Number | 20030101704 10/338260 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24556086 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030101704 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Johnson, Orlin W. |
June 5, 2003 |
Elevated trailer drawbar for an agricultural combine
Abstract
An elevated drawbar for a grain cart that can be attached to the
rear end of an agricultural combine above the crop residue
discharge opening. The elevated position of the grain cart drawbar
allows the crop residue to be discharged under the drawbar. The
crop residue can therefore travel unobstructed from the combine's
discharge opening to the ground.
Inventors: |
Johnson, Orlin W.; (Geneseo,
IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW DEPARTMENT CASE LLC
700 STATE STREET
RACINE
WI
53404
US
|
Family ID: |
24556086 |
Appl. No.: |
10/338260 |
Filed: |
January 8, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10338260 |
Jan 8, 2003 |
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09637472 |
Aug 11, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
56/100 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01D 41/1208 20130101;
Y10S 56/14 20130101; A01D 67/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
56/100 |
International
Class: |
A01D 045/02 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A trailer for towing behind an agricultural combine, comprising:
a) a drawbar having an elevated portion that can be operably
attached at a front end to a rear end of an agricultural combine at
a position above a crop residue discharge opening;
2. The trailer according to claim 1, wherein said trailer is a
grain cart.
3. The trailer according to claim 2, wherein said drawbar has a
rear portion connected to said elevated portion on one end and said
trailer at the other end, said rear portion including a shield that
directs crop residue onto the crop field.
4. The trailer according to claim 3, wherein said shield is flat
along a bottom side of said rear portion.
5. The trailer according to claim 3, wherein said shield is
V-shaped along a bottom side of said rear portion with the center
of said V-shape facing forward and the edges of said V-shape
trailing rearward towards the sides of said drawbar.
6. The trailer according to claim 3, wherein said elevated portion
is positioned more than about three feet above the ground.
7. The trailer according to claim 1, wherein said elevated portion
is positioned more than about three feet above the ground.
8. An agricultural combine, comprising: a) a crop residue discharge
opening located along a rear end of said combine; and b) a
connection member positioned above said crop residue discharge
opening that can be operably attached to a trailer.
9. An agricultural combine according to claim 8, wherein said
connection member is positioned more than about three feet above
the ground.
10. A connecting system for towing a trailer behind an agricultural
combine, comprising: a) a combine body; b) a crop residue discharge
opening located along a rear end of said combine; c) a combine
connection member located along a rear end of said combine and
positioned above said crop residue discharge opening; d) a trailer
body; e) a drawbar located along a front end of said trailer; and
f) a trailer connection member located along a front end of said
drawbar that can be operably attached to said combine connection
member.
11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said trailer is a
grain cart.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said drawbar includes
a rear portion that is connected to said trailer at one end, said
rear portion including a shield that directs crop residue onto the
crop field.
13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: a) said drawbar
includes an elevated portion that is positioned more than about
three feet above the ground; and b) said combine connection member
is positioned more than about three feet above the ground.
14. The system according to claim 10, wherein: a) said drawbar
includes an elevated portion that is positioned more than about
three feet above the ground; and b) said combine connection member
is positioned more than about three feet above the ground.
15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said drawbar includes
a rear portion that is connected to said elevated portion on one
end and said trailer at the other end, said rear portion including
a shield that directs crop residue onto the crop field.
16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said trailer is a
grain cart.
17. The system according to claim 10, wherein said drawbar includes
a rear portion that is connected to said trailer at one end, said
rear portion including a shield that directs crop residue onto the
crop field.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said trailer is a
grain cart.
19. A method for towing a trailer behind an agricultural combine,
comprising: a) attaching said trailer to a rear end of said
combine; and b) discharging crop residue from said rear end of said
combine below a drawbar of said trailer.
20. The trailer system according to claim 19, wherein said trailer
is a grain cart.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to agricultural
combines. It relates particularly to a trailer towing system for
agricultural combines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An agricultural combine is a common and well-known machine
for harvesting crop materials. Agricultural combines are available
in various designs and models to perform the basic functions of
reaping crop materials from a crop field, separating the grain from
the non-grain crop materials, and discarding the non-grain crop
materials back onto the crop field.
[0003] A typical combine includes a crop harvesting apparatus, or
header, which reaps ripened crop plants from the crop field and
feeds the crop materials to a separating or threshing system.
Several different types of threshing systems are available, such as
rotary threshers and straw walkers. Regardless of the type of
threshing system used, the thresher separates the course non-grain
materials from the grain heads. The course non-grain material
primarily consists of grain stalks and exits the threshing system
along its rear end. The grain heads, on the other hand, exit the
thresher along the bottom of the threshing assembly and pass to a
series of moving sieves. The sieves separate the grain from the
unwanted fine materials, sometimes referred to as chaff. After
separation, the grain is directed to a grain bin through an
augering system, and the unwanted fine materials exit the sieves
along the rear end.
[0004] The agricultural economy continues to pressure farmers to be
more efficient in their farming practices. One area that is of
particular concern to farmers is the harvesting operations because
of the dramatic impact that the harvest can have on a farm's
success. Typically, farmers prefer that harvesting operations
proceed as quickly as possible. One reason that a quick harvest is
desirable is the unpredictability of the weather and the risk of
losing a portion of the crop due to rains, snow, wind, or hail.
Another reason for this urgency is the high cost of the harvesting
operation, which includes the cost of combines, trucks, and labor.
By operating quickly and efficiently, a farmer can lower the cost
of the harvesting operation by harvesting a larger area of land
with the same equipment and manpower.
[0005] A development in harvesting practices that has increased
overall efficiency is the use of grain carts. Grain carts are
trailers that have large grain bins for storing the harvested
grain. In the past, combines were commonly forced to cease
harvesting when the onboard storage bin of a combine became filled
with grain but a truck was unavailable for unloading the grain.
Unavailability of a truck at the proper time is a common problem
when travel distances are long, an insufficient number of trucks
are supplied or the crew is short of drivers. This situation
frequently results in the combine sitting idle while it waits for a
truck to arrive. The idle time that results is costly because less
acreage is harvested during a given period of time.
[0006] Grain carts have improved this problem by providing an
interim storage location in which the combine can unload its own
onboard grain bin when it becomes full. The grain cart can then
independently fill the trucks when they are available. Typically,
grain carts are unpropelled trailers that are towed by agricultural
tractors. Agricultural tractors are most often chosen by farmers
for pulling the grain carts because they are already designed for
pulling heavy loads. Such tractors are usually available during
harvest season because they are not needed for other farm
operations.
[0007] The use of an agricultural tractor to tow the grain cart is
not always the most efficient option however. A grain cart
typically does not fully utilize the tractor's load pulling
capacity because of the relatively light load of the grain cart.
This can have a negative impact on the resale value of the tractor
because the age of agricultural tractors is based solely on hours
of usage. In addition, while many farmers may have an extra tractor
available during harvest season, some farmers may not have tractors
freely available.
[0008] The tractor problem also affects contract combine operators
who harvest on a custom basis and travel from state to state during
the nation's harvest season. These operators must purchase an
additional tractor to tow the grain cart and must transport this
extra piece of equipment from site to site. Another problem with
using an agricultural tractor to tow a grain cart occurs when a
contract operator runs a large fleet of combines. In this
situation, it is desirable to use several grain carts. However,
this requires additional tractors, which would raise costs even
further.
[0009] A more efficient solution for towing a grain cart is to use
the combine itself. This solution has several advantages. An extra
towing vehicle, like the agricultural tractor, is unneeded.
Manpower required is decreased because an additional driver for the
towing vehicle is no longer needed. Furthermore, additional grain
carts can be used to further increase efficiency. For example, when
a separate towing vehicle is used, the number of grain carts used
in an operation is usually reduced because of the extra cost of the
towing vehicles. Thus, a single grain cart usually services several
combines. However, when the grain cart is towed directly by the
combine, each combine can be served by its own grain cart because
the grain carts themselves are relatively inexpensive.
[0010] Using the combine as the towing vehicle has historically had
some disadvantages however. In known combines, the drawbar of the
grain cart is attached to the combine at a connection point near
the rear axle. This connection point has traditionally been
provided by manufacturers for towing a trailer that carries the
combine's header in a lengthwise orientation from site to site.
However, because this connection point is positioned below the crop
residue discharge opening, additional problems are created when a
grain cart is towed. Because the drawbar of the grain cart
obstructs the path of the crop residue as it travels between the
combine's discharge opening and the ground, the combine is unable
to evenly spread the crop residue onto the crop field. Modern
farming practices require an even spread of the crop residue across
the entire field. This is especially true with the recent practice
of no-till farming, but also remains important for more traditional
farming techniques. However, when the path of the crop residue is
obstructed by the grain cart's drawbar, the resulting blanket of
residue on the field is uneven, with some areas having thicker
sections of residue and other areas having thinner sections.
[0011] Another problem is that some of the crop residue builds up
on the grain cart's drawbar. This buildup tends to compact itself
on the drawbar into mounds of residue until they eventually break
loose from the drawbar and fall to the ground. As a result, the
farmer's field is left with a number of these compact mounds of
residue scattered throughout the field. This result is unattractive
and causes further difficulties for the farmer when trying to
evenly till the ground.
[0012] Still another problem arises because weed seeds are carried
from field to field. This problem has become one of increasing
concern to farmers as noxious weeds continue to spread over larger
regions of farm land. The difficulty and expense of controlling
noxious weeds once they become established makes it important to
prevent the introduction of these weeds into uninfected fields.
Farmers have increasingly begun to recognize that the spread of
these noxious weeds can be minimized by cleaning their agricultural
equipment of stray crop residue before transporting from field to
field. This practice prevents weed seeds from one field from being
inadvertently transplanted into an uninfected field from an
infected field. However, the cleaning process is laborious and
often overlooked. Farmers would therefore prefer to minimize the
number of places where crop residue can accumulate and be
transported from one field to another.
[0013] This problem of crop residue buildup on the grain cart
drawbar also has the potential for fostering equipment fires. Fires
during the harvest season are not infrequent occurrences.
Typically, the weather is especially dry during the harvest season
with the crops being equally dry. With this combination of dry
conditions and a flurry of harvesting activity occurring, it is not
uncommon for farmers to loose equipment in a fire. Any excess
buildup of crop residue on the equipment, therefore, is undesirable
because this buildup could potentially serve as an original source
of a fire or may sustain a fire that has already started.
[0014] Finally, the general appearance of the farmer's equipment is
adversely affected when the combine discharges crop residue onto
the grain cart drawbar. Farmers tend to take a great deal of pride
in their equipment and prefer to keep it in good condition and
looking new. However, when crop residue sprays onto the drawbar,
the residue can become encrusted onto the surface of the drawbar so
that it becomes difficult to fully clean off. In some cases, where
the combine sprays the residue out at a high speed and the
manufacturer of the grain cart uses a low quality paint, the paint
on the drawbar can even be stripped away. Thus, farmers prefer
equipment that is relatively self-cleaning.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an
improved system for connecting a grain cart and a combine.
[0016] It is a further object of the invention to provide a combine
and grain cart with a connecting system including an elevated
drawbar so that the crop residue will be discharged below the
drawbar.
[0017] According to the invention, a connecting system includes a
drawbar which is connected to the combine above the combine's crop
residue discharge opening. Several different connection mechanisms
may be provided for attaching the grain cart drawbar to the rear
end of the combine. These mechanisms may include a pin and clevis,
ball joint, pintle hitch, or a rigid connection. A vertical section
of the drawbar may also be used in combination with a shield to
further direct the crop residue in a desired direction. The shield
can be formed in different shapes so that the crop residue is
directed in a variety of directions, including downwards or to the
sides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The invention, including its construction and method of
operation, is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the
drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a grain cart attached
to the rear end of an agricultural combine with a connecting system
embodying features of the invention, showing crop residue being
discharged from the rear of the combine;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the grain cart and combine of
FIG. 1, showing crop residue being discharged from the rear of the
combine; and
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a grain cart, showing a
V-shaped shield along the bottom side of the drawbar.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a
self-propelled agricultural combine 10. The combine 10 includes a
body 12 supported by wheels 14 and an engine (not shown) for
driving the wheels 14 to allow the combine 10 to move from place to
place. An operator's station 16 is positioned towards the forward
end of the combine body 12 and includes numerous controls to allow
the operator to adjust the functions of the combine 10.
[0023] At the forward end of the combine 10 is a crop harvesting
header 18 that severs and gathers the ripened crop materials from
the crop field. After cutting the stems of the crop materials or
collecting the crop materials from a prepared windrow, the crop
materials are fed rearward through a feeder housing 20 to the
combine's internal threshing systems (not shown). The threshing
systems then separate the grain from the unwanted crop residue R.
After the threshing systems have separated the grain G from the
crop residue R, the grain G is transferred to an onboard storage
bin 22 by an augering and paddle elevator system, and the unwanted
crop residue R is discharged from the rear end of the combine 10
onto the harvested crop field.
[0024] In order to improve harvesting efficiency, manufacturers
have regularly increased the capacity of the combine's onboard
storage bin 22. Typically, modern combines 10 have storage bins 22
with approximately 200 bushels of capacity. By increasing the size
of the storage bin 22, farmers are able to improve their efficiency
because the combine 10 can harvest for longer periods of time
before stopping to unload the harvested grain G. When the onboard
storage bin 22 fills up with grain G, the grain G may be emptied
into a grain cart 40 through an unloading auger 24 while
harvesting. By emptying the storage bin 22, the combine 10 is able
to continue harvesting.
[0025] As previously mentioned, the combine 10 discharges the
unwanted crop residue R from the rear end of the combine 10 back
onto the harvested crop field. A number of systems are available
for discharging the crop residue R. For example, some discharge
systems use straw spreaders. This design usually employs two
separate horizontal disks that rotate in a horizontal plane.
Attached to the disks is a series of bats. The crop residue then is
dropped onto the rotating disks and is thrown out in a wide pattern
by the bats. In another example, a straw chopper is mounted
transversely in the rear of the combine 10. The straw chopper
employs a multitude of flail blades that are attached to a rotating
hub. The crop residue R is then chopped up by the flail blades and
is discharged at high speed. Directional vanes 26 are sometimes
provided to redirect the exiting crop residue R into a wider
distribution pattern. However, in some instances, a wide
distribution pattern is not desired. Sometimes the farmer wishes to
recover the crop residue R by bailing it for other uses. In order
to satisfy this desire, the crop residue R is simply dropped onto
the ground in a narrow windrow.
[0026] According to the present invention, combine 10 efficiency is
maximized by attaching a grain cart 40 to the rear end of the
combine 10. Typically, the grain cart 40 will have a storage
capacity between 400 and 1,000 bushels, while the storage capacity
of the combine's onboard storage bin 22 usually ranges from 200 to
300 bushels. By comparison, the receiving trucks that haul the
grain G from the field generally range in size from about 600 to
1,000 bushels. Therefore, it is expected that farmers will choose a
combination between the combine storage bin 22, the grain cart 40,
and the truck so that the combined storage capacity of the combine
10 and the grain cart 40 matches the storage capacity of the truck.
For example, if the capacity of combine storage bin 22 is 300
bushels and the capacity of the grain cart 40 is 700 bushels, a
truck with a 1,000 bushels of capacity would be optimum. Thus, by
towing a grain cart 40 directly behind the combine 10, harvesting
efficiency is substantially improved because the combine can simply
unload its onboard storage bin 22 into the attached grain cart 40
through the unloading auger 24 while the combine 10 is still
harvesting. Once the combine 10 has filled both the storage bin 22
and the grain cart 40, the grain G will be unloaded into a
receiving truck through the grain cart's unloading auger 52 and the
combine's unloading auger 24. The speed of unloading the grain G
can be further increased if a long truck, such as a semi-trailer
truck, is used so that both the combine unloading auger 24 and the
grain cart unloading auger 52 can simultaneously unload grain G
into the truck.
[0027] In order to prevent interference with the discharging crop
residue R, the grain cart 40 has an elevated drawbar 44. The
drawbar 44 is attached to the rear end of the combine 10 at a
raised position that is above the crop residue discharge opening
30. Thus with the present invention, the crop residue R is
discharged underneath the drawbar 44. The crop residue R can then
be freely spread into a wide distribution pattern or a narrow
windrow without interference from the grain cart's drawbar 44. In
contrast, prior art drawbars are attached to the combine 10 at a
position below the crop residue discharge opening 30. The drawbar
then interferes with the travel path of the discharged crop residue
R and prevents the crop residue R from being distributed as
desired.
[0028] A number of connection mechanisms 42 can be used with the
invention to attach the grain cart 40 to the combine 10. One type
of connection mechanism 42 that is commonly used with agricultural
equipment is a pin and clevis. Another possible connection
mechanism 42 is a ball joint. A pintle hitch would also suffice.
These connection mechanisms 42 are preferred because they provide
three degrees of freedom, which allows the grain cart 40 to freely
rock back-and-forth and side-to-side as the grain cart passes over
ridges in the ground. On the other hand, a less preferred
connection mechanism 42 would be a two degree of freedom
alternative that is rigidly attached to the combine 10. A grain
cart 40 that uses this type of connection mechanism 42 would
require pivoting dolly wheels in order to allow the grain cart 40
to turn corners with the combine 10.
[0029] The invention also allows a vertical section 46 of the
drawbar 44 to be designed in a manner that will beneficially
redirect the crop residue R. The vertical section 46 configurations
that are possible are numerous. For example in FIG. 17 the vertical
section 46 is shown sloping downward from the forward end to the
rear end. By including a flat shield 47 along the bottom side of
this sloping vertical section 46, the crop residue R is redirected
downwards toward the ground when it contacts the shield. In another
alternative shown in FIG. 3, a similar shield 48 shaped in the form
of a V is included along the bottom side of the vertical section
46. The shield 48 is installed with the center 49 of the V facing
forward and the edges 50 of the V trailing rearwards towards the
sides of the drawbar 44. The crop residue R is thus redirected away
from the centerline of the combine 10 when it contacts the V-shaped
shield 48. Other shield configurations would also be possible to
accommodate individual preferences.
[0030] While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been
described, it should be understood that the invention is not so
limited, and modifications may be made without departing from the
invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended
claims, and all devices that come within the meaning of the claims,
either literally or by equivalence, are intended to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *