GB2050791A - Harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

A walking operator type harvester such as a binder comprises land wheels 1 mounted on pivoting transmission case 5 whose vertical position is adjustable by engaging lock piece 19 in a plurality of holes 16 in arm 17, lock piece 19 being retracted against spring 21 by wire 23 and lever 22 on harvester handle 8a. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Walking operator type harvester The present invention relates to walking operator type harvesters such as a binder comprising drive wheels disposed at one position longitudinally of the harvester in side view, a prime mover unit disposed rearwardly of the drive wheels, a reaper unit disposed forwardly of the drive wheels, a frame disposed centrally between lateral sides of the harvester for rigidly interconnecting the prime mover unit and the reaper unit, steering handles extending rearwardly and upwardly from the central frame, and a transmission case adapted for vertical oscillation extending forwardly from the prime mover unit and having a forward end supporting the drive wheels.

In such a walking operator type harvester, the drive wheels are arranged movable and lockable in plural vertical steps to provide an appropriate height of reaping as desired in accordance with field conditions (particularly the degree of softness). A conventional mechanism permitting this adjustment comprises an elongate hole defined in an arm extending upwardly from adjacent the forward end of a wheel supporting case, the hole being in arcuate form about an axis on which the wheel supporting case oscillates vertically, and a bolt penetrating the elongate hole and engaging the frame. This arrangement obliges the operator to move forward from his steering position every time the height of the wheels (the height of reaping) is adjusted to make up for the sinking of the wheels.Moreover, the vertical adjust mentofthewheels has to be carried out while supporting the harvester body which tends downwards with the part of the reaper unit contacting the ground as the fulcrum, which part shares the weight of the harvester with the wheels. Such a wheel height adjustment requires hard labour and trouble and is a dangerous operation.

Having regard to the above state of the art, this invention intends to provide for easy and quick adjustments of the wheel height to make up for the sinking of the wheels, which are readily carried out by the operator while remaining in his steering position.

In the foregoing walking operator type harvester, the present invention is characterized by comprising an arm extending upwardly from adjacent the forward end of the wheel supporting transmission case and including a plurality of vertically arranged engaging holes, a lock piece provided on the frame and biased for engagement with the engaging holes, a hand lever mounted on the handles for causing engagement and disengagement of the lock piece, and a spring provided between the frame and the wheel supporting transmission case for biasing the frame and the case away from one another.

According to this invention, the spring supports the harvester body tending downwards with the ground contacting part of the reaper unit as the fulcrum when the frame and the wheel supporting transmission case are unlocked from one another, thereby preventing a sudden fall of the harvester body. Thus, when the lock piece is placed out of engagement by means of the hand lever mounted on the steering handles in order to adjust the height of the wheels to the sinking of the wheels, the harvester body is retained at the same height or nearly the same position as when the locking is effected. In this state the height of the wheels relative to the frame is adjusted only be lightly raising or lowering the harvester by the steering handles.After such an adjustment the wheels are locked at a desired height simply by releasing the lever to cause the lock piece to engage a suitable engaging hole. Accordingly, it is no longer necessary for the operator to leave his steering position to go forward or to raise the harvester body. The invention provides the operator with simple and labour saving means to adjust the height of the wheels easily and quickly while remaining in the steering position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a binder in its whole which is one example of walking operator type harvester according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a side view partly in section showing a principal part of the binder.

A binder shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a pair of right and left drive wheels 1 disposed at one position longitudinally of the binder in side view. A prime mover unit 4comprising an engine 2 and a change speed case 3 interconnected at a lateral position is provided rearwardly of the drive wheels 1. The change speed case 3 is connected at a lowermost portion thereof with a transmission case 5 having a forward end supporting axles 1A of the drive wheels 1. The transmission case 5 is vertically oscillatable about a transverse axis P which is the axis of an input shaft in a rearward end of the transmission case 5. A pipe frame 6 extends from a top portion of the change speed case 3 forwardly through the mid point between the drive wheels 1 and is rigidly connected at a forward end with a reaper unit 7.

Steering handles 8 extend rearwardly and upwardly from the central frame 6. Between the wheel supporting transmission case 5 and the central frame 6 are a mechanism 9 adapted for four vertical step positional changes and locking of the drive wheels 1 and a spring 10 biasing the transmission case 5 and the frame 6 away from one another.

The reaper unit 7comprises a pickup 11 for erecting two rows of planted grain stalks rearwardly and upwardly, a hair clipper type reaper 12 for cutting erected grain stalks near the roots, means 13 for transversely conveying reaped grain stalks to one lateral side of the binder, and means 14 for collecting transversely conveyed grain stalks and ejecting them in constant lots.

The mechanism 9 is constructed as follows: As shown in Figure 3, the wheel supporting transmission case 5 carries a bracket 15 adjacent the forward end thereof, and a pipe arm 17 having four engaging holes 16for locking suitably spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction ofthe arm 17 is pivoted to the bracket 15. The arm 17 is arranged to extend upward through a perforation 18a defined in an attaching member 18 secured to the central frame 6. The attaching member 18 is provided with a lock piece 19 adapted to move into and out of engagement with the engaging holes 16. A spring 21 is mounted between a spring stopper 19A secured to the lock piece 19 and a spring stopper 20 secured to the central frame 6 for biasing the lock piece 6 for engagement.

The lock piece 19 is connected by means of a wire 23 to a hand lever 22 mounted on a grip portion 8a of one of the handles 8. The spring 10 mentioned earlier is mounted between the attaching member 18 and a base portion 17A of the arm 17. Thus, the wheels 1 are changeable in four vertical positions by causing the lock piece 19 to selectively engage the engaging holes 16 of the arm 17.

The spring 10 for biasing the frame 6 and the wheel supporting case 5 away from one another has such a spring constant that, when the mechanism 9 is operated to release the positional locking, the wheels 1 balance at the highest position within the range of vertical positional changes, which position is the most frequently used of all the positions. In other words, the spring 10 balances the lock piece 19 at a position opposed to the lowest one of the engaging holes 16 of the arm 17.

The spring 10 may have a spring constant to balance the lock piece 19 at a position opposed to the second lowest hole 16 in case this hole 16 is the most frequently used among the engaging holes 16 ofthe arm 17. Furthermore, the spring 10 may have such a spring constant as to balance the lock piece 19 between adjacent engaging holes 16.

Claims (6)

1. Awalking operatortype harvester comprising drive wheels disposed at one position longitudinally of the harvester in side view, a prime mover unit disposed rearwardly of said drive wheels, a reaper unit disposed forwardly of said drive wheels, a frame disposed centrally between lateral sides of the harvester for rigidly interconnecting said prime mover unit and said reaper unit, steering handles extending rearwardly and upwardly from said central frame, a transmission case adapted for vertical oscillation extending forwardly from said prime mover unit and having a forward end supporting said drive wheels, an arm extending upwardly from adjacent the forward end of said wheel supporting transmission case and including a plurality of vertically arranged engaging holes, a lock piece provided on said frame and biased for engagement with said engaging holes, a hand lever mounted on said handles for causing engagement and disengagement of said lock piece, and a spring provided between said frame and said wheel supporting transmissiqn case for biasing said frame and said case away from one another.

2. Awalking operator type harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lock piece is biased for engagment with said engaging holes by a spring provided between a spring stopper secured to said lock piece and a spring stopper secured to said central frame.

3. Awalking operator type harvester as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spring for biasing said frame and said wheel supporting transmission case away from one another is adapted to balance said lock piece with a lowest one of said vertically arranged engaging holes.

4. Awalking operator type harvester as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spring for biasing said frame and said wheel supporting transmission case away from one another is adapted to balance said lock piece with an uppermost one of said vertically arranged engaging holes.

5. A walking operator type harvester as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spring for biasing said frame and said wheel supporting transmission case away from one another is adapted to balance said lock piece with a position intermediate of adjacent ones of said engaging holes.

6. Awalking operatortype harvester constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.