Patent ID: 6058688
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: A01D,Y10S

Abstract:
In a crop harvester including a harvesting platform having opposite, first and second side walls, a crop severing device at a front of said platform extending between said side walls, and a discharge zone, of a width considerably less than that of said severing device, located centrally at a rear of said platform, an auger feed arrangement including lower and upper counter-rotating auger assemblies for gathering crop and delivering it to said discharge zone, the improvement comprising: said lower auger assembly being in the form of first and second augers respectively extending inwardly from said opposite, first and second side walls of said platform and having respective inner ends terminating adjacent opposite sides of said discharge zone; each of said first and second augers including a cylindrical, hollow core having a stub shaft extending axially into, and being respectively fixed only to, an outer end portion thereof; first and second bearing supports respectively located outwardly of, and fixed to, said first and second side walls in axial alignment with said first and second augers and having respective support walls spaced outwardly from, and disposed parallel to, said first and second side walls; the stub shafts of said first and second augers respectively extending through said first and second side walls and said respective support walls of said first and second bearing supports; the stub shafts of said first and second augers each having a pair of self-aligning bearings received thereon and respectively mounted to adjacent ones of the first and second walls, and of the support walls, whereby said lower pair of augers are cantilever-mounted from said opposite side walls; and said upper auger assembly being in the form of a single, center feed auger.