Patent ID: 8181435
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. An improved windrow pick-up attachment for an agricultural harvesting machine, the pick-up attachment having a forward end and a generally opposing rearward end, the attachment comprising: a frame mountable on the front of the harvesting machine, a transverse reel assembly mounted on said pick-up frame for engaging and picking up crop material from the ground, said reel assembly including a series of tines and a plurality of generally C-shaped, spaced-apart side-by-side tine guards, the opening of each C-shaped tine guard facing rearwardly, respective upper and lower ends thereof configured for connection to generally flat upper and lower end portions on said pick-up frame, the tines projecting outwardly between said tine guards for engaging the crop material and urging it upwardly and rearwardly along outer surfaces of said tine guards; a plurality of generally planar tine guides each having a top end, a generally opposing bottom end, and a rearward-facing edge therebetween, said top end having an upper hook, said bottom end having a lower hook, and said rearward-facing edge having a rear hook; and an upper receptacle on said upper end portion, a lower receptacle on said lower end portion, and a rear receptacle on the pick-up frame, the geometry and relative positioning of said upper, lower, and rear hooks and said upper, lower, and rear receptacles, respectively, being such that at least a portion of each hook engages its respective receptacle to hold each said tine guide in place between said upper and said lower flat portions.