Patent ID: 6453654
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
A crop conditioning apparatus comprising:a flail-conditioning chamber having a generally curved wall; an entrance in said wall for admitting crop material to said chamber; an exit in said wall generally opposing said entrance for discharging crop material from said chamber; a rotary flail conditioning unit generally between said entrance and said exit within said chamber for conditioning said crop material, said conditioning unit including a plurality of finger-like flail-conditioning elements rotating about a longitudinal axis, the outer ends thereof defining a generally circular path in cross-section and a cylindrical path about said longitudinal axis, said curved wall spaced apart from, but in close proximity to and generally covering a portion of said cylindrical path; and a first longitudinal slotted reimpactor comprised of an elastic shock-absorbent material affixed to said curved wall and extending at least partially through and into said cylindrical path, said slots generally aligned with and corresponding to said finger-like flail-conditioning elements such that said elements pass through said slots, said reimpactor having an angled face relative to said curved wall whereby crop material is fed through said entrance to said flail-conditioning elements for treatment, then directed to and along said curved wall by said conditioning elements, then back to said conditioning unit by said angled face of said reimpactor for additional conditioning, and thence to said exit for deposit on the ground.