Abstract:
Each crop consolidating auger assembly of a harvester includes an elongated, inner, stationary support that is mounted on the sidewall of the header in a cantilevered manner and extends inwardly from the sidewall into overlying relationship with the floor of the header. A longer, flighted housing of the assembly circumscribes the support and is rotatably carried thereby in coaxial relationship therewith. A hydraulic motor carried by the support adjacent its inboard end is drivingly connected to the interior surface of the wall of the housing by structure in the form of an annular connecting member and appropriate fasteners.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to crop harvesters and, more particularly, to improvements in auger assemblies utilized in such equipment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Harvesters that mow standing grain crops and place the severed materials into a windrow typically utilize wide, flat aprons or draper belts for conveying the severed materials to a discharge opening on the machine through which the materials are ejected and formed into a windrow. Some manufacturers have started using consolidating augers in lieu of aprons for this purpose, but because the discharge opening is centrally located, the augers must extend in from opposite sides of the machine and terminate at the central opening without support in the area of the opening. This cantilevered mounting arrangement creates challenges in terms of properly supporting each of the auger assemblies and in supplying driving power thereto. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to provide an improved way of supporting and driving crop harvester auger assemblies, particularly those utilized in connection with grain harvesting machines in which the mowed crops are gathered to a central opening on the machine immediately following severance and discharged through such opening to form a windrow. Each auger assembly in accordance with the present invention includes an internal, elongated, stationary support that is housed within a coaxial outer housing that rotates on the support. A power device, preferably in the form of a hydraulic motor, is housed within the support but has an output shaft projecting axially from the support and into a hollow chamber within the auger housing, at which location the shaft is drivingly connected to the wall of the housing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one type of harvester that may utilize auger assemblies in accordance with the present invention, the self-propelled harvester illustrated in FIG. 1 being shown for exemplary purposes only inasmuch as the principles of the present invention may be applied to pull-type machines as well; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the header of the harvester in FIG. 1 with the reel removed to reveal the auger assemblies and other details of construction that are located beneath the reel; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the header taken substantially along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of one pair of auger assemblies of the header taken substantially along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view through one of the auger assemblies taken substantially along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the same auger assembly as in FIG.  5  and taken substantially along lines  6 — 6  of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The harvester  10  in FIG. 1, shown for purposes of illustration, includes a tractor  12  and a header  14  attached to the front of tractor  12 . Header  14  includes a reel  16  that has been removed in the other figures to reveal details of construction. Phantom lines in FIG. 1 are used to designate a pair of left auger assemblies  18  and  20  that are shown in more detail in other figures. 
     With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that two additional auger assemblies  22  and  24  are also part of the header  14 . FIGS. 2 and 3 also show that the header  14  includes a pair of generally upright, left and right, laterally spaced sidewalls  26  and  28  respectively that form part of the frame of the header  14 . A reciprocable sickle assembly  30  or other suitable cutter extends across the front of the header  14  for severing standing crop materials from the ground as the machine advances. An upwardly and rearwardly inclined floor  32  extends between the sidewalls  26 , 28  and includes a left section  34  and a right section  36  that are separated in the middle by a central discharge opening  38 . Auger assemblies  18 - 24  receive crop materials that have been mowed by the sickle assembly  30  and convey such materials centrally of the header  14  to discharge opening  38 , where they leave the header and fall onto the ground into a windrow. 
     Details of construction of the auger assemblies  18 - 24  will now be described using assemblies  22  and  24  as examples, particularly assembly  22 . As shown in FIG.  4 , the two right auger assemblies  22  and  24  are supported by the right sidewall  28 , which is of double-wall construction so as to present a pair of walls  40  and  42  that are laterally spaced apart a short distance. Using auger assembly  22  as an example, each auger assembly includes an elongated, stationary inner support  44  that includes a hollow cylindrical body  46  and a stub shaft  48  rigidly affixed to one end of the body and projecting coaxially outwardly therefrom. The inboard end of stub shaft  48  is welded to an annular end plate  50  welded to the body  46 . Stub shaft  48  passes through the wall  42  and terminates at its outboard end in abutting engagement with the wall  40 . A first clamp  52  secured to the outer wall  40  by bolts  54  fastens the stub shaft  48  to outer wall  40 , while a second clamp  56  fixed to the inner wall  42  by bolts  58  fastens stub shaft  48  to the inner wall as well. Thus, walls  40 , 42  provide a sturdy cantilevered mounting arrangement for the support  44 . Stub shaft  48  is hollow and open at its opposite ends to provide pass-through of hydraulic lines (not shown) for motor  62 . Outboard wall  40  has an opening (not shown) to provide for entry and exit of the hydraulic lines to and from stub shaft  48 . 
     Body  46  of support  44  is hollow, defining an internal compartment  60  that houses a power device in the form of a hydraulic motor  62 . Motor  62  is located at the inboard end of support  44  and is supported at that location in coaxial relationship with the support  44  by an annular end plate  64  fixed to the body  46 . The casing  65  of motor  62  is attached to an annular face plate  66  by bolts  68 , and face plate  66  is in turn secured to the end plate  64  by bolts  70 . 
     Motor  62  has its output shaft  72  (shown most clearly in FIG. 6) rotatably supported within casing  65  and projecting coaxially outwardly therefrom into fixed, driving engagement with a hub  74  that is integral with a generally triangular plate  76 . Plate  76 , in turn, is attached via bolts  78  to an annular, rigid connecting member  80  having an outermost peripheral surface  82 . 
     Assembly  22  further includes an elongated, hollow housing  84  that is rotatably carried on the support  44  for rotation about the same longitudinal axis as that of the support  44  and the output shaft  72  of hydraulic motor  62 . Auger housing  84  includes an annular wall  86  provided with helical flighting  88  along the length thereof. Because housing  84  is considerably longer than support  44 , a chamber  90  is defined within housing  84  between the inboard end of support  44  and the corresponding inboard end of housing  84 . Output shaft  72  of hydraulic motor  62 , hub  74 , plate  76  and connecting member  80  are all located within the chamber  90 . 
     The peripheral surface  82  of connecting member  80  abutting engages wall  86  of housing  84  and is fixed thereto by a plurality of screws  92 . Thus, hub  74 , plate  76 , connecting member  80 , bolts  78  and screws  92  comprise structure drivingly connecting the output shaft  72  of hydraulic motor  62  with housing  84 . By virtue of the fact that the output shaft  72  is rotatably supported within casing  65  of motor  62  which is in turn fixed to support  44 , the inboard end of housing  84  is rotatably supported on the inboard end of support  44 . On the other hand, the outboard end of housing  84  is rotatably supported on the outboard end of support  44  by bearings  94  that encircle the stub shaft  48 . 
     OPERATION 
     The operation of the auger assemblies  18 - 24  should be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. In each instance, the auger assembly is rotatably carried on its own stationary support  44  which is in turn cantilever-supported by the walls  40 , 42 . Driving power to each auger housing  84  is supplied by the hydraulic motor  62  contained within the inboard end of the corresponding support  44 , which motor  62  also provides rotational support for the housing adjacent its outer end. This clean, uncluttered and sturdy way of supporting and driving the auger housing  84  of each assembly eliminates problems inherent in more complex chain and sprocket drive assemblies associated with the prior art. 
     The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without de-parting from the spirit of the present invention. 
     The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the doctrine of equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.