Abstract:
A sugar cane chain piler includes a plurality of endless roller chains that are supported so as to define a forwardly curved profile. A head shaft supports a plurality of transversely spaced sprockets at top region of the piler which are aligned with a plurality of sprockets carried by a tail shaft located at a lower region of the piler. Each endless chain includes a plurality of conveyor tines that project outwardly from the chain. The head shaft is driven so that the tines engage cane stalks by rolling the stalks backwards into a pile being created as the loader vehicle carrying the piler is driven forward.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a sugar cane piler, and more specifically relates to a chain piler. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are several types of pilers used in the sugar cane industry to produce a pile of cane that can then be placed into a transport unit by a sugar cane loader, which carries the piler and a boom supported grab assembly. The push piler is the cheapest and simplest of the pilers and comprises at least two forwardly facing, generally C-shaped structures which are spaced laterally from each other so as to define a piler pocket between them into which a loader grab tine may pass during loading cane stalks piled by the piler. A variation of a simple push piler of this type is a star or football piler and incorporates rotating elements along with the push piler. An example of this can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,318. Another piler variation is known as a chain piler. An example of a chain piler is the Model SP2254 manufactured by Cameco. All of these pilers attempt to build a large bundle of cane stalks and to dislodge soil from the piled cane stalks by rolling the stalks backwards into the pile being formed. 
     The present invention concerns chain type pilers. The aforementioned Cameco Model SP 2254 chain piler consists of a frame shaped to define an upwardly and rearwardly extending inclined plane. A plurality of vertically disposed, endless roller chains are spaced across, and envelope, the frame, and are looped about respective first sprockets carried by a horizontal head shaft located at an upper region of the frame and respective second sprockets carried by a horizontal tail shaft located at a lower region of the frame. The chains are each equipped with a plurality of conveyor tines, with individual tines engaging the cane stalks at locations adjacent the tail shaft and carrying the cane stalks upwardly during forward movement of the piler until the individual tines move around the head shaft. At this point, the cane stalks are disengaged from the individual tines by forwardly curved deflector plates. As no direct force is being exerted by the chains on the cane stalks at this point, the deflector plates act similar to a push piler. The cane stalks tend to snow ball at the head shaft with little tumbling back onto the pile. If a sufficient amount of cane stalks pile up at the head shaft, cane stalks can top the forwardly curved deflector plates and bridge the piler pocket. This results in the pocket being obstructed, resulting in the rear grab tines having difficulty entering the pocket. In addition, the chain conveyor teeth become somewhat bound into the pile of cane stalks, which can result in the possible damage to the cane stalks and/or to the chain when the grab is closed about a load and lifted. 
     The problem to be addressed by the present invention is that of providing a chain piler that does not have the operating disadvantages attendant with the above-described prior art chain piler. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention there is provided an improved chain piler structure. 
     An object of the invention is to provide a chain piler structure which operates so as to prevent cane stalks from accumulating so as to cause blockage of the piler pocket when the piler is operating to create a pile of cane stalks. 
     The noted object of the invention is accomplished by a chain piler having a frame structured so as to guide the various endless chains of the piler so that a forward run of the chain has an upper region which undergoes a forward component of movement whereby the engaged cane stalks are powered backward onto the forming pile, resulting in a larger and more uniform bundle of cane stalks. More specifically, the invention is accomplished by providing individual chain support structures which each support a chain so that its forward run has a forwardly curved profile. 
     The noted object and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a right side view of a whole stalk sugar cane loader equipped with a grab assembly and with a chain piler assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged right side view of the piler assembly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the piler assembly shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a left side view of one of the rightmost piler chain support member shown in  FIG. 2 , but omitting the piler chain. 
         FIG. 5  is a left front perspective view of the piler assembly shown in  FIG. 2 , but omitting the piler chains and the right- and left-hand push lifters. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a sugar cane loader  10  including a loader boom arrangement  30  and a chain piler arrangement  70 . 
     The sugar cane loader includes a main frame  12  supported on front and rear pairs of drive wheels  14  and  16 , respectively, with the rear wheels  16  being steerable, in a well known manner (not shown). Power for driving the wheels and for operating the various hydraulic functions of the loader  10  is supplied by an internal combustion engine  18  supported on a rear region of the frame  12 . Provided on a forward region of the frame  12  is an operator&#39;s cab  20  containing a seat  22  located within reach of various manually operated controls, of which only a steering wheel  24  is shown. 
     The loader boom arrangement  30  is mounted at a central region of the main frame  12 , just to the rear of the cab  20 . The loader boom arrangement  30  includes an upright mast  32  mounted to a pedestal  34  for being selectively rotated about a vertical axis, in a manner well known in the art. An inner boom  36  has a first end pivotally coupled, by a horizontal pivot arrangement  38 , to an upper end of the mast  32  for being swung vertically by a first extensible and retractable hydraulic boom cylinder  40 . The inner boom  36  has a second end pivotally coupled, by a horizontal pivot arrangement  42 , to a first end of an outer boom  44 , and a second extensible and retractable hydraulic boom cylinder  46  is coupled between the inner and outer booms  36  and  44  for pivoting the outer boom  44  about the pivot arrangement  42 . Pivotally mounted to a second end of the outer boom  46 , by a horizontal pivot arrangement  48 , is a grab assembly  50  including, as viewed in the drawings, a curved rear grab tine  52  and an angled, opposing front grab tine  54 . A first cylinder mounting bracket  56  is carried on the rear grab tine  52  adjacent the pivot arrangement  48 . Mounted between the cylinder mounting bracket  56  and an second cylinder mounting bracket  57  projecting upwardly from the front grab tine  54  at a location, approximately halfway along its length, is an extensible and retractable hydraulic grab tine cylinder  58 . The grab tine cylinder  58  is selectively operated so as to open the grab assembly  50 , when the cylinder is retracted, as shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, and to close the grab assembly  50 , when the cylinder  58  is extended. The front grab tine  54  includes opposite sides which terminate in a pair of spaced apart tine end sections  60  located for straddling a pair of tine end sections  62  of the rear grab tine  46  when the grab tine assembly  50  is completely closed. 
     Coupled to a back side of the rear grapple tine  52  in a region which constitutes approximately the lower third of a length dimension of the tine is an abutment assembly including a first roller  64  extending between an upper region of the tine end sections  62 , as viewed in  FIG. 1 , and a lower pair of rollers  66 , mounted one to a lower region of each tine end section  62 . The first roller  64  is mounted for rotation about a shaft  68  having its opposite ends respectively fixed to the pair of end sections  62 . The lower pair of rollers  66  are respectively mounted to a pair of shafts  69  that are respectively fixed to rear locations of the pair of end sections  62  of the rear grab tine  46 . Thus, the first roller  64  is located to move in a path which is inward of separate paths followed by the lower rollers  66 . 
     Referring now also to  FIGS. 2-5 , it can be seen that the piler arrangement  70  includes a frame assembly  72  including a pair of transversely spaced arms  74  joined at their forward ends to a cross beam  76  and having rear ends pivotally mounted to a lower front region of the main frame  12  for swinging vertically about a horizontal axis defined by respective horizontal pivot assemblies  78 . A pair of upstanding brackets  80  are respectively joined to the pair of arms  74 , and coupled between each bracket  80  and one of a pair of brackets  82  joined to the main frame  12 , is an extensible and retractable, hydraulic piler lift cylinder  84 . Formed at a lower end of each of the brackets  82  is a chain mounting bracket  86  containing a key hole shaped opening receiving a chain  88  having an end fixed to the cross beam  76  of the piler frame  72 , with a selected link of the chain being placed in the smaller section of the key hole shaped opening, whereby the chain  88  serves as a down stop for preventing the piler arrangement  70  from being lowered to the extent that it digs into the soil. 
     The cross beam  76  of the frame assembly  72  includes a main beam member  90 , of square cross section. Fixed to and projecting vertically upward from an upper front corner of the beam member  90  is an upper mounting strip  92  extending an entire length of the beam. Similarly, fixed to and projecting vertically downward from a lower front corner of the beam  90  is a lower mounting strip  94 . Each of the mounting strips  92  and  94  contains a plurality of horizontally spaced mounting holes  96 . 
     With reference especially to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , it can be seen that a middle cane stalk push lifter  98  is mounted to the upper and lower mounting strips  92  and  94  at a location centered between right- and left-hand cane stalk push lifters  100  and  102 , respectively, mounted to opposite ends of the strips. The spacing between the middle push lifter  98  and the end cane stalk push lifters  100  and  102  is selected to be equal to the spacing between adjacent cane stalk rows  104 , with the lifters  98 ,  100 ,  102  being adapted for operating centrally between adjacent cane rows  104 . The push lifters  98 ,  100 ,  102  each comprise a central, vertical plate structure  106  having a stepped, upwardly and rearwardly inclined leading edge having an upper end joined to a rear edge defined by a vertical edge section to which is joined a downwardly and forwardly inclined edge section, which is, in turn, joined to a horizontal bottom edge. Welded to the vertical edge section is a vertical mounting plate  108  that extends beyond opposite sides of the plate structure  106  and has a top and a bottom respectively located at a height above the upper mounting strip  92 , and at a height below the lower mounting strip  94 . The mounting plate  108  of each push lifter  98 ,  100  and  102  contains upper and lower sets of holes which register with selected ones of the holes  98  provided in the mounting strips  92  and  94 , with bolt fasteners  109  being provided at the aligned holes for securing the push lifters  98 ,  100  and  102  to cross beam  76 . Welded to, and extending beyond opposite sides of the inclined rear edge section, and all but a small forward region of the horizontal bottom edge section of the respective plate structures  106  of the push lifters  98 ,  100 , and  102  is a plate defining a skid shoe  110  having a forward end section that is bifurcated and inclined upwardly and forwardly at opposite sides of the plate structure  106 . This inclined forward end section of the skid shoe  110  presents a surface which tends to prevent the push lifters from digging into the ground. The inclined, has a covering strip assembly  114  welded thereto. Welded to a lower inclined section of the covered leading edge is a wear resistant rod  116  having an upper end that terminates at a lower step of the covered leading edge. 
     Concerning only the middle push lifter  98 , that portion of the strip assembly  114 , not engaged by the rod  116 , forms a guide rail  118 , which includes upper and lower horizontal sections joined by an upwardly and rearwardly inclined middle section. Also relating only to the middle push lifter  98 , are right- and left-hand guide rails  120  and  122  that are joined to opposite sides of the vertical plate structure  106  of the push lifter  98  so as to be behind the guide rail  118 . The guide rails  120  and  122  each have a relatively short upper end section  124  which parallels the middle section of the guide rail  118 , a relatively short middle section  126 , which extends substantially parallel to the mounting plate  108 , and a relatively long, downwardly and forwardly curved lower end section  128  having a lower end which terminates vertically below the lower horizontal section of the middle guide rail  118 . The purpose of the guide rails  118 ,  120  and  122  is to properly position the grab assembly  50 , as explained in further detail below, during the operation of grabbing a load of cane stalks that have been piled by the chain piler assembly  70 . 
     The inclined rods  116  and the relatively narrow strip assemblies  114  at the forward edges of the push lifters  98 ,  100  and  102  operate during forward movement of the piler assembly  70  to lift sugar cane stalks, lying in windrows on the ground, upwardly into engagement with a plurality of chain piler units including a right-hand pair of outer and inner chain piler units  130  and  132 , and a left-hand pair of outer and inner chain piler units  134  and  136 , with the inner and outer units being mirror images of each other. The right-hand pair of chain piler units  130  and  132  are mounted to the upper and lower mounting strips  92  and  94  so as to be centered between the middle and right-hand push lifter units  98  and  100 , and are spaced from each other so as to be centered above a respective cane row  104 . Similarly, the left-hand pair of chain piler units  134  and  136  are mounted to the mounting strips  92  and  94  so as to be centered between the middle and left-hand push lifters  98  and  102 , and are spaced from each other so as to be centered above another one of the cane rows  104 . A piler pocket  138  ( FIG. 3 ) is defined between the inner chain piler units  132  and  136  into which the rear loader grab tine  52  may be inserted for picking up a pile of cane produced by the chain piler assembly  70 , as is described in further detail below. 
     Each of the chain piler units  130 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  includes a vertical chain support structure  140  having a vertical rear edge to which is welded a vertical mounting plate  142  containing upper and lower sets of mounting holes  144  that are respectively brought into register with selected ones of the mounting holes  96  provided in the upper and lower mounting strips  92  and  94 . Bolt fasteners (not shown, but like the fasteners  109 ) are inserted through the registered holes so as to secure the chain piler units to the cross beam  76 . The chain support structures  140  each include a horizontal bottom edge  146  which terminates at a height spaced above the ground, which is slightly less that the height at which upper ends of the rods  116  of the push lifters  98 ,  100  and  102  terminate. 
     Extending between, and having opposite ends secured to an upper region of the chain support structures  140  of each of the right-hand pair of piler chain units  130  and  132  is a telescopic cross brace  148  which is fixed at an adjusted length by a plurality of fasteners  149  inserted through aligned holes provided in the telescoping sections of the brace  148 . A similar brace  148  is provided between an upper region of each of the chain support structures  140  of the left-hand pair of piler chain units  134  and  136 . The chain support structures  140  each include a forwardly opening, generally C-shaped from surface  150  which extends between a forward end of the bottom edge  146  and a front of a curved top edge  152 , the latter having a rear end which terminates at, and is joined to an upper end of, a rear edge  154  which inclines downwardly to an upper end of the vertical mounting plate  142 . 
     Fixed to an upper region of the inner surface of the chain support structure  140  of each of the piler chain units  130  and  134 , and to an upper region of the outer surface of the chain support structure  140  of each of the piler chain units  132  and  136 , are respective head shaft guide assemblies  156 , which each include a pair of angle members  158  arranged parallel to each other and having first sides respectively fixed at opposite sides of an upwardly and forwardly inclined oval opening  160 . Vertical sides of the angle members  158  each have a guide bar  162  fixed along its length. A hydraulic motor  164  includes an output shaft (not visible) defining a head shaft which projects through the opening  160  and mounted to the head shaft, so as to be on an opposite side of the chain support structure  140  from the motor  164 , is a chain sprocket  166 . A guide plate assembly  168  is fixed to the motor  164  and is mounted for sliding along the guide bars  162 . An extensible and retractable hydraulic actuator  170  has a rod end coupled to a bracket carried by the motor  164  and a cylinder coupled to a bracket fixed to the chain support structure  140 , with the actuator  170  being operable for selectively effecting up or down movement of the motor  164 , and, hence, the head shaft, within the oval opening  160 , for a purpose explained below. 
     Located in a lower region of each of the chain support structures  140  of the chain piler units  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  so as to be substantially vertically below the oval openings  160 , are respective horizontally aligned openings. Received in the openings provided in the right-hand pair of chain piler units  130  and  132  is a firs shaft  172 , and received in the openings provided in the left-hand pair of chain piler units  134  and  136  is a second shaft  172 . The shafts  172  are supported in bearing assemblies  174  fixed to confronting surfaces of the support structures  140  of the piler units  130  and  132 , and in confronting surfaces of the support structures  140  of the piler units  134  and  136 . Mounted to opposite ends of the shafts  172  are respective chain sprockets  176 . An endless roller chain  178  (see  FIG. 2 ) is trained about each set of sprockets  166  and  176 , and fixed to an outer side of each of the chains  178 , relative to the support structure  140 , by link pins passing through the chain rollers, is a plurality of triangular, flat cane conveyor teeth  180 . The path traveled by the chain  178  is determined by a chain guide arrangement  182  including an outer, generally kidney-shaped guide member  184  having upper and lower ends extending about the sprockets  166  and  176 . A forward side of the guide member  184  is spaced behind and extends substantially parallel to the front edge  150  of the chain support structure  140 . The height of the guide member  184  from the chain support structure  140  is such that the conveyor teeth  180  project beyond the guide member  184 , with the teeth  180  being sufficiently long that as they travel adjacent a forward side of the guide member  184  they project forwardly beyond the front edge  150  of the chain support structure  140 . Each chain guide arrangement  182  further includes front and rear guide members  186  and  188  which extend between the sprockets  166  and  177  and are disposed substantially parallel to each other and to a forward side of the outer guide member  184 . 
     While the forwardly curved leading edge of the support structures  140  and the corresponding shape of the chain guide assembly are the preferred shapes, other shapes would also result in beneficial operation. For example, the support structures  140  could have a leading edge that defines a forwardly opening V with the chain associated with the each support structure being guided so that its forward run parallels the upper side of the V so that during operation the conveyor teeth would have a forward component of movement that would cause the cane stalks to be rolled forward onto the pile being formed. 
     The operation of the chain piler assembly  70  is briefly as follows. Once the sugar cane loader  10  is driven to a sugar cane field where the cane has been cut and windrowed so as to extend generally crosswise to the cane rows  104 . With the size of loader  10  and chain piler assembly  70  being that shown in the drawings, the loader  10  is oriented so that the middle push lifter  98  is centered between a first pair of adjacent rows  104 , while the right- and left-hand push lifters  100  and  102 , respectively, are each centered between a different one of the first pair of rows  104  and the next adjacent row  104 . The chain piler assembly  70  is lowered until the skid shoes  110  come into ground contact. The motors  164  are then actuated to cause the chains  178  to be driven counterclockwise, as viewed in  FIG. 2 . The loader  10  is then driven forward with the push lifters  98 ,  100 , and  102  causing the windrowed cane to be elevated into contact with the curved front edges  150  of the chain support structures  140  of the chain piler units  130 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136 . Once the cane stalks are elevated to the extent that they are within reach of the conveyor teeth  180 , the stalks are carried upward, then rolled forward onto the building pile of cane stalks, as shown at  190  in  FIG. 1 . This action of the piler chains  178  is important in that it results in more soil being dislodged from the cane stalks than is possible with a conventional push piler and avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art chain piler wherein the chains are disposed on a rearward incline and have no forward component of movement. 
     Once a cane stalk pile  190  is formed, it may be loaded onto an adjacent container of a transport trailer, or the like, by manipulating the grab assembly  50  so that, with the grab tines  52  and  54  opened, the rear grab tine  52  is lowered into the piler pocket  138  (see  FIG. 3 ). The grab tines  52  and  54  and then closed about the piled cane, with the encircled load of cane then being lifted and deposited into the transport container. The piling and loading functions are then repeated. 
     Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.