Combine cylinder reel tooth

A cold forged cylinder reel tooth adapted to be mounted to the cylinder of a threshing mechanism includes a threshing portion, a tapered seating portion and a fastening portion. The threshing portion includes identical symmetrical double-edged surface blades which are reversable to provide that the opposite unworn edged blade is positioned to engage the grain when the first edge blade is worn beyond practical use. The tapered seating portion permits proper indexing of the reel tooth 180 degrees to permit the unworn opposite double edge surface to engage the incoming grain in the threshing mechanism and the fastening portion provides rapid mounting and demounting of the cylinder reel tooth from the cylinder during the indexing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The threshing mechanism of a harvesting machine includes a rotating 
cylinder mounted therein which cooperates with a concave unit to thresh 
the grain as the grain is fed into the threshing mechanism from a 
headerassembly on the harvesting machine. The threshing cylinder rotates 
and engages the incoming cut grain such that the majority of the grain is 
removed and dropped through an open grate in the concave unit where the 
grain is collected and transported by some type of auger flighting to a 
storage area. 
In the past, cylinder reel teeth have been manufactured generally by hot 
forging a steel plate and cold trimming the plate to the desired shape to 
provide a cylinder reel tooth. The resultant hot forging and subsequent 
cold trimming of the steel plate produces ragged edges on the parting line 
of the trimmed steel plate or blade which damages the grain during the 
threshing mechanism and provides a cylinder reel tooth having undesirable 
tensile and yield strength. Because such prior art cylinder reel teeth or 
blades include only one blade surface to contact the grain passing through 
the threshing mechanism, the ragged edges on the parting line of the blade 
results in rapid wear of the blade surface of the cylinder reel tooth. See 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,664,100 and 3,410,271 for examples of the structure of 
the single edged reel teeth or blades. This rapid wear of cylinder reel 
tooth results in increased maintenance cost in maintaining the threshing 
mechanism in efficient operating condition and requires considerable down 
time of the threshing mechanism as individual reel teeth are replaced. The 
resultant expensive replacement of reel teeth and a considerable amount of 
down time of the threshing mechanism may result in the loss of a 
particular crop to be harvested and has resulted in inefficiency of the 
particular threshing machines in harvesting the grain. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is one object of the present invention to provide a symmetrical, 
cold-forged reel tooth having a plurality of threshing surfaces thereon 
for use in a harvesting mechanism. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide symmetrical 
shaped reel teeth which may be indexed 180 degrees to provide increased 
wearability. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a 
cold-forged symmetrical reel tooth having a precision tapered seating 
portion to provide firm seating of the reel tooth to a cylinder member or 
holding bars. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cold-forged 
cylinder reel tooth having cold formed threads thereon to provide a reel 
tooth possessing increased tensile and yield strength. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of 
processing steel bar stock to provide a cold-forged cylinder reel tooth. 
The cold forged combine cylinder reel tooth of the present invention is 
produced by cold forming steel bar stock into an elongated conical shaped 
plug having a tapered square portion intermediate the ends thereof. The 
tapered square portion is then treated by cold upsetting, as is well known 
in the art, to provide a uniform and precision shaped tapered square 
seating portion which accurately seats in the cylinder mechanism or hold 
bar portion thereof. One end portion of the cold formed symmetrical 
conical shaped plug is then cold extruded to a pitch diameter to produce a 
mounting stem portion having a diameter slightly greater than the 
subsequent threads which are threaded thereon. The opposite grain 
contacting end portion of the cold formed symmetrical conical shaped plug 
is then flattened in a press to provide a reel tooth operating portion 
which is symmetrical and having double cutting edges or blades thereon 
which permits the operator of threshing mechanism to reverse the cutting 
edge or blade of the reel tooth when the reel tooth becomes worn with 
usage and to rotate the blade 180 degrees and index the same into the 
cylinder mechanism or holding bar portion for further usage in the 
threshing mechanism. 
When the reel tooth portion has been flattened, the mounting end stem 
portion is cold rolled threaded to provide threads having greater tensile 
strength and yield strength than a conventional cold forged reel tooth. 
After the mounting end stem portion has been cold rolled threaded, the 
flattened or reel tooth operating portion is heat treated to provide a 
reel tooth which is symmetrical and having a uniformly identically shaped 
cutting edge or blade on the opposite sides thereof. 
The reel tooth of the present invention is symmetrical and therefor 
reversable and allows the operator of the threshing mechanism to remove 
the reel tooth from the cylinder mechanism or holding bar portion and to 
index the tooth 180 degrees and reinstall it for additional usage. 
Additionally, the flattening and subsequent heat treating processes 
provide a cold formed reel tooth portion having a smooth even radius on 
the leading and working edges or blades of the tooth, thus eliminating the 
ragged edges on the parting line left after hot forging and trimming of 
conventional reel teeth. Moreover, the uniformly shaped tapered square 
seating portion permits the reel tooth to seat more accurately and firmly 
in the cylinder mechanism or holding bar portion thereby facilitating the 
removal, indexing and mounting of the reel tooth in the threshing 
mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been 
used throughout the several views to identify the same or similar parts, 
in FIG. 1 there is shown a cold-forged combine cylinder reel tooth 10 
mounted to a combine cylinder member or means 12 which is adapted to 
receive and fixedly mount the reel tooth 10, as will hereinafter be 
described. 
The cold-forged combine cylinder reel tooth 10 is produced by cold forming 
steel bar stock (not shown) into an elongated conical shaped plug 13 
having a tapered square portion 14 located intermediate an end stem 
portion 15 and the opposite grain contacting end portion 16 thereof. The 
tapered square portion 14 is then treated by cold upsetting, a treatment 
well known in the art, to provide a uniform and precision shaped tapered 
square seating portion 17 (FIG. 4) which accurately seats in the combine 
cylinder means 12, as shown in FIG. 1. 
The end stem portion 15 of the elongated conical shaped plug 13 is then 
cold extruded to a pitch diameter to produce a mounting plug or stem 
having a diameter slightly greater than threads which are subsequently 
threaded thereon, as shown in FIG. 2. The opposite grain contacting end 
portion of the elongated conical shaped plug 13 is then flattened in a 
press (not shown) to provide a reel tooth portion 19 which is symmetrical 
and includes double cutting edges or blades faces 18 thereon. The cutting 
blades 18 permit the operator of the threshing mechanism to reverse the 
reel tooth and cutting blade 18 thereon when the working cutting blade 
becomes worn, as will hereinafter be described. 
When the reel tooth portion has been flattened in a press, the threads 24 
(FIG. 3) on the end stem portion 15 are cold rolled threaded thereon to 
provide threads having greater tensile strength and yield strength than 
conventional reel teeth. Thereafter, the flattened reel tooth grain 
contacting portion 19 is heat treated to provide a reel tooth having 
uniformly shaped cutting blade faces 18 (FIG. 5), and to provide 
symmetrical cutting edges 19 and 20 thereon (FIG. 1). 
The combine cylinder member or means 12 is utilized to mount the cold 
forged cylinder reel tooth 10 in any conventional manner. The cylinder 
means may include cylinder bar (not shown) mounted thereon. Importantly, 
the combine cylinder means 12 includes a square recess 22 overlapping an 
opening 25, therein with the square recess 22 adapted to receive and hold 
the tapered square seating portion 17 of the cylinder reel tooth in 
operating position. Conventionally, fastening bolts or means 28 are 
engageable with the threads 24 on the end stem portion 15 to rigidly mount 
and hold the reel tooth 10 in operating position. 
During a period of prolonged combine operation, it is common for the 
cutting blade face 18 to become worn thereby reducing the efficiency of 
the threshing mechanism. The present invention permits the operator 
thereof to sufficiently loosen the fastening means 28 to permit the 
tapered square seating portion of the reel tooth to be raised wherein it 
may be properly indexed 180 degrees to permit the exposure of the opposite 
and identically cutting blade face to the operating position. 
What has been described is a cold-forged combine cylinder reel tooth having 
a plurality of cutting blade surfaces thereon which are symmetrical and 
therefor reversable to permit the operator of the threshing mechanism to 
remove the reel tooth from the cylinder mechanism or holding bar portion 
and to index the tooth 180 degrees and reinstall it for additional usage. 
Additionally, the method of treating bar stock including the flattening 
and subsequent heat treating processes to provide a cold-forged reel tooth 
portion having a smooth even radius on the leading and working edges or 
blades of the tooth, eliminate the ragged edges on the parting line left 
after hot forging and trimming of conventional reel teeth. Moreover, the 
uniformly tapered square seating portion permits the reel tooth of the 
present invention to seat more accurately and firmly in the cylinder 
mechanism or holding bar portion thereby facilitating the removal, 
indexing and mounting of the reel tooth in the threshing mechanism, 
results that are unobtainable with existing reel teeth.