Compactor and dump controlling device for a cotton harvester

In a cotton harvester, a pair of fork assemblies are mounted between the ends of the basket for independently rocking about a fore-and-aft extending pivotal axis. A separate hydraulic cylinder operates each fork assembly to compact the cotton against the side of the basket and to selectively hold a substantial portion of the cotton in the basket during dumping. The cylinders are plumbed in parallel so that uneven loads can be compressed with substantially uniform pressure from the front to rear of the basket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesters, and more 
specifically to a device for compacting and controlling the dumping of 
cotton i the basket of such harvesters. 
A typical cotton harvester includes an overhead receptacle or basket 
supported on a mobile frame. An air system is used to blow harvested 
cotton from harvesting unit mounted at the forward end of the frame 
upwardly and rearwardly to the forward top portion of the basket. Under 
most conditions, the rear of the basket generally fills the quickest, with 
the forward end of the basket filling the last. The cotton is highly 
compressible and therefore to provide maximum basket capacity, a 
compacting device is typically used to compress the cotton. Previous 
compacting devices have included bars pivotally connected near the upper 
forward end of the basket and pivotable about a transverse axis to 
compress the cotton as it rises in the basket. Such devices are shown, for 
example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,422,751 and 3,412,532. In another type of 
structure, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,291, a vane assembly is pivotally 
connected near the bottom of the basket for rocking about a transversely 
extending axis. The vane is normally in a position away from the cotton 
inlet and when cotton begins to block the rear grates, the vane is rocked 
toward the inlet and returned to the original position. 
The previously available basket arrangements with the pivoting tines 
suffered from several shortcomings. When there is a variation in the 
amount of cotton compacted along the length of the vane, the rocking of 
the tines is limited by the area of the largest loading while the areas 
which are not so heavily loaded will not be compacted to the same degree. 
The transverse orientation of the tines can often interfere with the 
proper distribution of the cotton in the basket as the cotton is delivered 
from the air ducts. The basket will not fill properly unless the operator 
carefully controls the device while the cotton basket fills. 
Another problem arises with present basket systems when the basket is 
dumped into a trailer or module builder. At times a full basket is not 
needed to complete the load in the trailer or module builder, and cotton 
often spills since it is very difficult to dump only the needed amount of 
cotton. At other times a partial dump is needed on each end of the trailer 
or module builder. Since the dump cannot be accurately controlled, 
distributing the cotton after the dumping process is required and this is 
difficult and time-consuming. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
compacting and dump controlling device for a cotton harvester basket. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a compacting device for 
a cotton harvester which does not interfere with the cotton as it is 
delivered from the air ducts. It is a further object to provide such a 
device which requires a minimum amount of operator attention during the 
basket loading process. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compacting 
device which does not stall as a result of the basket filling at a 
differential rate along the length of the compacting device. 
It is still another object of the invention to provide a compacting and 
dump controlling device for a cotton harvester which provides a better 
distribution of cotton when dumped and a less chance of cotton falling on 
the ground during the dumping process. It is still another object to 
provide such a device which permits a partial basket load to be dumped 
into a trailer or module builder. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cotton 
harvester basket with at least two compactor fork assemblies which may be 
rocked back and forth with respect to the sidewalls generally in unison 
but which can rock independently of each other when the cotton load is 
unevenly distributed relative to the compactor assemblies. 
In accordance with the above objects a pair of independently rockable 
compactor fork assemblies is pivotally connected for rocking about axially 
aligned and fore-and-aft extending pivots located between the front and 
rear ends of the cotton receptacle. Each compactor fork assembly is 
connected to a separate hydraulic cylinder and the two cylinders are 
plumbed in parallel so that the compactor forks act in the same direction 
when activated but can pivot independently with respect to each other so 
that uneven loads can be compressed with substantially uniform pressure 
from front to rear. During dumping when the basket is pivoted toward one 
side of the implement, the compactor forks may be pivoted to compress a 
partial load of the cotton towards one side of the wall and prevent it 
from falling into the trailer or module builder. After a portion of the 
load is dumped, the implement may be repositioned and the compactor vanes 
released to permit the remainder of the cotton to fall into the trailer or 
module builder. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description 
which follows and from the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown a cotton harvester 10 mounted on 
a tractor 12 for forward movement over a field having parallel rows of 
cotton plants. A plurality of cotton harvesting units 14 are transversely 
spaced on a rear-mounted frame 16 supported from the aft end of the 
tractor 12. Cotton removed by the units 14 is transferred to a centrally 
located air conveying system indicated generally at 18 which includes a 
cotton conveying duct 20 extending upwardly to a cotton receptacle or 
basket 22 supported above the tractor 12. The basket 22 is generally of 
conventional construction and includes floor 24, a sidewall 26 extending 
upwardly from one side of the floor 24, an opposite sidewall 28 extending 
upwardly and inclined outwardly from the floor 24. The lower portion of 
the basket 22 is enclosed at the rearward end by a rear end wall 30 and at 
the forward end by a similarly shaped front end wall (not shown). 
The basket 22 includes a generally dome-shaped top enclosure 32 which is 
pivotally connected for rocking about a fore-and-aft axis to the sidewall 
26. The dome-shaped top enclosure includes a rear end wall 34 having a 
hooded opening 36 which aligns with the upper end of the cotton conveying 
duct 20 when the basket is in the field-working position shown in FIG. 1. 
Harvested cotton is blown upwardly through the duct 20 and into the basket 
22 through the opening 36. 
The dump side of the basket 22, that is, the side of the basket 
corresponding to the inclined sidewall 28, is pivotally connected by 
bracket structure 38 (FIGS. 2 and 3) to support frame arms 40 which extend 
upwardly and outwardly from one side of the harvester frame. The basket 22 
is rockable upwardly about a fore-and-aft extending axis indicated 
generally at 42, by basket dump cylinders 44 connected between the 
harvester frame and the sidewall 28 of the basket. As the cylinders 44 are 
extended to rock the basket 22 upwardly about the pivotal axis 42, linkage 
(not shown) pivots the dome-shaped top enclosure 32 with respect to the 
remainder of the basket 32 to provide an unencumbered space outwardly and 
downwardly from the basket so that cotton may be dumped into a trailer or 
module builder such as indicated generally at 46. 
A pair of compactor fork assemblies 50 is connected for rocking within the 
basket 22 about a fore-and-aft extending pivotal axis indicated generally 
at 52. As best seen in FIG. 4, each compactor fork assembly 50 includes 
tube 54, which in the preferred embodiment is square although other shapes 
could also be utilized, supporting a plurality of upright forks 56 which 
are connected to and extend perpendicularly from the top face of the tube 
54 at generally equally spaced intervals along the length of the tube. The 
forks 56 are fabricated from tubular members having a rectangular cross 
section with the narrow side of the members facing the direction of 
rotation. For increased strength, a trapezoidal brace 58 may be welded to 
each side of the square tube 54. The brace 58 includes a narrow upper end 
welded to the narrow face of the fork 56 and a lower end which angles 
around the lower face of the square tube 58. Each brace 58 is welded to 
the bottom and side of the square tube 58 and to the edges of the 
corresponding upright fork 56. The two compactor fork assemblies 50 are 
generally identical in construction and are supported end-to-end adjacent 
the floor 24 of the basket 22. 
The fork assemblies 50 are supported for rocking about the fore-and-aft 
extending axis 52 by a pair of end fork bearing brackets 60 connected near 
the front and rear end walls of the basket 22 and by a center bearing 
assembly 62 centrally located with respect to the basket floor 22. Each 
end fork bearing bracket includes a fork pivot bushing 64 connected to an 
upright leg 66 of the bracket. The center bearing assembly 62 includes a 
pair of brackets 70 connected to the basket floor 24 and supporting a 
center spacer 72 which extends through the sides of the brackets and is 
axially aligned with the fork pivot bushing 64 of the end brackets 60. 
In the preferred embodiment, as best seen in FIG. 4, a pivot tube 74 having 
an outer diameter approximately equal to the inside dimension of the 
square tube 54 is inserted through the respective tubes 54 of the 
individual fork assemblies 50 and through the spacer 72. The ends of the 
pivot tube 74 are supported in the fork pivot bushings 64. The pivot tube 
74 is non-rotatably fixed in the pivot bushing 64 and the spacer 72 by 
inserting pins (not shown) through holes 76 and 78 and through 
corresponding holes 80 in the tube 74. Each square tube 54 fits 
sufficiently loose over the pivot tube 74 so that the compactor fork 
assembly may be pivoted about the axis of the tube. Alternatively, the 
pivot tube 74 may be eliminated by utilizing a round tube 54 and 
permitting the tube to rotate in the bushings 64 and center spacer 72. 
An arm 82 is fixed to the end of each square tube 54 adjacent the 
corresponding bracket 60. Each arm 82 extends downwardly to a lower end 
having a pivotal connection 84 with the rod end of a cylinder 86. As the 
cylinder 86 is extended and retracted, the compactor fork assembly 50 will 
rock about the axis of the pivot tube 74. In the preferred embodiment, the 
bracket 60 is supported on or adjacent a horizontal ledge 88 (see FIGS. 5 
and 6) which extends inwardly from the end of the basket 22 a short 
distance. The ledge 88 is slotted at 90 to permit the arm 82 to extend 
downwardly below the level of the ledge. The rod end of the cylinder 86 is 
supported closely adjacent the lower side of the ledge 88 and the end of 
the basket by a pivot 92 when the upright forks 56 of the assembly 50 are 
in the vertical position as shown in FIG. 6, the pivotal connection 84 
with the rod end of the cylinder 86 is located directly below the pivot 
tube 74 slightly below the level of the pivot 92. Sufficient space is 
provided so that the compactor fork assembly 50 can be rocked back and 
forth a substantial distance from the vertical position. In the preferred 
embodiment, the forks 56 may be rocked approximately thirty degrees in 
either direction from the vertical position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The 
compactor fork assemblies 50, which are generally identical in 
construction, ar axially aligned and extend in the fore-and-aft direction 
substantially the entire length of the basket 22. Each assembly 50 may be 
rocked independently of the remaining assembly 50. 
In the preferred embodiment, the cylinders 86 (FIG. 4) are plumbed in 
parallel and are connected through an operator control valve 96 to a 
source of hydraulic fluid 98 on the tractor. By moving the operator 
control valve to the left as shown in FIG. 4, fluid under pressure is 
supplied to the cylinder ends to extend the cylinders 86 and rock the 
forks 56 in a clockwise direction toward one side of the basket 22. Moving 
the operator control valve to the right pressurizes the rod end of the 
cylinder 86 to retract the cylinder and rock the forks 56 in the 
counterclockwise direction toward the opposite side of the basket 22. The 
compactor fork assemblies will move generally in unison until the force 
necessary to rock the individual assemblies begins to vary, for example, 
when one end of the basket is filling more rapidly than the opposite end. 
With the cylinders 86 plumbed in parallel, the fork assemblies 50 can be 
rocked to provide substantially equal compaction regardless of 
differential basket filling. The fore-and-aft orientation of the compactor 
fork assemblies 50 prevent the forks 56 from interferring with the 
distribution of the cotton in the basket as it is delivered from the air 
duct 20. The cotton is blown into the basket in a direction generally 
parallel to the axis of rotation of the compactor fork assemblies 50 at a 
location directly above the assemblies. As the basket 22 fills, the 
operator from time to time can move the control valve 96 to pivot the 
assemblies 50 from one side of the basket to the other to compact the 
cotton between the narrow sides of the upright forks 56 and the 
corresponding side of the basket 22. Since the compactor fork assemblies 
50 act independently of each other, variations in front to rear load 
density will automatically be compensated for to provide optimum loading 
and increased productivity. 
The bearing arrangement of the square tube 54 supported on the pivot tube 
74 provides a rugged and generally maintenance-free arrangement which can 
withstand relatively large amounts of dirt and debris. The serviceability 
of the structure is enhanced by supporting the cylinders 86 below the 
ledge 88 out of contact with the cotton. Even when the cotton basket is 
full, repairs can be made in the cylinder area without difficulty. In 
addition, if a fluid leak should develop in the hydraulic cylinder system, 
the cotton in the basket 22 is protected from contamination. 
At times when a full basket of cotton is not needed to complete the load in 
the trailer or module builder 46 (FIGS. 2 and 3), or when a partial dump 
is needed on each end of the trailer or module builder, the operator 
simply moves the control valve 96 to pivot the forks 56 toward one side of 
the basket prior to dumping. The cotton is then trapped between the forks 
56 and the basket side to prevent the cotton from falling out until the 
forks are rocked toward the opposite side. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, 
the forks 56 are pivoted towards the sidewall 26 opposite the pivotal axis 
42 to initially hold the top portion of the load while permitting the 
lower portion to exit in the conventional manner into the trailer or 
module builder 46. Once the lower portion of the basket is emptied, the 
harvester may be repositioned as necessary. Thereafter, the operator moves 
the control 96 to rock the forks in the opposite direction (FIG. 3) to 
release the cotton in the upper portion of the basket. Holding a partial 
load longitudinally in the basket provides better distribution of the 
cotton when dumped and less chance of the cotton falling on the ground. 
Having described the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that 
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the 
invention as defined in the accompanying claims.