The cotton harvester includes a cotton picker housing having at least one plant lifter defining a plant row channel extending back into the housing to a plant compressor sheet. A picker rotor is mounted in the cotton picker housing adjacent to the plant row channel and traverse to the plant compressor sheet. A doffer in the housing near the picker rotor removes picked cotton from the picker rotor and moves the picked cotton to an outlet at the rear of the cotton picker housing. A power unit includes an internal combustion engine mounted on the housing including a rotatable output selectably connectable in rotatably driving relation to the picker rotor and the doffer for imparting rotation thereto. The power unit can also selectably drive at least one wheel of the harvester for moving it over the ground at a speed corresponding to a rotational speed of the picker rotor.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to cotton harvesting machines and more particularly to a powered walk-behind cotton harvester row unit suited for use in small cotton fields and in less developed countries where use of larger, more sophisticated and expensive harvesting machines is not feasible or warranted.

BACKGROUND ART

In agriculturally advanced countries such as the United States of America, in the last century cotton harvesting has evolved from a largely manual task, to a completely automated task, wherein self-propelled machines are used to pick cotton at rates of up to several thousand pounds per hour from many rows of plants simultaneously. Reference in this regard Watkins U.S. Pat. No. 1,763,607 issued Jun. 10, 1930; Fachini et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,423 issued Jul. 27, 1982 to International Harvester Co.; and Covington et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,216 issued Feb. 19, 1991 to J. I. Case Co.

While technological innovation and advancement have led to the use of technologically advanced, large capacity cotton harvesting machines in advanced nations, in poorer, less developed nations, cotton is still largely harvested by hand. Even old, relatively simple cotton harvesters such as disclosed in Watkins U.S. Pat. No. 1,763,607 are not now known to be used in developing countries for harvesting cotton. One anticipated shortcoming of using a harvester such as shown in Watkins, is the possible abrupt stoppage and jamming of the harvesting mechanism, for instance, due to abrupt stoppage of the wheels, such as if one or both of the wheels become lodged in a ditch or the like, or in the event the harvesting mechanism becomes entangled with thick cotton foliage, weeds, vines or the like. This possibility would appear to be increased if the harvester is only manually powered. One reason that this is a problem is an apparent lack of ability to disengage the picking apparatus from the drive wheels. The Watkins harvester also has a relatively blunt forward end, such that it would appear that large or wide cotton plants may be difficult to guide and receive into the relatively narrow front opening of the harvester. Also, using more modern harvesting mechanisms including picker rotors including columns of picker spindles and drives for rotating them, doffer columns, and the like, in a harvester such as disclosed in Watkins, would likely make the harvester too heavy to be moved under human power.

Further, it is desirable that spindles or other picking elements of the harvesting apparatus be moving in timed relation to the ground speed of the harvester, so as to enter a cotton plant to remove the cotton therefrom at a speed closely corresponding to the speed of the harvester over the ground. It has been found that if the harvesting mechanism is operating too fast relative to the speed of movement of the plant through the harvester, a result like a threshing effect may occur which can result in the plants being damaged and debarked. In contrast, when the harvesting mechanism operates too slowly relative to ground speed, it has been observed that the plant can be undesirably pulled by the spindles or other harvesting elements, even to such an extent as to partially or completely uproot the plant.

Thus, what is sought is a walk-behind type cotton harvester that overcomes many of the shortcomings and limitations set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

What is disclosed is a walk-behind cotton harvester that overcomes many of the problems and shortcomings identified above. The present walk-behind cotton harvester generally includes a cotton picker housing having at least one plant lifter mounted forward of the housing and defining a plant row channel extending rearwardly into the housing to a plant compressor sheet, the cotton picker housing being connected to and supported by a plurality of wheels or other elements for movement over a field. The cotton harvester includes a picker rotor mounted in the cotton picker housing adjacent to the plant row channel and traverse to the compressor sheet. The cotton harvester includes a doffer mounted in the cotton picker housing near the picker rotor for removing picked cotton from the picker rotor and moving the picked cotton to an outlet at the rear of the cotton picker housing. The harvester additionally includes a power unit including an internal combustion engine mounted on or adjacent to the housing and drive elements including an element selectably engageable for rotatably drivingly connecting a rotatable output of the engine to the picker rotor and the doffer for imparting rotation thereto, and drive elements for positively selectably rotatably drivingly connecting the output of the engine to at least one of the wheels so as to rotate the wheel or wheels at a rotational speed at least substantially timed or synchronized with a rotational speed of the picker rotor and doffer.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the element selectably engageable for drivingly connecting the output of the engine to the picker rotor and the doffer includes an endless belt encircling pulleys on the engine output and a rotatable input such as a shaft and/or gear train or belt arrangement drivingly connected to the picker rotor and the doffer, the belt being engageable with the pulleys by movement of an idler pulley into engagement with the belt for tensioning it. The drive elements for drivingly connecting the output of the engine to at least one of the wheels is also preferably a belt drive operable by engagement of a positive engagement clutch such as a mechanical toothed clutch. The idler pulley and the clutch are preferably engageable, respectively, by operation of hand levers mounted adjacent to handles of the harvester.

According to a preferred configuration, the plant row channel extends forwardly and rearwardly through the cotton picker housing on one side of a center line of the harvester, beneath the engine, and the picker rotor and the doffer are mounted on an opposite side of the center line. This enables the cotton harvester to be moved in the forward direction for receiving one of two closely spaced rows of cotton plants in the plant row channel for harvesting the cotton therefrom. This configuration also provides balance for better stability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown, inFIGS. 1 and 2a walk-behind cotton harvester10is shown. Walk behind cotton harvester10includes a single row cotton picker20including a cotton picker housing22. A pair of lateral plant lifters30are mounted to and extend forwardly of the cotton picker housing22, defining a plant channel36extending back into housing22to a plant compressor sheet34. At least one picker rotor26is mounted in cotton picker housing22adjacent to plant channel36and traverse to plant compressor sheet34. A corresponding doffer column28is mounted in cotton picker housing22near picker rotor26for facilitating the picking action. Doffer column28removes picked cotton from picker rotor26and moves the picked cotton to an outlet38at the rear of cotton picker housing22. A moistening column29is preferably disposed in picker housing22beside picker rotor26for moistening individual spindles or rotor26. Rotor26, doffer column28and moistener column29are all well known elements of cotton pickers such as picker20. A power unit12is mounted on cotton picker housing22and is in mechanical communication with picker rotor26and doffer column28to impart appropriate rotational motion to such devices. Mounted on cotton picker housing22is a means for moving40the walk behind cotton harvester10, means for moving40here including a pair of rotatable wheels14on opposite sides of picker housing22and a forward rotatable wheel13. A handle31mounted on housing22may also be provided.FIGS. 1 and 2depict the walk-behind harvester10in a single row configuration. It should be understood that a multiple row cotton picker unit can be configured as a walk behind harvester. One embodiment of the walk behind cotton harvester10has the means for moving40in mechanical communication with the power unit12via a drive shaft41and a gear box24. It should be understood that means for moving40comprising wheels13and14are selected from a group also consisting of a pair of tracks or a pair of skids or other low friction elements to allow pulling by an animal or tractor. The wheels, tracks, skids and elements can be of any conventional and convenient style. Wheel13can be steerable, to assist the operator in maneuvering walk behind cotton harvester10. In an embodiment of the walk behind harvester, power unit12can be a hydraulic motor, an electric motor, or a fossil fuel engine, such as an internal combustion engine, in mechanical communication with the means for moving40. The cotton picked from the cotton plant rows is exhausted into a cotton collecting device (not shown) that can be attached to the walk behind cotton harvester, or towed or maneuvered behind or adjacent thereto, or the picked cotton can be deposited directly onto the ground for subsequent pickup by any convenient method. Trash such as plant debris can exit through a rear end of plant channel36, denoted generally at39. The elements of cotton picker housing22, including picker rotor26, doffer column28, lateral plant lifters30, plant compressor sheet34, and plant channel36, can comprise a cotton picker unit20as shown and described in related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/511,462, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,605, the disclosure in which is incorporated herein by reference.

InFIG. 2, cotton harvester10is positioned such that plant channel36therethrough is aligned with and receives one row of cotton plants P of a pair of rows of cotton plants spaced a distance D1apart. This pair of rows is spaced a distance D2from an adjacent pair of rows P which themselves are also spaced a distance D1apart. This represents a narrow row cotton planting configuration prevalent in many developing countries particularly in the Peoples Republic of China. In such a planting pattern, the distance D1is approximately 30 centimeters and the distance D2is approximately 60 centimeters. In this view, it can be observed that cotton harvester10is of an asymmetrical configuration wherein plant channel36is to one side of a front to rear center line35of harvester10, while picker rotor26and doffer column28are located mostly on an opposite side of the center line35. Picker rotor26includes a plurality of columns of generally horizontally projecting spindles (not shown) that move as the rotor is rotated so as to project across plant channel36to adjacent to an opposing surface of compressor sheet34, so as to be capable of removing cotton from bolls of plants passing through plant channel36, the cotton plants being compressed laterally with respect to the length of rows P during passage through picker housing22in the well known manner to allow a majority of the cotton on the plants to be picked from one side.

InFIGS. 3,4,5and6, another walk-behind cotton harvester50constructed and operable according to the teachings of the present invention is shown, like parts of cotton harvester50and cotton harvester10being identified by like numbers. Cotton harvester50includes a single row picker unit20including a picker housing22containing a rotatable picker rotor26and an associated rotatable doffer column28, and a moistener column29. Picker housing22as previously described includes a pair of forwardly extending lateral plant lifters30defining a plant channel36extending rearwardly into housing22to a plant compressor sheet34. Picker rotor26is located adjacent to plant channel36traverse to plant compressor sheet34so as to be operable in the above-described manner. Doffer column28is also mounted in picker housing22, near picker rotor26, and removes picked cotton from picker rotor26and moves it to an outlet38at the rear of cotton picker housing22, as previously described. A power unit12is mounted on cotton picker housing22and is selectably engageable in mechanical connection with picker rotor26and doffer column28to impart appropriate rotational motion thereto. A plurality of rotatable wheels13and14are connected to and support picker housing22for movement over a surface, such as ground surface52of a cotton field. A rearmost of wheels14is rotatably mounted to the bottom of a generally upstanding column54connected to a rear support structure56. Column54and rearwardly located wheel14are preferably connected to rear support structure56for rotatable or pivotable movement as denoted by arrow58, column54including handles31to allow steering harvester50.

Referring more particularly toFIG. 6, which is a top view of harvester50, it can be seen that harvester50, like harvester10is of an asymmetrical configuration, wherein power unit12is located generally above plant channel36which extends more along one side of a forward to rearward center line35through picker housing22, rotor26, doffer column28and moistener column29being located in an opposite side of housing22. This facilitates usage in the manner described in reference to harvester10in a cotton field planted in rows P such as depicted inFIG. 1.

Referring also toFIGS. 7 and 8, the engine of power unit12includes a rotatable output60selectably connectable in rotatably driving relation to picker rotor26and doffer column28for imparting rotation thereto, by a picker unit drive62. Output60is additionally connectable in rotatably driving relation by a wheel drive64to a selected wheel14generally beneath power unit12. Picker unit20includes a gear arrangement (not shown) disposed in picker housing22generally above picker rotor26and doffer column28in the well known manner. Harvester50includes an input gear box66on top of picker housing22connected in rotatably driving relation to the gear arrangement. Gear box66is a conventional, commercially available right angle gear box, including a rotatable input68, and a rotatable output (not shown) which connects to the gear arrangement. Picker unit drive62includes an input pulley70mounted on output60of the engine of power unit12for rotation therewith, and an output pulley72mounted on input68of gear box66for rotation therewith. An endless belt74encircles pulley70and72. An idler pulley76is mounted for rotation on one end of an idler arm78mounted for pivotal movement at a convenient location, such as shown on power unit12, for pivotal movement of idler pulley76into biased rotating engagement with belt74(solid lines) for drivingly connecting pulleys70and72for engaging picker unit drive62, and a less or unbiased position (dotted lines) such that belt74affords slippage sufficient for disengagement of picker unit drive62such that pulley70does not drive pulley72. A biasing element80, which can be a suitable conventional spring or the like, is connected between an opposite end of idler arm78and a suitable structure, such as power unit12, for yieldably urging pivotal movement of idler arm78in a counterclockwise direction away from belt74. A control cable82is connected between idler arm78and a control lever84on one of handles31, squeezing of lever84toward handle31operating to pull idler arm78in opposition to biasing element80to pivot idler pulley78into biased engagement with belt74for placing sufficient tension in the belt for driveably connecting pulley70to pulley72for driveably engaging picker unit drive62.

Wheel drive64includes a positive engagement clutch86, such as a conventional, commercially available mechanical toothed clutch, mounted on output60of the engine of power unit12and carrying a pulley88which rotates with output60when clutch86is selectably engaged, and which allows free rotation of output60when clutch86is disengaged. Drive64includes a pulley90mounted on an input92such as an axle or the like of wheel14for rotation therewith. An endless belt94encircles pulleys88and90, such that when clutch86is engaged, wheel14will be driven via drive64by output60of the engine of power unit12. Clutch86is connected by a control cable96to a control lever98on a handle31, lever98being movable for engaging and disengaging clutch86in the conventional manner.

It should be noted that output60of the engine of power unit12can be optionally outfitted with a transmission100operable via a control cable102extending to a selector (not shown) for reversing the direction of rotation of that portion or portions of output60that connect to picker unit drive62and wheel drive64. Transmission100can also include a neutral position.

In operation, it is desired that picker rotor26of both harvester10and harvester50rotate at a speed such that the picker spindles pass through plant channel36at substantially the speed of cotton plants moving therethrough. This is desirable and advantageous because if the spindles are moving too fast, they can thresh the cotton plants, so as to cause damage such as breakage and debarking. At slower rotation speeds compared to ground speed, the spindles can impede passage of the plants through channel36, and if the rotational speed is too slow, the rotors can even partially or completely uproot plants by retaining them in channel36even as harvester10or50continues to move. Synchronization or timing of ground speed to the rotational speed of picker rotor26is satisfactorily achieved by positive engagement of wheel drive64by clutch86, which, as noted above, is preferably a positive engagement device such as, but not limited to, a mechanical tooth clutch, but which could also be a shiftable gearbox, or the like. Satisfactory picking can also be achieved by manually attempting to correlate ground speed and picker rotor speed, and observing the picked cotton, and plants exiting the harvester. Examples of speeds contemplated include a 2 to 2.5 mile per hour ground speed, and about a 100 revolutions per minute rotor speed. The provision of selectably engageable idler pulley76and clutch86enables engaging and disengaging drives62and64as required for difficult situations, such as when the harvester begins to bog down due to heavy foliage, induction of vines, weeds and the like. The provision of optional transmission100is also a desirable feature, as, for instance, at initiation of operation, picker unit drive62can be engaged before wheel drive64to bring the rotor and doffer up to operating speed, then the wheel drive engaged for movement of the harvester along a field to a row of cotton plants to be picked. Also, at the end of a harvesting session, picker unit drive62can be disengaged, while wheel drive64remains engaged, for movement away from the harvested rows. Still further, the ability to drive both the driven wheel and the picker rotor in a reverse direction may be desirable, for untangling the rotor from vines and other foliage, and for moving the harvester rearwardly for aligning with a plant row. In this regard, it is anticipated that cotton harvesters10and50can weigh several hundred pounds, which would make manual movement burdensome and difficult.

It should be additionally noted that although drives62and64are depicted as belt drives, other drives, such as chain drives, shaft drives, fluid drives, or combinations of the above, can be used.

As an additional item, cotton harvesters10and50can include a container (not shown) for holding water or other liquid for use in moistener column29. Such container can be located internal or external to picker housing22, and can be removable for filling and cleaning at a location remote from the harvester. Preferably, the container would be located above moistener column29for gravity flow of the water or other liquid to column29. Like harvester10, harvester50can include a cotton collecting device (not shown) that can be attached to the rear end, towed or maneuvered behind or adjacent thereto.

As another feature, it should be noted that on harvester50wheel13is located forwardly of picker housing22, which serves to maintain the bottoms of plant lifters30in spaced relation above a surface such as ground surface52over which harvester50is moved, at least when such surface is relatively level, such that the forward ends of lifters30are less likely to contact the ground. It should also be noted that the location of handles31and rearwardly located wheel14adjacent a rearward end of rear support structure56, which extends a relatively large distance rearwardly from picker housing22, affords an operator leverage or mechanical advantage so as to reduce the effort required to steer harvester50. This location also allows the operator to be located a corresponding distance from the rear of housing22so as to be able to better observe picked cotton, plant residue and other material exiting harvester50during operation thereof. This location also affords better protection against rearward tipping, and a better ability to exert leverage against harvester50in the event the forward end falls into a ditch, depression, hole or the like.