BRUSH ELEMENT FOR A ROOT CROP DIGGER WITH DRUM ASSEMBLY REAR

Abstract: The brush element (10) comprises a body component (11) with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring and intended by its central aperture (14) to be mountable on a shaft, and a plurality of pin-like members (12) projecting from the body component (11). The pin-like members (12) are wide enough to enable an effect to be achieved which pushes the root crops to be dug in axial direction. At the same time, with a view to obtaining a pin structure with sufficient elasticity, the pin-like members (12) have been formed to be bipartite or nearly bipartite pin-like members. A longitudinal slit (13) of the pin-like members separates the halves of the pin-like members (12), and the halves of the pin-like members (12) are conical of their root portion.

Description: Brush element for a root crop digger with drum assembly rear The present invention concerns a brush element for a digger, with drum assembly rear, harvesting root crops auch as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., said brush element comprising a body component with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring, and intended by its central aperture to be mounted on a shaft, and a plurality of pin-like members projecting from said body component. Regarding the state of art, reference is made e.g. to the same appli¬ cant's earlier Finnish Patents No. 54668 and 55281, and to the Finnish patent application No. 773267. The Finnish Patent No. 54668 discloses a brush element for a digger with drum assembly rear harvesting root crops, such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., comprising a body component with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring and intended by its central aperture to be mounted on a shaft, and pin-like members projecting from the body component. A brush element of this type features a plurality of knobs located peripherally on one end face of the body component and pointing outward from said end face, and a plurality of depressions located peripherally on the other end face of the body component. When such brush elements are mounted by their central apertures on a shaft side by side, the depressions of each preceding brush ele¬ ment will receive the knobs of the next brush element. The brush elements may also be mounted on the shaft in such a way that the next brush element is rotated about the shaft, before its fixing to the preceding brush element, through an angle consistent with the angular spacing of the knobs (and of the depressions), e.g. 60 degrees, and only thereafter is the next brush element affixed to the preceding brush element. In that case, the pin-like brushes of the brush elements will form a helix. The Finnish Patent No. 55281 discloses a similar brush element, where the central aperture of the brush element has a cross section shaped like an equilateral polygon. In a brush element of this type there¬ fore no knobs and depressions whatsoever are needed for affixing the brush elements to each other. It has been found when working in conditions such as are encountered in actual practice, especially for instance when operating in stony soil, that the pin-like components of the hrush elements have to be broad enough so that in the root crop digger with drum assemhly rear composed of said brush elements might he achieved an impact pushing the root crops to be harvested efficiently enough in the axial direction. However, pin—like components with great breadth have the drawback that they are rigid in excess even if they are made of a suitable, resilient plastic material. The object of the invention is to provide an improvement of brush elements of equivalent type known in prior art. The more detailed object of the invention is to provide a brush element where while using comparatively wide pin-like components at the same time an elastic enough pin structure is obtained. It is a further object of the invention to provide a brush element where the capacity of the brush element to stay clean e.g. of weeds etc. is substantially superior to that of brush elements known in the art. The objects of the invention are gained by a brush element mainly characterized in that the pin-like members projecting from the body component of the brush element have been shaped to be bipartite or nearly bipartite pin-like members, with a sufficient breadth to produce an axially pushing impact on the root crops which are being harvested. The rest of the characteristic features of the brush element of the invention are stated in claims 2 and 3. Remarkable advantages are gained by the brush element of the invention. In a root crop digger with drum assembly rear made with brush elements as taught by the invention is achieved, thanks to the broad bipartite or nearly bipartite pin-like members, an impact pushing efficiently enough in axial direction the root crops to be harvested. The broad pin-like members according to the invention produce, in addition, an elastic enough pin structure, whereby the pin-like members efficiently assist the staying clean of the brush 'ήOl*_'.V•- —f' -_Tt. ( r_» OV,PΪ elements from weeds etc. , for instance. The invention shall be described in detail, with reference to a favourable embodiment of the invention, presented in the figure of the attached drawing, but to which, the invention is not meant to be exclusively confined. The figure of the drawing presents an advantageous embodiment of the brush element of the invention, in top view. In the figure of the drawing, the brush element of the invention has been generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The brush element 10 comprises a body component 11 with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring, and intended by its central aperture 14 to be mounted on a shaft. From the body component 11 projects a plurality of pin-like members 12. According to the fundamental insight of the present invention, the members 12 have been shaped to be a kind of bipartite or nearly bi- partite pin-like members with sufficient breadth so that in a root crop digger with drum assembly rear made of brush elements according to the invention is obtained an impact pushing the root crops which are being harvested efficiently enough in axial direction. This efficient pushing impact is partly enhanced by the circumstance that the brush elements 10 of the invention can be mounted on the shaft in such a way that the pin-like brushes of the brush elements 10 constitute a helix. In the figure of the drawing, the reference numeral 13 indicates the longitudinal slit of the pin-like member 12 separating the halves of the pin-like members 12. The brush elements 10 of the invention can be manufactured swiftly, and extremely favourably as regards manufacturing cost, by making the brush elements 10 of an elastic material, such as plastic, in a die-casting process. Owing to the simple structure of the brush elements 10, the die manufacturing cost will also be low. It is furthermore advantageous to make the pin-like elements 12 of ■ ?l the invention such that the pin-like members 12 - or more precisely, the halves of the pin-like members 12 - are strongly enough conical of their root portion. In the foregoing only one favourable embodiment of the invention has been presented, and it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that numerous modifications thereof are possible within the scope of the inventive idea stated in the attached claims.

Claims: Claims 1. Brush element (10) for a digger with drum assembly rear for harvesting root crops, such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., comprising a body component (11) with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring, and intended by its central aperture (14) to be mounted on a shaft, and a plurality of pin-like members (12) projecting from said body component, characterized in that the pin-like members (12) projecting from the body component (11) of the brush element (10) have been shaped to be bipartite or nearly bi¬ partite pin-like members with a breadth large enough to produce an impact pushing in axial direction the root crops which are being harvested. 2. Brush element according to claim 1, characterized in that a longi¬ tudinal slit (13) of the pin-like members (12) has been disposed to separate the halves of the pin-like members (12) . 3. Brush element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pin-like members (12) are conical of their root portion.

Inventors: JUNNILA LAURI JOHANNES
Applicants: LAURI JOHANNES JUNNILA, JUNNILA LAURI JOHANNES
Application year: 1981
Main classification: A01D19
IPC codes: A01D25, A01D33