SUGAR CANE CUTTING MACHINERY

Abstract: A sugar cane cutting machinery (10) driven by a tractor (T) that engages through a fork lift or similar connection. The machinery includes an armature (50) that houses the tractor (T) and is lifted and hauled by it. The armature (50) rests on a rear wheel assembly (51) and on the fork lift engagement on the front end. To minimize the problem of terrain irregularities, a plurality of ski members (42; 43 and 44) are mounted on the bottom of the armature (50) front end so that the machinery floats or slides over the valleys formed by contiguous rows. A blade assembly (20) comprising at least a pair of vertically disposed axles (21 and 22) having horizontally mounted blades (29) is located at the front of the machinery which, in conjunction with cooperating at least a pair of guiding surfaces (25 and 26), cut the sugar cane.

Description: I. TITLE: J SUGAR CANE CUTTING MACHINERY II. TECHNICAL FIELD: The present invention relates to machinery for cutting sugar cane, and more particularly, to such machinery that is coupled, through a fork lift engagement, to a tractor. III. BACKGROUND ART: A number of designs for sugar cane harvesting machinery have been used and disclosed in the past, as evidenced in U.S. Patent Nos. : 3,851,449 SUGAR CANE HARVESTER Ramon Reyes Medina 3,705,481 SUGAR CANE TOPPER FOR V-CUTTER HARVESTER Harold A. Willett 4,019,308 BASE CUTTING APPARATUS FOR SUGAR CANE HARVESTERS Donald J. Quick 3,942,307 BILLET ELEVATOR FOR SUGAR CANE HARVESTERS Donald Jonathon Quic 3,848,399 SUGAR CANE HARVESTERS Sam Robert Makeham 3,659,404 SUGAR CANE HARVESTERS Roberto Henderson Ke ,822,534 FRONT MOUNTED HARVESTER Virgil B. Martin ,664,098 REMOVABLE SILAGE CHOPPER Charles C. Thor U.S. Patent No. 3,851,449 has endless chains that transpor the cut sugar cane to the trailing vehicle. However, it diffe from the present invention in that it uses wheels and not ski members and the motor vehicle cannot be disengaged to be used f other purposes. None of these disclosures, however, anticipate the novel features of the present invention. Other patents describing the closest subject matter provid for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. IV. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION: It is the main object of the present invention to provide machine for cutting sugar cane in the field that may be easily engaged to a tractor and that its vertically spaced apart blade closely follow the contour of the soil. It is yet another object of the invention to provide such machine that will not sink between the rows of a crop or that i gets caught by the irregularities of the terrain. It is another object of the present invention to provide OM - WIF such a machine that will reliably mechanize the cutting and transportation of the sugar cane to a storage wagon being hau by the motion-imparting tractor. It is still another object of this invention to provide such a machine that is reliable, easy to maintain and inexpensive to manufacture. Further objects of the invention will be brought out in t following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the inventi without placing limitations thereon. V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of the sugar cane cutting machinery. Figure 2 is a bottom view of the platform showing three s members . Figure 3 is a side view of the ski member. Figure 4 shows one possible implementation of the control panel. Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the present invention VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT: Referring now to Figure 1 where the sugar cane cutting machine is generally referred to with numeral 10, it can be see that a tractor T is used to provide the locomotion and a trailing wagon (not shown) is used to store the sugar cane cut pieces transported rearwardly over an endless conveyor 90 after being cut by machinery 10. Sugar cutting machinery 10 comprises blade assembly 20, generator assembly 40, endless coveyor 90 and armature 50. In the preferred embodiment, blade aseembly 20 includes two pairs of vertically disposed axles 21; 22; 23, and 24, each having tw spaced-apart, horizontally-disposed blades 29, as shown in Figure 5. Support bearing members 35 hold axles 21; 22; 23 and 24. Each pair of axles is intended to cut the sugar cane crop o each row and with guiding surfaces 25; 26; 27, and 28, the cr from contiguous rows is separated. Only the base for guiding surfaces 26; 27 and 28 has been represented in Figure 5 to simplify the figure. A machine for cutting the crop on only on row would only need one pair of axles, for instance, 21 and 22 and two complementary guiding surfaces, for instance, 25 and 2 The axles 21 through 24 are driven by electric motor means (no shown) and in turn fed by electric generator assembly 40 which rests on platform 41. A conventional endless conveyor 90 transports the cut sug cane from blade assembly 20 towards the rear, over tractor T, and then it is dumped on a trailing wagon (not shown). Coveyor 90 is driven by a conventional electric motor 91 which is fed generator 40. As shown in Figure 2 and 3, ski members 42; 43, and 44 ar rigidly mounted on the bottom surface of platform 41. Platform 41 is provided, on its rear side, with conventional longitudin cavities 49 (see Figure 2) where the fork lift connected to tractor T engages. Armature 50 includes several structural members that house tractor T and at its front end is rigidly secured to generator assembly 40, including platform 41, and t blade assembly 20. Armature 50 pivots on rear wheel assembly 5 thereby allowing tractor T to position generator and blade assemblies 40 and 20 at a suitable distance from the ground. A irregularities between the rows are corrected or minimized by OM ski members 42; 43 and 44, in the preferred embodiment designe for two rows. This is an important feature over the prior art devices which utilize wheels that not infrequently get caught the ground. The ski members 42; 43 and 44 slide or float over this irregularities of the terrain between the rows of crop. A control panel 62 is mounted on the inside of panel wall 52 of armature 50, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, to provide rea access by the tractor operator to control the generator and blade operation. Basically, panel 62 includes main circuit breaker 53, generator switch 54 and blades switch 55, with respective indicator lights 56; 57, and 58. One of the important advantages of the present invention that it does not utilize dedicated motor means, but rather, it utilizes a tractor which can be easily disengaged and used for other purposes when machine 10 is not in use. It is believed the foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objects and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense, except as set forth in the following appended claims. OM * /4f- > TWI VII. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY: It is aparent from the previous paragraphs that an improvement of this type for such a sugar cane cutting machine is quite desirable for the efficient and fast cutting of sugar cane crops.

Claims: VIII . CLAIMS: What is claimed is: 1. A sugar cane cutting machinery driven by a tractor, comprising, in operative combination: A. an armature having means for engagement to said tractor B. means for cutting the sugar cane is mounted to the fron of said armature; and C. a plurality of ski members, longitudinally disposed wit respect to said tractor and in parallel with respect to each other, mounted on the bottom of said armature so that it may slide over the irregularities of the terrain betwee the rows of crop. 2. The machinery set forth in claim 1 further including: D. conveyor means positioned behind said cutting means so that the cut sugar cane is transported rearwardly and dumped behind said tractor. 3. The machinery set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for cutting the sugar cane includes electric motor means driving O said cutting means and electricity generator means feeding sai electric motor means. 4. The machinery set forth in claim 3 wherein said armature means includes a platform rigidly mounted to said armature behind said cutting means, supporting said generator means on its upper surface and having said ski members mounted on the bottom surface of said platform.

Inventors: GIRALT FERMIN, GIRALT, FERMIN
Applicants: GIRALT FERMIN, GIRALT, FERMIN
Application year: 1983
Main classification: A01D45
IPC codes: A01D45