Abstract:
A mower-conditioner includes a pair of conditioner rolls oriented for feeding crop along a flight path extending upwardly toward an impact surface of a swath forming shield. A crop deflector includes a panel disposed so as to intersect the flight path at a location between the conditioner rolls and the impact surface of the swath forming shield so as to cause the crop to follow a steeper path so that it impacts the forming shield with greater impact than it would otherwise, which causes the crop to fall in a random orientation so as to form a fluffy windrow.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to mower-conditioners equipped with conditioner rolls, and more specifically relates to an attachment used with such mower-conditioners for forming a fluffy windrow 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Modern mower-conditioners are powered so that they may be towed at a relatively fast speed over the field. Due to the increased ground speed, the crop windrow is left flat with the crop stems oriented parallel with the direction of travel. The flat windrow seals the crop on the bottom from any air to dry the crop. 
   The problem to be solved is that of forming a windrow that will dry down in a relatively short time without requiring the ground speed of the mower-conditioner to be slowed below the cutting and windrow forming capacity of the mower-conditioner. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the present invention, there is provided a mower-conditioner having an improved windrow-forming structure. 
   An object of the invention is to provide a mower-conditioner having a structure for altering the flight path of the crop passing through the conditioning rolls in such a way that the crop contacts the windrow forming shield at an angle conducive for forming a fluffy windrow. 
   This and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The sole FIGURE is a left side elevational view of a mower-conditioner platform equipped with a roll conditioner, with parts removed or broken away for clarity, and embodying the crop deflecting structure of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to the drawing, there is shown a mower-conditioner platform or header  10  including a body defined by right- and left-hand, transversely spaced, vertical side walls  12  and  14 , respectively. Right- and left-hand, upright transverse walls or bulkheads  16  extend inwardly from the side walls  12  and  14  and are respectively joined to, and terminate at forward ends of transversely spaced, vertical, right- and left-hand inner side walls  18  and  20 , which define a crop discharge passage between them. While the bulkheads  14  could be of various upright configurations, as here shown, each includes a vertical lower rear section  22 , an intermediate horizontal section  24  and a vertical upper front section  26 . 
   An elongate rotary cutter bar  30  extends between the side walls  12  and  14 . A rear part of the cutter bar  30  is defined by an elongate stiffener beam  32  that is mounted to a rear surface of a gear housing  34  of the cutter bar  30 , and to a forward surface of the lower bulkhead sections  22 . While the present invention could be advantageously applied to rotary cutter bars of various constructions, the cutter bar  30  is a known type wherein the gear housing  34  contains a plurality of intermeshed spur gears (not shown) including idler and drive gears, coupled for effecting rotation of respective drive shafts of a plurality of cutting units spaced along the length of the cutter bar  30 , with a left-hand end cutting unit  36  being shown. The various cutting units located at opposite sides of the discharge opening defined between the inner side walls  18  and  20  are driven in opposite directions so that crop is converged into a stream that passes between the inner side walls together with the crop cut in forward alignment with the discharge opening. To aid in this convergence of crop, an end converging drum  38  is mounted for rotation with the end cutting unit  36  and with the end cuffing unit at the opposite end of the cutter bar  30 . Additional converging drums (not shown) are provided inwardly of the end converging drums and to the rear of the centerline of the cutting units, and provided with a drive separate from that for the cutting units. 
   Located between the side walls  18  and  20  for receiving and conditioning the crop delivered to it by the cooperative action of the cutter bar  30  and converging drums is a roll type crop conditioner  40  comprising upper and lower conditioner rolls  42  and  44 , respectively. While the conditioner rolls  42  and  44  could be provided with any desired conditioner surface, as here shown, each includes a plurality of straight ribs  46  which extend the length of the roll and are spaced equidistant about the periphery of the rolls. The lower conditioner roll  44  may be provided with stub shafts at its opposite ends (not shown) which are mounted within bearings fixed to the walls  18  and  20 , with it being noted that the lower roll  44  is positioned such that a cylindrical path traced by the tips of the ribs  46  includes a lower portion that passes just to the rear of a central portion of the stiffener beam  32  that bridges the discharge opening. The upper conditioner roll  42  is displaced a short distance forward of the lower roll  44 , and with the upper and lower rolls  42  and  44  so located, crop delivered by the cutter bar  30  and the converging drum arrangement will be positively fed into engagement with the rolls  42  and  44 , without any need for a secondary feeding element as would be necessary if the rolls were spaced further to the rear. Opposite ends of the upper conditioner roll may also be provided with respective stub shafts, with these projecting through respective arcuate clearance slots  48  provided in the side walls  18  and  20 . These stub shafts are rotatably mounted in bearings carried by respective arms (not shown) so that the upper roll  42  may swing vertically relative to the lower roll  44  in response to crop passing between the rolls  42  and  44 . 
   Power for driving the cutting units of the cutter bar  30  and the upper and lower conditioner rolls is distributed from a main power distribution gear box  50  located vertically above the left-hand cutting unit  36 . The gear box  50  contains right angle gearing, with a first shaft  52  extending through the gear box  50  from top to bottom and being adapted for having a hydraulic drive motor or other source of power coupled to its upper end and having a drive shaft of the left-hand cutting unit coupled to its lower end. Thus, power flow for the cutter bar  30  starts at the drive shaft of the left cutting unit  36  and goes to the other end of the gear housing  34  by way of the intermeshed idler and drive gears. A second shaft  54  is disposed at a right angle to the first shaft  52  and projects leftward from the gear box  50  and power for driving the conditioner rolls  42  and  44  is delivered to the shaft  54  by way of a bevel gear set (not shown). For the sake of simplicity, a gear housing having parallel output shafts respectively coupled to the conditioner rolls  42  and  44  by respective power shafts is not shown here, this gear housing including an input shaft carrying a belt pulley arrangement that is coupled for being driven from a similar belt pulley arrangement mounted to the second shaft  54  of the gear box  50 . 
   In any event, the conditioner rolls  42  and  44  are counter-rotated so as to deliver crop between them along a flight path  56  that extends perpendicular to the line of centers of the rolls  42  and  44  and intersects a bottom surface of a swath forming shield  58 , extending rearwardly from an upper rear region of the frame  12 . The flight path  56  makes an angle of approximately 21° with the swath forming shield  58 . 
   It has been found that crop striking the swath forming shield  58  at such an angle will result in the stems of crop becoming oriented in the direction of travel such that the resulting windrow is relatively flat, with the bottom of the windrow being somewhat sealed from any air to dry the crop. 
   The present invention was developed to overcome the aforementioned drying problem and includes a crop deflector  60  constructed of a flat panel  62  having opposite ends respectively fixed, as by welding, to a pair of vertical legs  64 . The pair of legs  64  are respectively disposed against inner surfaces of the walls  18  and  20 , and are attached to these walls by respective pivot bolts  66  establishing a horizontal, transverse axis about which the legs  64  may pivot. Each of the legs  64  includes an adjustment slot  68  formed at a radius about the axis defined by the pivot bolts  66 . A bolt  70  projects through a hole provided in each of the side walls  18  and  20 , and is received in a respective slot  68 . A nut (not shown) is received on each bolt  70  and is tightened so as to retain the crop deflector  60  is a selected position for disposing the panel  62  in a desired angular disposition relative to the flight path  56 . As shown here, an upper surface  72  of the panel  62  intersects, and makes an obtuse angle of approximately 145° with the flight path  56  so that conditioned crop is deflected upwardly relative to the flight path  56  and impacts the swath forming shield  58  at an angle of at least 33°, resulting in a relatively hard impact of the crop with the forming shield so that the crop is spread out evenly and forms a fluffy windrow which has good drying characteristics. 
   Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.