Abstract:
A crop conditioner is equipped with an impeller including a rotor to which a plurality of conditioner tines are respectively pivotally mounted at one of their ends. The tines are contoured so that they release crop at an appropriate location for the crop to engage the forming shields and thus become part of a well-defined windrow.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to impeller conditioners for use in mower-conditioners for conditioning mowed crops for aiding in dry-down, and more particularly relates to tines for the rotors of such impeller conditioners  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Typically, an impeller conditioner is provided with an impeller mounted for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis, and with a hood which extends arcuately, from front to rear, about the impeller. The impeller includes a rotor defined by a central cylindrical core to which a plurality of tines are pivotally attached at various locations along, and about, the circumference of the rotor. These tines are mounted so that, as viewed from an end of the rotor, they extend generally radially from the axis of rotation of the rotor when the impeller is being driven, with the tines then being subjected to centrifugal force. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,099 and 4,233,803 disclose impellers of this type.  
         [0003]     When conditioning crop with an impeller of the type discussed above, some crop does not release correctly for being guided by the shields for forming the crop windrow, but rather is carried over where it is released directly to the ground. The carried over crop that is deposited outside of the normal bounds of a windrow that would normally be formed by the forming shields results in non-uniform looking windrows and causes the crop to dry at different rates.  
         [0004]     The solution to non-uniform windrows formed because of crop being carried over by the conditioner tines is the focus of this invention.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     According to the present invention, there is provided an improved impeller for use in a crop conditioner equipped with an impeller conditioner.  
         [0006]     An object of the invention is to provide such an impeller conditioner having a rotor equipped with tines shaped for releasing crop at a desired location so no crop carry over occurs, or is significantly reduced.  
         [0007]     The above object is achieved by providing an impeller rotor with a plurality of tines which are each curved outwardly from the axis or rotation of the rotor such that, as considered in the direction of rotation of the rotor during operation, outer ends of the tines trail their respective inner ends. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a left front perspective view of a mower-conditioner header, with portions removed, so as to reveal a left end portion of an impeller conditioner including an impeller rotor equipped with tines shaped in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a right side view of the mower-conditioner header shown in  FIG. 1 , with portions broken away, revealing a left end of the impeller.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a left front perspective view of the impeller.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one of the tines that are mounted to the impeller rotor. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0012]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a mower-conditioner header  10 , which would normally be suspended from a carrying frame, not shown. The header  10  includes a frame  12  supporting a housing  14  having opposite side walls  16 .  
         [0013]     A rotary cutter bar  18  extends transversely between the side walls  16  and includes a plurality of rotary cutting units  20  mounted along the length of the cutter bar  18  in side-by-side relationship to each other. Located for rotation with outer end ones of the cutting units  20  is an outer crop converging drum  22 . Mounted inwardly, and to the rear, of each converging drum  22 , is an intermediate converging drum  24 , and similarly mounted inwardly, and to the rear, of each drum  24  is an inner converging drum  26 .  
         [0014]     The converging drums  22 - 26 , cooperate with the cutting units  20  to deliver cut crop to a discharge opening leading to an impeller housing  28  including opposite side walls  30  and an arched rotor hood  32 . Extending between, and mounted for rotation in, the side walls  30  is an impeller  34  including a central rotor  36  defined by a cylindrical tube carrying a plurality of tine clips  38  to which a plurality of impeller tines  40  are respectively pivotally mounted by pivot assemblies including transverse pins  42 . The impeller hood  32  is spaced approximately concentric to a segment of the impeller extending between ten and one o&#39;clock positions of a circular path described by the outer periphery of the tines  40  during rotation of the impeller  34 .  
         [0015]     Joined to and extending to the rear from the impeller housing  28  is a forming shield arrangement  44  including a horizontal top wall  46  and opposite, rearwardly converging side walls  48 . Located inwardly of each of the side walls  48  is a generally rectangular, vertical crop deflecting panel  50  having a forward edge hinged, as at  51  ( FIG. 2 ), for establishing a vertical pivot axis about which the deflecting panel  50  may be pivoted. A threaded pin  52  ( FIG. 1 ) is secured to, and projects upwardly from a top edge of, each panel  50  and is received for moving along a slot  54  formed in the top wall  46  at a radius about the pivot axis defined by the hinge  51 . A threaded handle  56  is received on each threaded pin  52  for releasably securing the panel  50  in a desired location. For deflecting crop to one side or the other of a vertical plane extending in the direction of operation of the header  10  and passing through a longitudinal center location of the header  10 , the panels are disposed parallel to each other and inclined one way or the other relative to the vertical plane. Crop may be converged by the panels  50  by disposing the panels  50  so that they converge rearwardly. A rear panel  58  is mounted, as by transverse pins  60 , to rear ends of the side walls  48  for pivoting vertically about a horizontal transverse axis defined by the pins  60 . An arcuate fore-and-aft extending bracket  62  is provided at a central, rear location of the top wall  46  and contains a plurality of adjustment holes  64  for selectively receiving a coupling pin  66  for securing a connecting bracket  68  of the panel  58  to a desired adjustment hole  64  so that the rear panel is positioned in a desired position for deflecting crop toward the ground.  
         [0016]     Referring now also to  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that the tines  40  are disposed at seven equal angularly spaced locations about the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical rotor  36  of the impeller  34 . Further, it can be seen that the tines  40  are located in longitudinal rows with the tines in each row being offset axially from the tines of an adjacent row.  
         [0017]     Referring now also to  FIG. 4 , it can be seen that each tine  40  is an elongated forked member here shown as having two parallel limbs so as to be Y-shaped, however other numbers of limbs would be conceivable. As disclosed, the tine  40  includes separate flat strap elements  70  and  72 , joined together, as by welding, at respective inner end sections  74  and  76  which are placed flat against each other and are provided with aligned apertures that define a mounting hole  78 . Respectively joined to the inner end sections  74  and  76  are intermediate sections  80  and  82  which diverge outwardly from each other and are joined to parallel outer end sections  84  and  86 . As viewed from the side in  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that each tine  40  has a curved geometry. As considered relative to a forward direction of rotation of the impeller  34  during conditioning operation (clockwise as viewed in  FIG. 2 ), the curvature of the tines  40  result in the inner end sections  74  and  76  leading the associated outer end sections  84  and  86 . Thus, the inner end sections  74  and  76 , and the outer end sections  84  and  86  of the strap elements  70  and  72  define smooth leading edges  88  and  90  that extend between inner and outer ends of the tines  40 .  
         [0018]     As stated above, in operation the conditioner impeller  34  rotates clockwise, as viewed in  FIG. 2 , at a speed at which centrifugal force acting on the tines  40  causes them to project radially outwardly from the rotor  36 . As cut crop is delivered to the impeller  34  by the cutting units  20  acting together with the sets of converging drums  22 ,  24  and  26  at the opposite ends of the cutter bar  18 , the leading edges  88  and  90  of the strap elements  70  and  72  of each tine  40  engages and carries the crop upwardly and then rearwardly. The trailing aspect of the curved leading edges  88  and  90 , as considered in the direction of rotation, results in the crop being released from a given impeller tine  40  by the time that the tine reaches the two o&#39;clock position. The released crop is propelled rearwardly against one or more components of the forming shield arrangement  44  and is directed to the ground where it forms a windrow of substantially uniform thickness having a consistent drying characteristic throughout.  
         [0019]     It is to be noted that while the crop-releasing characteristic of the tines  40  is particularly useful in the environment of a mower-conditioner, as illustrated in the drawings, such a characteristic would have benefit in any environment where the impeller  34  is being used as a conveyor for conveying crop to a further processing device.  
         [0020]     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.