Abstract:
A corn head end fender is configured to tilt outwardly in a direction transverse to the direction of travel to provide access to a row unit covered by the end fender during normal operation.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to the end fenders for corn heads. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Heads (or “headers”) for agricultural harvesters are generally arranged as a horizontal frame extending perpendicular to the direction of travel through the field to which several row units are attached. The row units are devices that are aligned with each row of crops that the agricultural harvester approaches and are configured to gather and cut a row of crop plants. 
         [0003]    Row units for corn heads (a typical example) may include two forwardly extending arms on which two endless gathering chains are attached. These gathering chains guide each cornstalk into a gap between the arms. Once between the arms, two counter-rotating stalk rolls engage the cornstalk therebetween, pulling it downward and stripping the ears of corn from the cornstalk. These ears of corn are swept backwards by the gathering chains into a trough at the rear of the corn head where a horizontal auger conveys them to the center of the corn head and a feeder house then conveys them to the combine harvester that supports the corn head and carried it through the field. 
         [0004]    One problem with corn heads is the likelihood that they will become blocked or jammed, typically with crop material. When this happens, harvesting must stop until the affected row unit is cleaned out. These blockages or jams only occur when the vehicle is operating: in the middle of an agricultural field, far away from the operator&#39;s workshop. 
         [0005]    It is important for the operator to clear the blockages in the row units and begin harvesting as soon as possible. Since the operator typically lacks a wide array of tools to disassemble the corn head, it is important that the different parts of the corn head be easily manipulated to provide rapid cleaning. 
         [0006]    In conventional corn heads, the row units in the middle of the corn head are covered by lightweight roto-molded plastic points and covers (see e.g.  FIGS. 1-2 ) which can be easily raised and lowered by a single operator to provide access to the row unit. The end row units, however, are not as easily cleared of blockages and jams. The two end fenders on the ends of the corn head covering the end row units require wrenches, screwdrivers, or other tools to remove them from the end row units and main frame of the corn head. 
         [0007]    The weight of the traditional end fenders can be difficult for the operator to handle alone. In one arrangement, the end fender is supported on a hinge located at the upper rear of the end fender approximately 2 or 3 feet in the air. To remove the this end fender, the operator grasps the pointed front end of the end fender, lifts it several feet into the air, and walks it backward until it pivots up and over the rear wall of the corn head. Even though an end fender may be made of relatively lightweight materials, the need to lift it so high in the air can require two people. 
         [0008]    What is needed is a new way of attaching the end fenders to the rest of the corn head that will permit a single operator to more easily move the end fender out of the way and provide access to the row unit that the end fender covers and protects. It is an object of this invention to provide such a new structure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, an end fender for a corn head is provided, the end fender comprising a cover portion that extends generally fore-and-aft and covers a rear portion of a row unit; a point that extends generally fore-and-aft and is pivotally coupled to the forward end of the cover portion to pivot up and down about a generally laterally extending and horizontal axis and to cover a forward end of the row unit; a first hinge member which is fixed to the cover portion; and a second hinge member which is pivotally coupled to the first hinge member to pivot about a generally fore-and-aft extending hinge axis, wherein the second hinge member is fixed relative to a mainframe of the corn head. 
         [0010]    The second hinge member may be fixed to the row unit, and the row unit may be fixed to the mainframe of the corn head. The end fender may further comprise a spring-loaded latch that couples the upper rear portion of the end fender to the mainframe of the corn head to maintain the end fender in a generally upright and vertical position during normal operation when engaged. The spring-loaded latch may include a spring pin mounted to the mainframe, and a latch member mounted to the cover portion, and the spring pin may be disengaged from the latch member by pulling a free end of the spring pin out of an aperture in the latch member against the force of a spring. The end fender may further comprise a spring-loaded latch that couples the front of the cover portion to the row unit, in order to maintain the end fender in a generally upright and vertical position during normal operation when engaged. The spring-loaded latch may comprise a spring pin mounted to the cover portion, and a latch member mounted to the row unit, and further wherein the spring pin make be disengaged from the latch member by pulling a free end of the spring pin out of an aperture in the latch member against the force of the spring. The spring-loaded latch may be adapted to be automatically held in a spring-compressed and disengaged position without being held by the operator. The hinge axis maybe disposed adjacent to the row unit. The hinge axis maybe disposed generally parallel to and on the outside of a gathering chain of the row unit. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a corn head in accordance with the present invention having left and right end fenders showing those end fenders in an upright position with their points in a raised and latched position. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a corn head of  FIG. 1  showing the left and right end fenders in an outwardly tilted position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a close-up view of the right end of the corn head of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a close-up view of the right end of the corn head of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of the right end of the corn head in  FIGS. 2 and 4  showing the rear latch which is disposed at the top of the end fender. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a downward front perspective view of the right end of the corn head of  FIGS. 2 ,  4 - 5  showing details of the hinge. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is an upward front perspective view of the right end of the corn head of  FIGS. 2 ,  4 - 6  showing more details of the hinge from the underside of the hinge. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a upward side perspective view of the right end of the corn head of  FIGS. 2 ,  4 - 7  showing additional details of the hinge. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    In the discussion below, “forward” or “front” refer to the normal direction of travel through a field during harvesting. “Rear” or “backward” refer to the opposite direction. “Lateral” or “side-to-side” refer to directions that are generally horizontal and perpendicular to the normal direction of travel through a field during harvesting. “Outward” means in a direction laterally away from the body of the corn head. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a corn head is shown having a laterally extending main frame  102 , a laterally extending auger  104 , eight row units  106  disposed along the mainframe, and left and right end fenders  108 ,  110 . The left and right end fenders are at the ends of the corn head covering a portion of the end row units and face outward from the very end of the corn head. 
         [0021]    In  FIG. 1 , the left and right end fenders  108 ,  110  are in an upright, operating position. In  FIG. 2 , the left and right end fenders are pivoted outward about their respective hinges (not shown) for accessing row units  106  located underneath the end fenders. In all other respects,  FIGS. 1 and 2  are identical. End fenders  108  and  110  are mirror images of each other, and therefore we shall only describe the right end fender  110 . 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the right end fender  110  is shown in an upright position with its point  112  raised. The right end fender covers the right side of the end row unit  106 . When tilted outward, away from the corn head, it provides access to gathering chain  114  which is otherwise concealed underneath the right end fender  110 . A latch assembly is provided to hold the point in a raised position with respect to the cover portion  118 . A spring pin  116  extends between cover portion  118  of right end fender  110  and point  112  to hold point  112  in an upright position with respect to cover portion  118  as shown in all of the Figures herein. Point  112  is pivotally coupled to cover portion  118  to permit it to pivot upward with respect to cover portion  118  about a generally horizontal and laterally extending axis  120 . A spring pin  122  is mounted on a support plate  124 , which is in turn fixed to cover portion  118 . Spring pin  122  extends into an aperture in receiver  126  fixed to end row unit  106  to hold the forward end of the end fender  110  in its latched and upright position as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows right end fender  110  in its unlatched and outwardly tilted position in which it provides access to the row unit  106  that it covers during harvesting operations. In this Figure, right end fender  110  has been tilted laterally to the right and away from its row unit  106 , tilting about an axis  128  that extends generally fore-and-aft and lies in a generally horizontal plane that passes through gathering chain  130 . By keeping the pivot point of the right end fender  110  so low, substantially all of its mass can be disposed above the pivotal axis  128 , and the right end fender  110  can be pivoted outward to uncover the row unit without requiring that the operator lift it any significant distance. This permits easy operation by a single operator. 
         [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates a latch assembly that holds the right end fender  110  in its upright and latched position. In  FIG. 5 , a spring pin  134  is affixed to the frame  102  of the corn head  100 . Spring pin  134  is spring-loaded by a spring  136 , which holds spring pin  134  in a forwardly extending position in which it engages an aperture in latch member  138 , which is attached to the back of right end fender  110 . To permit the right end fender  110  to be pivoted outward by a single operator, spring pin  134  can be manipulated by the operator to a position in which it is disengaged from latch member  138 . To do this, spring pin  134  is pulled backwards (i.e. towards the viewer in  FIG. 5 ) thereby compressing spring  136 . Spring number  134  is L-shaped, and can be rotated when in this withdrawn position by 180° wherein it is supported in its withdrawn and disengaged position by bracket  140 . With the rear latch in this withdrawn position, the operator can then circle around to the front of the corn head and disengage the front latch. 
         [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates additional details of the front of cover portion  118 . A bracket  142  is bolted to the underside of cover portion  118  and supports spring pin  116  for movement in a generally transverse direction. The end of spring pin  116  extends into an aperture (hidden by bracket  142 ) in point  112  when it the point  112  is in its upright position as shown in  FIG. 6 . Similarly, spring pin  122  is supported by a bracket  144  which is bolted to a second bracket  124  which is attached to cover portion  118 . Spring pin  122  extends generally front to rear in the direction of travel and when it is in its spring biased position in engages an aperture  146  and receiver  126 .  FIG. 6  illustrates the hinge  148  that supports right end fender  110  when it is in its outwardly tilted position. Hinge  148  is better illustrated in the succeeding  FIG. 7-8 , from different perspective views. 
         [0026]      FIG. 7  illustrates the hinge pin  150  itself, which is welded to bracket  152  at its forward end and bracket  154  at its rear end. Brackets  152  and  154 , in turn, are bolted to row unit  106 . Thus, hinge  148  is supported on row unit  106 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 8  illustrates how the hinge pin  150  is pivotally coupled to cover portion  118 . In particular, elongated bracket  160  is bolted to the underside of cover portion  118 . The elongated bracket  160  extends fore-and-aft and surrounds hinge pin  150 . At either end of elongated bracket  160  are saddle brackets  162  that have a U-shaped aperture that opens downward. These U-shaped apertures receive opposite ends of hinge pin  150 . Hinge pin  150  is retained within the U-shaped apertures by bolts  164  that extend transversely with respect to hinge pin  150  and prevented from being withdrawn from the U-shaped apertures at each end of elongated bracket  160 . Hinge pin  150  is free to pivot within the U-shaped apertures, which in turn permits the right end fender  110  to pivot about hinge pin  150  with respect to the corn head  100 .