Abstract:
A crop pick-up arrangement and height gauge arrangement is proposed in which, on the one hand, a skid shoe and on the other hand, a wheel are attached to a pivot arm assembly and can be pivoted about a horizontal transverse axis located between the skid shoe and the wheel. The skid shoe extends under the crop pick-up arrangement and therefore does not increase its width. Crop pick-up arrangements and height gauge arrangements may be used on various kinds of agricultural machines for lifting crop into the machines for further processing or transport.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a crop pick-up arrangement with a height gauge arrangement with a pivot arm assembly that is supported in bearings so as to pivot vertically at the rear region of the crop pick-up arrangement and a height gauge arrangement. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,240 discloses a crop pick-up arrangement with support wheels, each of which is attached by means of a pivot arm assembly to a side wall. The pivot arm assembly is retained by means of a vertical and a horizontal bearing and can be pivoted vertically as well as horizontally in such a way that the support wheel can be pivoted in a free space behind the crop pick-up arrangement in order to reduce its transport width. 
     WO-A1-98/17096 teaches the attachment of a support wheel at each side of a so-called pick-up by means of a pivot arm assembly that is configured in the shape of an inverted “U”. The size, shape, and arrangement of the pivot arm assembly is selected in such a way that a large free space exists between the wheel and the pick-up which prevents harvested crop from accumulating there. 
     EP-A-383 121 and EP-368 430 each show an agricultural harvesting machine with a roller feeler arrangement where on each side of a crop pick-up arrangement several roller feelers are attached to a pivot arm assembly spaced at intervals in direction of operation in a tandem or dual swinging arrangement. 
     The problem underlying the invention is seen in the fact that the roller feelers must either be pivoted at great technical cost or disassembled during transport on public roads due to the great width of the crop pick-up arrangement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention there is provided an improved height gauge arrangement for a crop pick-up or the like. 
     An object of the invention is to provide a height gauge arrangement that includes a combination of a gauge wheel and a skid shoe. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a height gauge arrangement for use with a crop pick-up including pick-up devices such as transversely spaced tines, with the skid shoe being narrower than the spacing between the pick-up devices. In this way, the pivot arm assembly for the skid shoe can be located within the effective width of the crop pick-up arrangement and can be supported on the ground so that the skid shoe has room between the pick-up devices of the crop pick-up arrangement or between these and the ground. Accordingly, the skid shoe can extend into the pick-up region of the crop pick-up arrangement and thereby react before these come into contact with an obstacle or an irregularity in the ground. Since the pivot arm assembly is supported on the wheel at the end opposite the skid shoe and thereby forms a lever arm about a bearing located in between, the lift path is reduced. 
     If the skid shoe is narrower than the spacing between the pick-up devices of the crop pick-up arrangement, it can extend between these, does not hinder these, and can be configured to almost such a height as the pick-up devices project beyond the stripper vanes of the crop pick-up arrangement. 
     A plate-shaped skid shoe can be arranged underneath the pick-up devices due to its flat configuration and thereby can be configured considerably wider, which results in a low ground pressure. Vertical stiffening frames and ribs can be provided between the pick-up devices that protect the skid shoe against bending. 
     The position of the pivot point of the pivot arm assembly on the wheel, generally underneath the point at which the crop pick-up arrangement is attached to a rotobaler or a similar harvesting or crop recovery machine, leads to an adequate sensitivity when uneven ground is encountered on the one hand, and on the other hand, excessively strong reactions are avoided. 
     If several skid shoes are provided, for example, three to ten, the ground pressure of each individual skid shoe is reduced on the one hand, and on the other hand, the likelihood is reduced so that there is no reaction to an obstacle. Several skid shoes can be connected to the pivot arm assembly by means of a sort of balance arrangement or equalization arrangement so that the pivot arm assembly is actuated only if an obstacle is detected, for example, by two adjacent skid shoes. In this way, the possibility is also avoided that the crop pick-up arrangement is lowered, if the skid shoe, for example, sinks into a furrow. 
     The skid shoes and the wheels and possibly even the wheels of the machine to which the crop pick-up arrangement is attached could be arranged in one alignment; but this is not mandatory. Rather, an offset arrangement of the skid shoes and wheels can have the result, for example, in case a skid shoe steps into a furrow, then the wheel rolling to the side of the furrow can provide at least a minimum of support. Furthermore, in this way the spacial relationships of the configuration can be considered. A pivot shaft provided for this purpose extends over the crop pick-up arrangement so far as is required in order to engage all skid shoes and wheels. 
     An elastic configuration of the pivot arm assembly, for example, that is composed of an elastic material or that is composed of several parts or arms connected to each other elastically, has the advantage that load peaks, particularly at high contact velocities, can be avoided. On the other hand, load peaks can also be avoided by the provision of a spring of any desired type between the skid shoe or the wheel and the pivot arm assembly. 
     Rounded edges on the skid shoe reduce the danger of harvested crop or other objects becoming caught on the skid shoe during skidding over the ground and accumulating there. Particularly, the frictional resistance is reduced during the skidding over the ground. 
     A preload of the pivot arm assembly, relative to the crop pick-up arrangement, is established in such a way, that with the skid shoe located at the underside of the crop pick-up arrangement, there is the advantage that the skid shoe does not dig into the ground upon the lowering of the crop pick-up arrangement and is thereby possibly damaged; rather, the wheel is forced downward thereby so that it first touches the ground upon the lowering of the crop pick-up arrangement and then rolls along the ground, without experiencing any problems. If, in another embodiment, the preload operates in such a way that the wheel is pivoted upwards, this may have advantages during transportation over public roads, since the wheel comes to rest at a lower position than the skid shoe does when the crop pick-up arrangement is pivoted upward. In summary, the preload is applied in such a way and at such locations where it is useful in order to avoid the damage due to an uncontrolled movement of the pivot arm assembly. 
     The use of at least one stop in the one, the other or in both directions, prevents the pivot arm assembly with the skid shoe and the wheel from being pivoted too far away from the crop pick-up arrangement, and then projects so far that it could be a hindrance or hangs up during transport or in the operation. 
     Height gauge arrangements with the aforementioned characteristics can also be treated as independent units and can be attached subsequently to existing crop pick-up arrangements. Particularly, with rotobalers, rectangular balers, self-loading forage boxes, forage harvesters, swath pick-up arrangements, and the like, it is then possible to use crop pick-up arrangements, whose possible pick-up width corresponds generally to the maximum allowable transport width on public roads. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawing shows an embodiment of the invention that shall be described in greater detail in the following. 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic, left side view of an agricultural machine with a crop pick-up arrangement and a height gauge arrangement constructed according to the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the crop pick-up arrangement of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 shows an enlarged side view of the height gauge arrangement and the crop pick-up arrangement of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an agricultural harvesting machine  10  with a frame  12  that is supported by wheels  14  on the ground and can be coupled to a towing vehicle by means of a towbar  16 . Baling rolls  18  surround a baling chamber  20  in which crop to be baled, which was taken up from the ground by a crop pick-up arrangement  22 , can be compressed into a bale. The baling chamber  20  extends through a forward, fixed housing part  24  and a rear housing part  26 , forming a discharge gate that can be raised for the ejection of a cylindrical bale. 
     On each side of the crop pick-up arrangement  22 , a height gauge arrangement  28  is located, with which the crop pick-up arrangement  22  can be gauged at a certain height above the ground. 
     The agricultural machine  10  described so far corresponds to a rotobaler of conventional configuration. Indeed, the use of the height gauge arrangement  28  according to the invention is limited neither to a rotobaler of the type shown nor to a rotobaler at all. Rather, other agricultural machines can be considered, for example, another baler, a self-loading forage box, a forage harvester, a combine, and the like. 
     The crop pick-up arrangement  22  may be a pick-up as well as a cutter head, a corn head or the like, and can extend over the maximum width allowed for the transport on public roads. As can be seen, in particular in FIG. 2, the crop pick-up arrangement  22  includes tines  30  circulating vertically in horizontally spaced rows that leave a spacing  32  between them that is covered by stripper vanes  34 . The tines  30  and the stripper vanes  34  are carried by a frame  36  to a rear side of which is fixed a pair of transversely spaced rear walls  38  that extend vertically beside walls of the frame  12  and contain a bearing  40  to which the frame  36  is coupled so as to pivot vertically. The bearing  40  is located above and to the rear of the frame  36 , but ahead of the support wheels  14 . The crop pick-up arrangement  22  can be repositioned in height by means of actuating arrangements, not shown, for example, linkages, rope pulls, hydraulic motors, etc., in order to occupy thereby an upper transport position or to slide along the ground for crop pick-up. In the lower crop pick-up position, the crop pick-up arrangement  22  can float according to the surface of the ground. Other than for the height gauge arrangement  28 , the crop pick-up arrangement  22  is of conventional configuration. 
     The height gauge arrangement  28  includes a pivot arm assembly  42 , wheels  44 , skid shoes  46 , a pivot shaft  48 , and a bearing  50 . 
     In the disclosed embodiment, the height gauge arrangement  22  is configured as an assembly that is attached to the underside of the crop pick-up arrangement  22  and extends almost or generally over its entire width. Indeed, it would also be possible to configure it in each case with only one component (pivot arm assembly  42 , wheel  44 , skid shoe  46 , pivot shaft  48 , and bearing  50 ) and to locate the narrower assembly at a location between opposite ends of the crop pick-up arrangement  22 . 
     While in the disclosed embodiment two wheels  44  and three skid shoes  46  are provided, fundamentally one wheel  44  and one skid shoe  46  would be adequate. On the other hand, more than two wheels  44  and three skid shoes  46  could be provided, as long as this is practical and technically useful. 
     Compared to the support wheels  14 , each wheel  44  is of a relatively small diameter and is used for supporting the pivot arm assembly  42  on the ground, when the skid shoes  46  encounter an obstacle. The wheels  44  are located to the rear of the pivot shaft  48 , or as seen in FIG. 1, to the right of the shaft  48 . Each wheel  44  is engaged, free to rotate in an end region of an arm  52 , whose other end region is retained radially to the pivot shaft  48 . The wheels  44  may be provided with solid or pneumatic tires. In a simple configuration, the arms  52  may be retained and fixed against rotation on the pivot shaft  48 . In the embodiment shown, however, they are supported in bearings on the shaft  48 , free to pivot. 
     The skid shoes  46  also extend radially from the pivot shaft  48  and are connected to it, fixed against rotation. Although the skid shoes  46  are shown, according to FIG. 3, connected directly to the pivot shaft  48 , the description in the following nevertheless is based on the fact that only the forward region shows a skid shoe  46  that is connected by an arm  54  with the pivot shaft  48  or that extends to it. As seen in FIG. 2, the right-hand skid shoe  46  is also configured in such a way that it fits between the tines  30 , and in the extreme case, can be brought into contact with the underside of the stripper vanes  34 , without colliding with the tines  30 . On the other hand, it would also be possible to releasably attach wider plates  55  to the underside of the skid shoes  46 , as shown at the middle and left-hand skid shoes  46 , which plates  55  extend outside of the operating region of the tines  30 . The plates  55  act to minimize the ground pressure. Furthermore, the removable plates  55  have the advantage that they could easily be replaced in case of wear or damage. Alternatively, the skid shoes  46  in themselves could be configured in the shape of a plate. In a further embodiment, in place of fixed skid surfaces, rolls, wheels or the like could also be used. At the end opposite the skid shoe  46 , each arm  54  extends beyond the pivot shaft  48  and forms a support arm  55  that extends in the form of a scissors to the arm  52 . 
     The pivot shaft  48  is preferably provided with a non-circular profile, for example, hexagonal, and extends preferably over the entire width of the height gauge arrangement  28 . Alternatively, each wheel  44  could be connected with one or several skid shoes  46 . The pivot shaft  48  engages, so as to-rotate, at the rear lower corner region of the crop pick-up arrangement  22  by means of the bearings  50  and is secured in the axial direction by means not shown. 
     A spring  56  is provided between the shaft  48  and the frame  36  of the crop pick-up arrangement  22 , which constantly resists counterclockwise movement of the shaft  48  and hence, downward movement of the skid shoe  46 , so that particularly when the crop pick-up arrangement  22  is raised, the skid shoes  46  do not project downward and collide with an obstacle, without being able to evade it, while a contact of the wheel  44 , then located at the bottom and able to move upward, leaves it undamaged. 
     While the spring  56  is shown in the drawing as a torsion spring, a multitude of other springs could also be used, for example, leaf springs, helical compression springs, helical extension springs or even gas springs or the like. The spring  56  is retained at one end by means of an eye (not shown) and a screw  57  received in a bore provided in the shaft  48 , and is in contact at its other end under a preload at the rear, lower edge of the frame  36 , which indeed could also be configured differently. 
     The bearings  50  are configured in the usual manner as slide bearings, roller bearings or ball bearings that are fastened in bearing shells  51  on the underside of the frame  36 . 
     The spring  56  or several springs  56  are particularly useful to retain the skid shoes  46  generally upward in addition to the pivoting moments about the pivot shaft  48  due to the weight of the associated masses upon very uneven ground. 
     The arms  52  for the wheels  44  are formed more or less from a flat steel strip with high bending strength. The arms  54  for the skid shoes  46  are configured comparably to the arms  52 . If the arms  54  simultaneously form the skid shoes  46 , they can be configured in a “J”-shape, as is shown in FIG. 3, so that they can slide along the ground on the outer bend of the “J” instead of on its edge. 
     The arms  52  and  54  can extend on the pivot shaft  48  immediately alongside each other, or spaced to the side alongside each other. In another embodiment, they can also be combined and configured as a one-piece component. In the embodiment shown, their longitudinal axes extend at an angle between them of approximately 140°. Since the arm  52  of the wheel  44  is supported in bearings, free to move on the pivot shaft  48 , the relative position between the arms  52  and  54  is maintained by means of a very strong spring  60  configured as a helical compression spring that can engage with one end the support arm  55  and with its other end on the upper side of the arm  52 . A screw  62  extends through the spring  60  and is secured in the support arm  55  as well as in the arm  52 , and is used to retain the spring  60  in its place as well as to maintain the angular spread between the arms  52  and  54  at a minimum. Accordingly, the spring  60  on the one hand and the screw  62  on the other hand provide the assurance that the two arms  52  and  54  can be repositioned relative to each other within a certain region under a preload. 
     A depression  66 , which is semi-circular in side view, is provided on the upper side of the arm  52  in a location for receiving a stop  68 , carried by the frame  36  when the pivot arm assembly  42  pivots to an extreme counterclockwise position. The stop  68  can be configured as a screw, a pin, a welded part or the like and can be attached to the frame  36  rigidly or so that it can be repositioned. The depression  66  and the stop  68  are located on a circular arc about the center of the pivot shaft  48 . 
     On the basis of the above description, the operation is as follows: During operation, the crop pick-up arrangement  22  and the height gauge arrangement  28  take the position shown in FIG. 3, in which the pick-up devices  30  brush over the ground, and the skid shoes  46 , as well as the wheels  44 , touch the ground. If the crop pick-up arrangement  22  is moved to the left as seen in FIG. 3, that is, forward, and if a skid shoe  46  makes contact with an obstacle  64 , then the crop pick-up arrangement  22  moves upward. Thereupon, a pivoting movement of the pivot arm assembly  42 , together with the pivot shaft  48 , is performed in the clockwise direction. Since the wheel  44  is located on the ground and held there by the action of the coil compression spring  60 , the crop pick-up arrangement  22  is raised in the region of the pivot shaft  48 . As soon as the obstacle has been overcome, the skid shoe  46  is lowered again; and with it, the crop pick-up arrangement  22  is also lowered. In an embodiment in which the wheel  44  is offset to the side with respect to the skid shoe  46 , the wheel  44  will not also roll over the obstacle  64  and will not lead to a renewed raising of the crop pick-up arrangement  22 . 
     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.