Patent EA-000433-B1 (EA)
Title: Narrow row cotton picker and a row unit therefor
Inventor: COPLY RUSSELL DEAN
IPC: A01D46/08
Filed: 1996-02-01
Abstract: 1. In a cotton harvester for harvesting cotton planted in. rows, a row unit comprising: a fore-and-aft extending row unit housing defining a row receiving area; a cotton conveying duct located at the aft end of the row unit; a first harvesting drum supported by the housing for rotation about an upright axis beside the row receiving area, the drum including a plurality of spindles for picking cotton from a row of cotton plants in the row receiving area; a second harvesting drum supported by the housing rearwardly of and on the same side of the row receiving area as the first drum; door structure extending rearwardly from a forward location outwardly adjacent the forward drum toward the aft end of the row unit, the door structure including a rearwardly directed area opening into the cotton conveying duct; doffer columns located near the rear of the harvesting drums for removing picked cotton from the spindles and directing the cotton outwardly to the door structure; and wherein the door structure includes an upright wall being the outermost portion of the unit and having a rearward portion which is nondivergent outwardly relative to the row receiving area from a location adjacent the rear drum to the aft end of the unit, the upright wall offset outwardly from the row receiving area a distance less than 66 centimeters. 2. In a cotton harvester for harvesting cotton planted in rows, a row unit comprising: a fore-and-aft extending row unit housing defining a row receiving area; a cotton conveying duct located at the aft end of the row unit; a first harvesting drum supported by the housing for rotation about an upright axis beside the row receiving area, the drum including a plurality of spindles for picking cotton from a row of cotton plants in the row receiving area; a second harvesting drum supported rearwardly of and on the same side of the row receiving area as the first drum; door structure extending rearwardly from a forward location outwardly adjacent the forward drum toward the aft end of the row unit, the door structure including a rearwardly directed opening which opens into the cotton conveying duct; forward and rearward doffer columns located near the rear of the respective first and second harvesting drums for removing picked cotton from the spindles and directing the cotton to the door structure; and wherein the rearward doffer columns are located and aligned in the fore-and-aft direction, such that its rotation axis lies on or closely adjacent an upright fore and aft extending plane generally containing an innermost extremity of the opening into the duct. 3. The cotton harvester comprising a tractor having transversely spaced wheels with at least one fore- and-aft extending row unit, a basket for harvested cotton and supported from the tractor frame; a duct extending upwardly behind the tractor and opening into the basket, wherein the door structure includes an upright wall being the outermost portion of the unit and having a rearward portion which is nondivergent outwardly relative to the row receiving area from a location adjacent the rear drum to the aft end of the unit, the upright wall offset outwardly from the row receiving area a distance less than 66 centimeters. 4. The cotton harvester comprising a tractor having transversely spaced wheels with at least one fore- and-aft extending row unit, a basket for picked cotton and supported from the tractor frame; a duct extending upwardly behind the tractor and opening into the basket, wherein the doffer columns are located and aligned in the fore-and-aft direction, such that its rotation axis lies on or closely adjacent an upright fore and aft extending plane generally containing an innermost extremity of the opening into the duct. 5. The cotton harvester as set forth in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the row unit includes an inner side opposite the door structure side of the row unit, wherein the inner side is offset from the row receiving area less than approximately 30 centimeters. 6. The cotton harvester as set forth in Claim 3-5, wherein comprises two row units spaced so that their axial lines, passing between the row receiving area are 66 centimeters apart. Eurasian patent is valid in all Contracting States except for AM and MD.