Abstract:
A large round baler includes a crop pick-up assembly which is wider than the baling chamber and equipped with right- and left-hand stub augers for centering the crop for delivery through the inlet of the baling chamber. In order to prevent the augers from compressing crop against crop feeding tines located between the inner ends of the stub augers, crop lifters are mounted to inner end portions of each of the stub augers. The stub augers are each double flight augers with the flights being offset 180° from each other. The crop lifters each include first and second lifter plates respectively associated with the first and second flights, the lifter plates each having a first end fixed to the auger core and being curved outwardly from the core to the outer periphery of the associated flight.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to crop pick-ups and more specifically relates to such pick-ups which include stub augers at its opposite sides for narrowing the flow of crop lifted by the pick-up tine reel. 
     In a known crop pickup which is used to lift windrowed crop into the baling chamber of a baler, the pick-up is wider than the width of the baling chamber. In order to narrow the windrow of crop to the width of the baling chamber, right- and left-hand stub augers are mounted at the opposite sides of the pick-up in co-axial relationship to feeder teeth located in the center region between the stub augers, the augers operating to converge the crop toward the center of the baler some distance past the inside edge of the opposite walls of the baling chamber. A tooth stripper assembly is mounted in the region between the stub augers for stripping crop from the feeder teeth. The augers normally feed material near the outside diameter of the flighting, so that the transition of material to the outside diameter of the rotating tines is usually quite an easy one. If however, the crop flow is interrupted, as when a bale doesn&#39;t start to turn, for example, the auger will be rotating past crop which is not moving into the bale chamber. If the crop begins to accumulate between the flights of the auger, crop will become wedged as the flighting pushes the crop against the feeder teeth stripper assembly. This wedging can result in the pick-up becoming plugged and/or in damage to the pick-up. Furthermore, when the pick-up becomes plugged, the operator is forced to expend time and effort to remove the crop material so as to unplug the pick-up. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, there is provided an improved pick-up structure and more particularly there is provided an improvement to a pick-up structure of the type embodying crop converging or centering stub augers. 
     A broad object of the invention is to provide a pick-up incorporating centering augers with an improved feed structure for reducing the tendency of the crop material to become wedged against obstructions such as the tooth stripper assembly located adjacent the respective inner ends of the stub augers. 
     A more specific object of the invention is to provide a pick-up, as defined in the immediately preceding object, wherein a crop lifter assembly is fixed to the auger core and leading face of the flighting of the inner portion of each of the augers. 
    
    
     These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic left side elevational view of a baler equipped with a pick-up of the type with which the present invention is particularly adapted for use. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic right side elevational view showing the flow of windrowed crop as it is being conveyed from the ground to the bale chamber. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic top view, with some parts in section, of the crop feed arrangement and entrance to the baling chamber. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view looking rearwardly toward the right-hand side of the pickup portion containing the right-hand stub auger with the associated crop lifter assembly and some of the feeder tines. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the right-hand stub auger and crop lifter assembly. 
     FIG. 6 is a left end view of the left auger assembly together with the adjacent crop stripper. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a baler  10  for making large cylindrical bales. The baler  10  includes a chassis  12  from which extends a draft tongue  14  adapted for being connected to a towing vehicle, such as an agricultural tractor, not shown. The chassis  12  supports bale-forming elements, described below, which define a fixed volume baling chamber  16  into which crop is fed by means of a crop feed arrangement  18  as the baler is towed along on its support wheels  20 . The chassis  12  includes a front section  22  to the upper rear portion of which is pivotally mounted a discharge gate  24  which may be swung vertically, from its shown lowered closed position, to permit a formed bale to fall onto the ground, as is well known in the art. The baling chamber  16  is defined by a plurality of identical rolls  26  arranged generally in a circular pattern and by respective side walls of the front section  22  and discharge gate  24 . Also arranged in this circular pattern is a slightly larger roll  27  which delimits the rear of a crop inlet  28 . While the chamber thus defined is fixed in size, the present invention could also be used with a variable chamber baler, with the roll  27  being a floor roll or being of a configuration serving as a lower front bale-forming belt support roll. In any event, the chamber  16  includes an inlet  28  through which crop may be conveyed by the crop feed arrangement  18 . 
     Referring now also to FIGS. 2-4, it can be seen that the crop feed arrangement  18  has a width greater than that of the baling chamber  16 . The crop feed arrangement  18  is composed of a crop collecting pick-up  30  and a rotary conveyor  32 . The pick-up  30  is of a conventional design including a frame  34  supported from the main frame  12 . The pick-up  30  includes a tined reel structure  36  having five sets of spring wire tines  38  arranged angularly about a horizontal transverse axis of rotation of the reel structure  36 , with individual tines  38  of each set being grouped in coplanar sets spaced transversely across the pick-up. A u-shaped tine stripper assembly  40  opens rearwardly and extends about the reel structure  36  with the stripper assembly  40  comprising individual bands  42  spaced transversely from each other to define a plurality of slots  44  through which the respective co-planar sets of tines  38  pass during operation, it being noted that crop slides along a top surface  46  defined by the bands  42  to the point where the crop is engaged by the rotary conveyor  32 . 
     The rotary conveyor  32  includes right- and left-hand stub augers  48  and  50 , respectively, having tubular cores fixed for rotation with a hexagonal drive shaft  52  (FIG. 4) extending axially through the auger cores. The stub augers  48  and  50  have respective inner ends that terminate inwardly of right- and left-hand side walls  54  and  56  (FIG. 3) of the chassis front end section  22  respectively forming opposite side wall portions of the baling chamber  16 . In the disclosed embodiment, the distance that the augers extend inwardly from the walls is about 95 mm. Located between the inner ends of the stub augers  48  and  50  and arranged concentrically about the drive shaft  52  is a further portion of the rotary conveyor  32  here shown in the form of a plurality of rigid crop feeding fingers or teeth  60 , with coplanar pairs of the teeth  60  being formed at diametrically opposite locations of a respective plate  62 , and with the plates  62  being spaced from each other along and welded to a support tube  64  having end plates (not shown) that are fixed for rotation with the drive shaft  52 . Associated with the teeth  60  is a stripper arrangement  66  (FIG. 2) including a stripper support  67  extending transversely behind a plurality of strippers  68  respectively arranged in fore-and-aft alignment with the strippers  44 . Each stripper  68  is molded of a plastic material and is made in upper and lower halves having interlocking forward ends defining a hinge permitting the halves to be separated. The upper and lower halves of each stripper  68  contain respective semi-cylindrical recesses which together form a cylindrical opening, located just to the rear of the forward end of the stripper, which is disposed loosely about the support tube  64  between adjacent ones of the plates  62  such that the forward end of the stripper  68  is loosely supported on the tube  64 . The rear ends of the upper and lower halves of each stripper  68  cooperate to define a rectangular opening in which is received a mounting tab (not shown) of the support  67 . A mounting bolt, not shown, extends through aligned holes provided in the stripper halves and the tab so as to clamp the stripper to the support  67 . A curved upper surface  70  of each of the strippers  68  is so located relative to the path of rotation of the teeth  60  that the surface  70  engages crop carried by the adjacent teeth  60  so as to gradually lift it off the teeth. 
     The present invention relates to right- and left-hand crop lifter assemblies that are respectively secured to inner end portions of the augers  48  and  50 . Specifically, the augers  48  and  50  are of a so-called double pitch construction including first and second spiral flights  72  and  74 , respectively, welded along the circumference of a cylindrical auger core  76  and having respective inner terminal ends  78  and  80  which extend radially from diametrically opposite locations of the core  76 . 
     With reference to the right-hand auger  48  shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it can be seen that the crop lifter assembly for the auger  48  includes first and second crop lifters  82  and  84 , respectively, associated with an inner end section of the core  76  and with the respective end sections of the flights  72  and  74  that are fixed to core inner end section. 
     Specifically, the crop lifter  82  includes a spiral shaped lifter plate or scroll  86  having a radially inner end  88  extending parallel to the axis of, and being welded to the tube  76 . The lifter plate  86  includes a first edge  90  welded along a leading face of the inner end section of the spiral flight  72  and includes a second edge  92  which is substantially coplanar with an inner end of the auger core  76 . The edges  90  and  92  thus converge toward each other and meet at a point at a location at the outer periphery of the end of the flight  72 , this location being spaced approximately 120° about the axis of the core  76  from the edge  88 . A substantially vertical filler plate  94  closes the space between the edge  92  and the core  76 . 
     Similarly, the crop lifter  84  includes a spiral shaped lifter plate or scroll  96  having an inner end (not shown) welded along the auger core  76  at a location approximately diametrically opposite from the edge  88  of the lifter plate  86 , the lifter plate  96  having a first edge  98  welded along a leading face of the auger flight  74  and having a second edge  100  disposed substantially coplanar with the inner end of the auger core  76 , with the first and second edges  98  and  100  converging and meeting at the outer periphery of the inner end of the auger flight  74 . A substantially vertical filler plate  102  fills the gap between the auger core  76  and the lifter plate  96 . 
     The auger  48 , as viewed looking toward its inner end as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, rotates clockwise so that the edge  88  of the lifter plate  86  and the similar edge of the lifter plate  96  lead the remaining portions of the plates so that engaged crop, either that being augered inwardly or that being fed rearwardly by the pick-up  30 , is gradually lifted to the outer perimeter of the auger flights  72  and  74 , and thus, to the outer perimeter of the rotary tines  60 . The length and curvature of the lifter plates  86  and  96  is such that it is easier for the crop to be lifted away from the auger core  76  and flighting than for it to be augered or pinched between the flighting and the stripper arrangement  66  or tines  60 . Aiding in lifting the crop is the curved upper surface  70  of the two strippers  68  that are respectively located at the inner ends of the augers  48  and  50 . In addition to the action of the strippers  68 , stripping of crop from the lifter plates  86  and  96  is aided by the baling chamber roll  27 , due to its clockwise rotation, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, and its close proximity to the outside diameter of the augers  48  and  50 . Specifically, good stripping action has been found to occur if the space between the outside diameter of the augers  48  and  50  and the chamber roll  27  is in the neighborhood of between 5-25 mm but preferably at about 15 mm. The curvature of the lifter plates  86  and  96  may be that of a spiral, as shown, or may be constant once a certain distance from the core  76  is achieved, the most effective shape depending on crop conditions. 
     With reference to the left-hand auger assembly  50  shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the auger tube  76  has a diameter which is approximately half that of the auger. Further, it can be seen that the crop lifter plates  86  and  96  are each formed at a constant radius, with each radius having its center parallel to a line extending through the center of the tube  76  and aligned with the radially extending terminal inner ends  78  and  80  of the flights  72  and  74 . This radius is approximately ⅔ the radius of the auger. While this is the preferred dimensions of the auger tube, flighting and lifter plates, other relationships would result in satisfactory operation.