Patent ID: 7308947

Claim:
A pull-type machine for towed movement by a tractor comprising: a frame mounted on ground wheels for movement across ground carrying a standing crop for harvesting; a header mounted across a front of the frame; a hitch arm extending from the frame to a forward end of the hitch arm arranged for attachment to a hitch connector of a tractor by which the frame and the header are towed across the ground; the hitch arm being connected to the frame for pivotal movement about a generally upright axis so as to be movable between a first position and a second position; a hydraulic pump for generating a flow of hydraulic fluid under pressure; a hydraulic motor for driving a driven component of the header; hydraulic connection lines for communicating the flow from the pump to the motor and back to a sump tank; a mechanical drive connection for connecting the pump to a PTO shaft of the tractor; and a connecting assembly for connecting the forward end of the hitch arm to a hitch connector of the tractor comprising: a first coupling member arranged for connection to the hitch connector of the tractor and arranged to provide relative to the hitch connector a first pivot coupling which defines a transverse axis of pivotal movement which is generally horizontal and transverse to the tractor so as to allow a rear end of the first coupling member to move upwardly and downwardly relative to the hitch connector and the tractor; a second coupling member mounted at the rear end of the first coupling member; a second pivot coupling connecting the second coupling member to the first coupling member which allows pivotal movement of the second coupling member relative to the first coupling member about a longitudinal axis which is generally horizontal and lies in a plane longitudinal of the tractor so as to allow side to side tilting movement of the second coupling member relative to the hitch connector and the tractor; a third pivot coupling connecting the hitch arm to the second coupling member which allows pivotal movement of the hitch arm relative to the second coupling member about an upright axis which is generally upright so as to allow side to side movement of the header relative to the hitch connector and the tractor; the pump being mounted on the second coupling member.