Patent ID: 7386380

Claim:
A cotton harvester drive structure for driving a cotton harvesting row unit at a speed dependent on ground speed and for varying the speed for different harvesting conditions, the drive structure comprising: a variable speed row unit drive connected to the harvesting row unit and having a speed control input; a ground speed sensor providing a speed signal dependent on row unit ground speed; a drive controller connected to the speed control input and responsive to the speed signal for operating the row unit drive at a preselected speed ratio dependant on the row unit ground speed; wherein the drive controller includes a ratio adjustment input connected to a ratio adjusting device for varying the speed ratio from the preselected speed ratio in accordance with the harvesting conditions; wherein the drive controller includes a ground speed versus unit speed curve and the speed curve is non-linear and adjustable in accordance with varying crop and field conditions; and wherein the harvester has a maximum speed and the speed curve has a decreased slope near the maximum speed compared to the slope at harvester speeds below the maximum speed.