Patent ID: 6971225

Claim:
A control arrangement for a pull-type windrow merger adapted to be pulled along the ground by a tow vehicle having an electrical power supply, the pull-type windrow merger having a plurality of actuable functional assemblies configured to interact and cooperate to selectively collect crop material from a first location on the ground, move the crop material laterally, and discharge the crop material in a second location on the ground, as the windrow merger is moved along the ground by the tow vehicle, the control assembly comprising; a housing; a controller disposed in the housing, wherein the controller includes a plurality of inputs, and wherein each of the controller inputs corresponds to one of the functional assemblies of the windrow merger; and a harness arrangement configured to electrically connect the controller to the plurality of functional assemblies and to a power supply, wherein the harness arrangement includes: a first harness on the tow vehicle having a first connector configured to electrically connect to the controller, a second connector configured to electrically connect the controller to the power supply, and a third connector configured to electrically connect to the plurality of functional assemblies on the pull-type windrow merger; and a second harness on the windrow merger configured to connect to the third connector of the first harness to communicate control signals from the controller to the functional assemblies of the windrow merger; and wherein the controller and the housing are remotely disposed relative to the pull-type windrow merger, wherein the controller is interconnected through the first and second harnesses with each of the functional assemblies of the windrow merger, and wherein each controller input is interconnected with and controls operation of a single one of the functional assemblies of the windrow merger.