(12)
`
`United States Patent
`Lohrentz
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,415,590 B1
`Jul. 9, 2002
`
`US006415590B1
`
`(54) DOUBLE WINDROW ATTACHMENT LIFT
`MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS
`
`(75) Inventor: Randy Lohrentz> Buh1er> KS (Us)
`(73) Assignee: Agco Corporation, Duluth, GA (US)
`
`( * ) NOIiCeI
`
`Subject I0 any disclaimer, the term Of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 day.
`
`(21) AppL NO‘: 09/642,423
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Agco Hesston Opertor’s Manual Double WindroW Attach
`ment for 8400 WindroWer Tractor; Copyright 1993, cover
`page’ p' 2/97’ pp' 4’ 9’ 10’ 11’ 12’ 14’ 18 and back page'
`Agco Hesston 8400 Double WindroW Attachment Parts
`Catalog, Dec. 1993, cover page, table of contents, and pp.
`2_1, 2_2, 2_3, 2_4, 2_5, 2_6 and 2_7_
`_
`_
`Assembly Instructions Double WmdroW Attachment for
`8400 WindroWer Tractor, Mar. 17, 1993, pp. 1, 15, and 16.
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Aug. 21, 2000
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`(51) Int. Cl.7 .............................................. .. A01D 43/00
`(52) US. Cl. ......................................... .. 56/192; 56/149
`(58) Field Of Search ...................... .. 56/378, 14.5, 14.9,
`56/16-4 R, 1316- 21, 193, 192, 15-5, 15-9,
`10.7, 10.6, 10.8, 11.9
`
`(56)
`
`References Clted
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`9/1956 Blaser et a1.
`2,761,270 A
`3,059,403 A 10/1962 Bamford et 211.
`3,221,484 A 12/1965 Van Der Lely
`3,383,844 A
`5/1968 Glass et aL
`3,523,410 A
`8/1970 Taylor et a1_
`3,911,649 A 10/1975 Scarnato et a1.
`3,928,955 A 12/1975 Case
`3,976,143 A
`8/1976 Rodger
`47027005 A
`5/1977 Case_
`4,274,247 A * 6/1981 Schmldt et a1‘
`4’59O’751 A
`5/1986 Stephenson """""""" " 56/192
`4,809,490 A
`3/1989 Swanson
`4,910,951 A
`3/1990 Reilly et a1‘
`4,991,383 A * 2/1991 Ermarcora ................ .. 56/149
`6,062,010 A * 5/2000 Kraus et a1. ........... .. 56/16.4 R
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`Primary Examiner_Thomas B_ will
`Assistant Examiner—Meredith C_ Petravick
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Hovey Williams LLP
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A hay harvester has a double WindroW cross-conveyor
`supported rearWardly of the harvesting header to receive a
`stream of conditioned crop materials from the header and
`trans
`t th
`1 t H t
`tb
`d
`-t-
`' A
`por
`e same a era y 0 an on oar pos1 1on
`d ? t
`d.
`t th d. h
`d f th
`.
`e .ec or a .Jacen
`e
`1sc arge en '0
`e conveyor is
`mamtamed in a loWered position to direct materials to the
`ground to form a ?rst WindroW during a ?rst pass and is then
`placed in a raised position during a return pass so as to allow
`the stream discharging from the cross-conveyor to be depos
`ited close to the ?rst WindroW, thus forming a double
`WindroW. The cross-conveyor is hingedly af?xed to the
`vehicle in such a manner that the normally tilted doWn,
`loWer front edge of the cross-conveyor can be raised up into
`.
`.
`.
`.
`a transport position for higher ground clearance or to switch
`to slngle Swathmg- The header and Cross-Conveyor are
`Preferably plumbed in a Parallel ?uid ?OW relationship 50
`that they are raised or loWered simultaneously.
`
`EP
`
`0406766 A1 * 1/1991
`
`23 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
`10
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`FIGS.
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`Page 4 of 9
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`US 6,415,590 B1
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`1
`DOUBLE WINDROW ATTACHMENT LIFT
`MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`The present invention relates to harvesters, and, more
`particularly, to hay harvesting equipment of the type that is
`capable of producing a pair of WindroWs (double WindroWs)
`on top of one another, side-by-side, or merged into one large
`WindroW so that subsequent, high capacity equipment such
`as big square balers and self-propelled forage harvesters
`have double the amount of WindroWed material to ingest
`during each pass across a ?eld.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Conventional double WindroW attachments for either self
`propelled or pull-type WindroWers utiliZe an obliquely ori
`ented cross-conveyor behind the header of the machine for
`receiving a stream of crop materials from the conditioning
`apparatus of the header. Rather than alloWing the materials
`to fall to the ground directly behind the header, the cross
`conveyor transports the materials to a remote outboard
`location. In a ?rst pass, a de?ector at the discharge end of the
`conveyor directs the materials doWn to the ground to form
`a ?rst WindroW. Then, in the neXt pass, the de?ector is
`maintained in a raised position so that the discharging
`materials pass beneath the de?ector and are projected further
`outboard than in the ?rst pass, causing a second WindroW to
`be laid doWn essentially along side of the ?rst WindroW.
`The obliquely disposed cross-conveyor in conventional
`equipment is tilted doWn along its front edge so that the
`cross-conveyor intercepts the entire material stream in mid
`?ight as it issues from the conditioner. The front edge thus
`operates close to the ground, Which presents ground clear
`ance problems When the machine is being transported over
`rough terrain, over terraces or onto trailers.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention overcomes the problems of the
`prior art through the provision of a cross-conveyor that can
`be raised and loWered as may be necessary or desirable to
`increase or decrease ground clearance. In a preferred form,
`the cross-conveyor is pivoted or hinged to the supporting
`frame of the machine in such a manner that the cross
`conveyor sWings up and doWn about a transverse aXis along
`the rear edge of the conveyor betWeen a loWered doWn
`Wardly tilted position and a raised, generally horiZontally
`disposed position. Preferably, the cross-conveyor utiliZes a
`lift cylinder to effectuate its raising and loWering movement,
`and such lift cylinder is hydraulically integrated in a ?oW
`circuit With lift cylinders for the header in such a manner that
`both the header and cross-conveyor are raised or loWered at
`the same time.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a schematic, top plan vieW of a self-propelled
`harvester incorporating the present invention;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational vieW thereof
`shoWing the header and cross-conveyor raised;
`FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational vieW similar to FIG.
`2 but shoWing the header and cross-conveyor loWered;
`FIG. 4 is an enlarged, front elevational detail vieW of the
`discharge de?ector illustrating raised and loWered positions
`thereof; and
`FIG. 5 is a hydraulic ?oW diagram of a circuit associated
`With the WindroWer and capable of raising or loWering the
`header and cross-conveyor simultaneously.
`
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`Although the present invention has been illustrated and
`Will be described in connection With a self-propelled
`WindroWer, it Will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
`that the principles of this invention may also be utiliZed in
`a pull-type machine.
`The harvester 10 in the illustrated embodiment includes a
`self-propelled tractor 12 and a header 14 attached to the front
`end of the tractor 12. As Well understood by those skilled in
`the art, header 14 is mounted on tractor 12 for up and doWn
`sWinging movement betWeen a raised, transport position in
`FIG. 2 and a loWered, Working position in FIG. 3. Aheader
`lift cylinder 16 shoWn in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises one of tWo
`of such cylinders, Which Will be described in more detail
`beloW in connection With the hydraulic circuit of the
`machine.
`Broadly speaking, the header 14, as Well understood by
`those skilled in the art, is operable When loWered to sever
`standing crop materials as the harvester moves through the
`?eld, to condition such materials by passing them betWeen
`conditioning rolls or impacting them With a ?ail rotor or the
`like, and to project the severed materials rearWardly in a
`stream beneath the tractor 12. Although it is not essential
`that the severed materials be conditioned by the header 14,
`as a practical matter in most cases such conditioning is
`preferred and is a standard practice in the industry Where
`self-propelled WindroWers are involved.
`A double WindroW attachment is denoted by the numeral
`18 and broadly includes a cross-conveyor 20, a frame 22 for
`securing the cross-conveyor 20 to tractor 12, a de?ector 24
`supported by frame 22 adjacent the discharge end of cross
`conveyor 20, a lift cylinder 26 for raising and loWering
`cross-conveyor 20 relative to tractor 12, and an operating
`cylinder 28 for raising and loWering de?ector 24. Conveyor
`20 is generally rectangular as vieWed in top plan as in FIG.
`1 and is mounted in an oblique orientation With respect to the
`path of travel of harvester 10, the discharge end 30 of
`cross-conveyor 20 being located someWhat behind the oppo
`site leading end 32 thereof. A continuous, ?at platform belt
`34 of conveyor 20 has a Wide top surface for receiving crop
`materials from header 14 and supporting them as they are
`conveyed toWard discharge end 30.
`Cross-conveyor 20 is secured to frame 22 by a pair of
`aligned pivots 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that permit cross-conveyor
`20 to be sWung up and doWn in a hinging motion betWeen
`a raised, horiZontal transport position of FIG. 2 and a
`loWered, doWnWardly and forWardly inclined, operating
`position of FIG. 3. Lift cylinder 26 for cross-conveyor 20 is
`connected betWeen a rearWardly extending lug 38 (FIG. 2)
`on frame 22 and a crank member 40 on cross-conveyor 20
`for effecting poWered raising and loWering of cross
`conveyor 20.
`The de?ector 24 is located laterally outboard of the
`discharge end 30 of cross-conveyor 20 in generally parallel
`relationship With the path of travel of harvester 10. De?ector
`24 is sWingably connected to frame 22 by a pair of aligned,
`fore-and-aft pivots 42 for movement betWeen raised and
`loWered positions illustrated in FIG. 4. De?ector lift cylinder
`28 is connected betWeen an upstanding lug 44 on frame 22
`and an ear 46 on de?ector 24. FIG. 5 is a simpli?ed
`illustration of a suitable hydraulic circuit 48 of the harvester
`10. Except With respect to the Way in Which the conveyor lift
`cylinder 26 and header lift cylinders 16 are related to one
`another Within circuit 48, the circuit of the WindroWer is
`largely conventional and Will not, therefore, be described in
`detail. For the sake of simplicity and ease of understanding,
`
`Page 6 of 9
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`US 6,415,590 B1
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`3
`several components normally found Within such a circuit
`have been left off including, for example, ground drive
`motors for tractor 12, header drive motors, header ?otation
`cylinders, and a header angle tilt cylinder.
`Suf?ce it to point out, therefore, that a reservoir 50
`supplies hydraulic ?uid to the various operating components
`of circuit 48, including a main pump 52 driven by the engine
`(not shoWn) of tractor 12. Reservoir 50 also supplies oil to
`a second pump 54 that is belt-driven off the engine. Pump 54
`is primarily responsible for supplying pressuriZed oil to a
`hydraulic motor 56 that drives platform belt 34 of conveyor
`20. On the other hand, pump 52 is primarily responsible for
`supplying pressuriZed oil to header lift cylinders 16, cross
`conveyor lift cylinder 26, and de?ector operating cylinder
`28.
`Pressurized ?uid to cylinders 16, 26 and 28 is controlled
`by a bank of valves 58 situated betWeen those cylinders and
`the pump 52. Among other things, the bank of valves 58
`includes a valve block 60 and a plurality of associated
`solenoid-controlled valves 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 and 72. Pres
`suriZed ?uid from pump 52 enters block 60 via ports 74 and
`76 and thence moves through various internal passages
`controlled by valves 62-72. An outlet port 78 supplies
`pressuriZed oil to de?ector operating cylinder 28 via line 80,
`and a return line 82 from de?ector operating cylinder 28
`reconnects With block 60 at a return port 84. An outlet port
`86 communicates With the reservoir 50 via a return line 88,
`and a line 90 communicates the reservoir 50 With the pump
`52.
`An outlet port 92 supplies pressuriZed ?uid to the header
`lift cylinders 16 via a line 94, a Tee connection 96, and a line
`98 leading from Tee connection 96. Header lift cylinders 16
`are connected in a master slave relationship via an intercon
`nect line 100 such that pressuriZed ?uid from the rod end of
`one cylinder 16 communicates With the base end of the other
`cylinder 16. Areturn line 102 leads from the rod end of the
`slave cylinder to a return port 104 in block 60, and thence
`to return line 88 via outlet port 86.
`The Tee connection 96 has, in addition to the line 98 to
`header lift cylinder 16, a supply line 106 leading therefrom
`to the conveyor lift cylinder 26. Thus, header lift cylinders
`16 and conveyor lift cylinder 26 are connected in a parallel
`?uid ?oW relationship via Tee connection 96 such that both
`receive pressuriZed oil simultaneously When outlet port 92 is
`activated by the internal valving of block 60. Conveyor lift
`cylinder 26 is a single acting cylinder Which is eXtended
`under hydraulic pressure and retracted by gravity. More
`speci?cally, conveyor lift cylinder 26 is connected mechani
`cally to cross-conveyor 20 in such a Way that cylinder 26 is
`eXtended to raise cross-conveyor 20 but then is retracted by
`the Weight of conveyor 20 so as to alloW conveyor 20 to
`move doWn to its loWered position.
`A manual lock-out valve 108 is provided in line 106 for
`the purpose of alloWing the operator to lock cylinder 26 in
`any degree of partial or full extension. This provides a safety
`function in the event the operator may need to perform a
`maintenance operation beloW the conveyor. This lock-out
`also permits the operator to lock the conveyor in the doWn
`position yet hydraulically raise the header either partially or
`fully While operating in the ?eld.
`An electrically actuated solenoid valve 110, operable
`from the tractor cab, may be provided in supply line 106 to
`permit the operator to remotely lock the conveyor in the up
`position When the conveyor is turned off. The same sWitch
`(not shoWn) for turning the conveyor off and on also locks
`and unlocks the solenoid valve 110. When the conveyor is
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`locked up and turned off, a sWath may be passed beloW the
`conveyor from the header 14. This alloWs the operator to
`sWitch from double WindroWing to single sWathing Without
`leaving the tractor cab.
`Operation
`In use, harvester 10 is normally operated With header 14
`and cross-conveyor 20 in their loWered operating positions
`of FIG. 3. In this condition, severed crop materials issue
`from header 14 in an air-borne stream and are projected
`rearWardly beneath tractor 12 until landing upon the cross
`conveyor 20 Whose belt 34 is moving in a rightWard direc
`tion as harvester 10 is vieWed from the rear. Cross-conveyor
`20 intercepts the stream of materials so they never reach the
`ground under tractor 12. Instead, the received materials are
`immediately transported toWard the right side of tractor 12
`by conveyor 34, Which is continuously operating.
`During a ?rst pass of the tWo passes necessary to create
`each double WindroW, de?ector 24 is maintained in its
`loWered position as illustrated in FIGS. 1—3. Thus, as the
`materials are ?ung off discharge end 30 of cross-conveyor
`20, they strike de?ector 24 and are immediately directed
`straight doWn to the ground behind the right front Wheel of
`tractor 12. This creates a ?rst WindroW beside standing crop
`on the right side of the harvester.
`As harvester 10 reaches the end of the ?rst pass and
`arrives in the headland area of the ?eld, the operator
`normally raises header 14 to facilitate making a 180° degree
`turn for the commencement of the second or return pass of
`the double WindroW forming cycle. Due to the parallel ?uid
`?oW relationship of the conveyor lift cylinder 26 and the
`header lift cylinders 16, cross-conveyor 20 hinges up to its
`raised position simultaneously With header 14 as it is raised
`at this time.
`As the harvester 10 starts back along its second pass,
`standing crop material Will be located at the left side of the
`machine, as Well as in front of header 14. Once header 14
`and cross-conveyor 20 have been re-loWered to the ground
`and cutting has recommended, header 14 and cross
`conveyor 20 perform in the usual Way, eXcept that, noW,
`de?ector 24 is raised to the phantom line position of FIG. 4.
`With de?ector 24 thus elevated, the stream of materials
`issuing from the discharge end 30 of cross-conveyor 20
`passes under de?ector 24 to a much further outboard posi
`tion than With the ?rst WindroW. Preferably, the stream of
`materials reach the ground near or slightly beyond the
`outboard end of header 14 so as to form a second WindroW
`that is in close proXimity to the ?rst-formed WindroW. Once
`the second pass is completed, the harvester turns around in
`the previously described manner to commence the ?rst run
`of another double WindroW cycle, the header 14 and cross
`conveyor 20 being raised or loWered simultaneously as
`previously described. De?ector 24 is returned to its loWered
`position so as to direct the materials into a ?rst WindroW
`located inboard of the outboard end of header 14 so as to not
`co-mingle With standing crop on the right side of the
`machine.
`In its loWered position, the cross-conveyor 20 has its front
`edge tilted doWn close to the ground so as to assure that all
`materials issuing from the header 14 are fully captured on
`the belt 34. On the other hand, in order to clear signi?cant
`obstructions on the ground in the transport position, a
`relatively large amount of vertical movement of the front
`edge is necessary. By hinging the conveyor 20 to the tractor
`12 adjacent the rear edge of conveyor 20, a more than ample
`amount of ground clearance can be obtained at the front of
`the conveyor With only a relatively short stroke of the lift
`cylinder 26.
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`5
`It Will be appreciated that at certain times and under
`certain conditions the operator may Wish to use the harvester
`10 to produce a single sWath directly behind header 14 along
`the longitudinal center line of the machine. This can be
`readily achieved by simply raising header 14 and cross
`conveyor 20 to their transport positions and then actuating
`the appropriate sWitch to turn off the conveyor and close
`solenoid valve 110 to lock the conveyor in the up position.
`Header 14 may then be loWered back to the ground to
`perform its operations in the usual manner With the crop
`stream passing rearWardly beneath the elevated cross
`conveyor 20.
`The preferred forms of the invention described above are
`to be used as illustration only, and should not be utiliZed in
`a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present
`invention. Obvious modi?cations to the exemplary
`embodiments, as herein above set forth, could be readily
`made by those skilled in the art Without departing from the
`spirit of the present invention.
`The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the
`Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reason
`ably fair scope of the present invention as pertains to any
`apparatus not materially departing from but outside the
`literal scope of the invention as set forth in the folloWing
`claims.
`What is claimed is:
`1. In a harvester, the improvement comprising:
`a mobile vehicle;
`a harvesting header mounted on said vehicle for move
`ment betWeen raised and loWered positions relative to
`the vehicle,
`said header being operable to sever crop materials from
`the ground and to project the severed materials rear
`Wardly in a stream;
`a double-WindroW cross-conveyor mounted on said
`vehicle behind the header in position for receiving the
`stream of severed materials from the header,
`said cross-conveyor being disposed to convey the severed
`materials generally laterally of the path of travel of the
`vehicle and having a discharge end disposed to dis
`charge the severed materials outboard of the longitu
`dinal center line of the harvester,
`said cross-conveyor being mounted for movement
`betWeen raised and loWered positions relative to the
`vehicle; and
`a lift mechanism operably coupled With the header and the
`cross-conveyor and operable to raise or loWer both the
`header and cross-conveyor at the same time, said lift
`mechanism being operable to permit said cross
`conveyor to be selectively retained in its raised position
`While the header is being operated in its loWered
`position or moved betWeen its raised and loWered
`positions.
`2. In a harvester as claimed in claim 1,
`said lift mechanism including a header lift cylinder con
`nected betWeen the vehicle and the header and a
`cross-conveyor lift cylinder connected betWeen the
`vehicle and the cross-conveyor,
`said lift mechanism further including a hydraulic ?oW
`circuit in Which the header lift cylinder and the cross
`conveyor lift cylinder are connected in parallel ?uid
`?oW relationship to one another.
`3. In a harvester as claimed in claim 2,
`said hydraulic ?oW circuit including valving selectively
`operable to isolate the cross-conveyor lift cylinder from
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`the header lift cylinder Whereby to permit the cross
`conveyor to be maintained in a raised position While the
`header is raised and loWered by the header lift cylinder.
`4. In a harvester as claimed in claim 1,
`said vehicle comprising a self-propelled tractor.
`5. In a harvester as claimed in claim 1,
`said cross-conveyor When in said loWered position being
`doWnWardly and forWardly inclined such that a front,
`transversely extending edge of the cross-conveyor is
`loWer than a rear transversely extending edge thereof,
`said cross-conveyor When in said raised position being
`substantially level such that the front and rear edges are
`disposed at least generally at the same height,
`said cross-conveyor being hingedly attached to the
`vehicle generally along said rear edge thereof such that
`said front edge of the cross-conveyor moves up and
`doWn relative to said rear edge during raising and
`loWering of the cross-conveyor.
`6. In a harvester as claimed in claim 1,
`said lift mechanism including separate poWer devices for
`the header and the cross-conveyor.
`7. In a harvester as claimed in claim 6,
`said poWer devices comprising hydraulic cylinders.
`8. In a harvester as claimed in claim 7,
`said cylinders being connected in parallel ?uid ?oW
`relationship,
`said cylinder for the cross-conveyor being controlled by
`valving selectively operable to isolate the cross
`conveyor cylinder from the cylinder for the header
`Whereby to permit said retention of the cross-conveyor
`in its raised position While the header is being raised or
`loWered.
`9. In a harvester as claimed in claim 1,
`further comprising a de?ector adjacent said discharge end
`of the cross-conveyor operable to cause the discharging
`materials to become deposited on the ground at either
`selected one of a pair of different outboard locations.
`10. In a harvester, the improvement comprising:
`a mobile vehicle;
`a harvesting header mounted on said vehicle,
`said header being operable to sever crop materials from
`the ground and to project the severed materials rear
`Wardly in a stream;
`a double-WindroW cross-conveyor mounted on said
`vehicle behind the header in position for receiving the
`stream of severed materials from the header,
`said cross-conveyor being disposed to convey the severed
`materials generally laterally of the path of travel of the
`vehicle and having a discharge end disposed to dis
`charge the severed materials outboard of the longitu
`dinal center line of the harvester,
`said cross-conveyor being mounted for movement
`betWeen a loWered position Wherein the cross-conveyor
`is doWnWardly and forWardly inclined such that a front,
`transversely extending edge of the cross-conveyor is
`loWer than a rear, transversely extending edge thereof
`and a raised position Wherein the cross-conveyor is
`substantially level such that the front and rear edges are
`disposed at least generally at the same height,
`said cross-conveyor being hingedly attached to the
`vehicle generally along said rear edge of the cross
`conveyor such that said front edge of the cross
`conveyor moves up and doWn relative to said rear edge
`during raising and loWering of the cross-conveyor; and
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`a lift mechanism operably coupled With the cross
`conveyor for effecting said raising and lowering
`thereof.
`11. In a harvester as claimed in claim 10,
`said header being mounted for movement betWeen raised
`and loWered positions,
`said lift mechanism being operable to raise or loWer both
`the cross-conveyor and the header at the same time.
`12. In a harvester as claimed in claim 11,
`said lift mechanism including a header lift cylinder con
`nected betWeen the vehicle and the header and a
`cross-conveyor lift cylinder connected betWeen the
`vehicle and the cross-conveyor,
`said lift mechanism further including a hydraulic ?oW
`circuit in Which the header lift cylinder and the cross
`conveyor lift cylinder are connected in parallel ?uid
`?oW relationship to one another.
`13. In a harvester as claimed in claim 12,
`said hydraulic ?oW circuit including valving selectively
`operable to isolate the cross-conveyor lift cylinder from
`the header lift cylinder Whereby to permit the cross
`conveyor to be maintained in a raised position While the
`header is raised and loWered by the header lift cylinder.
`14. In a harvester as claimed in claim 10,
`said vehicle comprising a self-propelled tractor.
`15. In a harvester as claimed in claim 10,
`further comprising a de?ector adjacent said discharge end
`of the cross-conveyor operable to cause the discharging
`materials to become deposited on the ground at either
`selected one of a pair of different outboard locations.
`16. In a harvester, the improvement comprising:
`a mobile vehicle;
`a harvesting header mounted on the front of said vehicle
`for severing crop materials from the ground and pro
`jecting the severed materials rearWardly in a stream as
`the vehicle moves across a ?eld of standing crop,
`said header being mounted for movement betWeen raised
`and loWered positions relative to the vehicle;
`a cross-conveyor mounted on said vehicle behind the
`header,
`said cross-conveyor being selectively movable betWeen
`loWered and raised positions relative to the vehicle,
`said cross-conveyor being operable When in said loWered
`position to receive a stream of severed materials from
`the header and to convey the materials laterally of the
`path of travel of the vehicle to a point of discharge
`outboard of the longitudinal center line of the harvester;
`and
`a lift mechanism operably coupled With the header and the
`cross-conveyor,
`said lift mechanism being operable to permit said cross
`conveyor to be selectively retained in its raised position
`While the header is being operated in its loWered
`position or moved betWeen its raised and loWered
`positions.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`45
`
`55
`
`8
`17. In a harvester as claimed in claim 16,
`said cross-conveyor having a remotely actuatable hydrau
`lic lift cylinder operably coupled thereWith for moving
`the cross-conveyor to said raised position,
`said cross-conveyor lift cylinder having a remotely actu
`atable valve operably associated thereWith that is selec
`tively operable to maintain the cross-conveyor lift
`cylinder in a condition retaining the cross-conveyor in
`said raised position.
`18. In a harvester as claimed in claim 17,
`said vehicle comprising a self-propelled tractor having a
`driver’s seat,
`said cross-conveyor lift cylinder and said valve being
`operable from said driver’s seat.
`19. In a harvester as claimed in claim 17,
`said header having a lift cylinder operably coupled there
`With for raising and loWering the header relative to the
`vehicle,
`said header lift cylinder and said cross-conveyor lift
`cylinder being connected in parallel ?uid ?oW relation
`ship to one another for raising or loWering both the
`header and the cross-conveyor simultaneously.
`20. In a harvester as claimed in claim 19,
`said valve being selectively operable to isolate the cross
`conveyor lift cylinder from the header lift cylinder
`Whereby to permit the cross-conveyor to be maintained
`in said raised position While the header is raised and
`loWered by the header lift cylinder.
`21. In a harvester as claimed in claim 16,
`said vehicle comprising a self-propelled tractor.
`22. In a harvester as claimed in claim 16,
`said cross-conveyor When in said loWered position being
`doWnWardly and forWardly inclined such that a front,
`transversely extending edge of the cross-conveyor is
`loWer than a rear transversely extending edge thereof,
`said cross-conveyor When in said raised position being
`substantially level such that the front and rear edges are
`disposed at least generally at the same height,
`said cross-conveyor being hingedly attached to the
`vehicle generally along said rear edge thereof such that
`said front edge of the cross-conveyor moves up and
`doWn relative to said rear edge during raising and
`loWering of the cross-conveyor.
`23. In a harvester as claimed in claim 16,
`further comprising a de?ector adjacent the outboard end
`of the cross-conveyor selectively operable to cause
`materials discharging from the cross-conveyor to fall to
`ground at either selected one of a pair of different
`outboard positions.
`
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