The present invention relates generally to flail-type crop conditioners for pull-type crop-treating equipment in the agricultural industry, and particularly to a flail-type conditioner that employs an improved reimpactor for redirecting treated crop material to the conditioning unit for additional treatment.
During the process of producing and harvesting hay it is common to condition stalky plant material such as alfalfa, clover, or the like, by directing the crop material through a pair of conditioning rolls, thereby crimping the stems. This cracks the stems and thereby reduces the time cut plant material must remain in the field drying by increasing the rate at which moisture escapes.
In addition to crushing or crimping, it is also well known that plant drying can be further enhanced by subjecting the plants to the more severe conditioning provided by flails. Flail conditioning causes the plant stems to be even more severely crushed, with more of the waxy covering removed. The various levels of conditioning to which plant materials are subjected have a direct affect on the drying rate.
The instant invention relates to an improved reimpactorxe2x80x94a mechanism in a crop conditioning apparatus for redirecting materials already subjected to conditioning back to the conditioning unit for additional treatment. An example of a type of reimpactor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,797, issued to Richard Koegel et al. on Aug. 15, 2000. Note, for example, in FIG. 3 thereof that guide elements 51 and 52 redirect the flow of crop materials in this maceration apparatus into the rotating impact rotor 23. A macerator is somewhat different from a conditioner in that it is intended to even more severely crush the crop materials.
Another example of a reimpactor is used in a commercial flail conditioner sold by Kuhn and identified as the xe2x80x9cALTERNA 500xe2x80x9d. An adjustable bar with protruding fixed finger elements, all extending in the same direction, is affixed above the flail. The bar may be rotated to move the finger elements into and out of the flow path of the crop material, thus adjusting the amount of crop material that is redirected into the flail for additional treatment.
Both the Koegel and Kuhn devices are rigid and thus in actual use become bent, deformed and broken when stones and other solid objects are passed through the apparatus. If, for example, a stone is fed into the conditioner and bends one of the fingers into the path of a flail element, either the finger or the flail element, or both, will likely be broken, and possibly even additional damage will result.
It would be desirable and beneficial to provide a reimpactor that would overcome the above-noted disadvantages of known reimpactors.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved reimpactor for use in a flail-type crop conditioner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a slotted reimpactor that is solid and rigid enough to withstand the severe operating conditions of a flail-type crop conditioner, i.e., able to absorb and withstand impacts from stones and other solid objects.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a flail-type crop conditioner that is quieter in operation, requires less power, is more durable, reliable, and long-lasting than those known in the prior art.
It is a still further object of the instant invention to provide a reimpactor for an agricultural flail-conditioner to redirect conditioned crop material to the rotating flail-conditioner for additional treatment prior to depositing it on the ground for drying. The reimpactor is constructed partially of a shock-absorbent material, such as urethane, so that it may retain its shape even upon impact with foreign objects such as stones or misshapen flails, thus displaying significant longevity and durability characteristics.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein one primary embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.