US-12622352-B2 - Stubble stomper with self-resetting breakaway feature

US12622352B2US 12622352 B2US12622352 B2US 12622352B2US-12622352-B2

Abstract

A stubble stomper is disclosed that attaches to a crop harvesting header on an agricultural machine. The stubble stomper includes a mounting bracket that attaches to the header frame of the crop harvesting header, a hinge assembly that is rotatably attached to the stomper mounting bracket and is rotatable between a default position and a breakaway position, and a stomper shoe that is pivotally attached to the hinge assembly. The stubble stomper has a self-resetting feature from the breakaway position that allows the stubble stomper to re-engage to its default position as the agricultural machine moves in a forward direction of travel.

Inventors

Scott Dietsche
Cyrus Nigon
Reid Christ

Assignees

MACDON INDUSTRIES LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230831

Claims (15)

1 . A stubble stomper comprising: a stomper mounting bracket adapted for mounting the stubble stomper to a crop harvesting header on an agricultural machine; a hinge assembly rotatably attached to the stomper mounting bracket and rotatable between a default position and a breakaway position; a stomper shoe pivotally attached to the hinge assembly by a bushing for engaging crop stubble as the agricultural machine travels across a field; a torsion spring surrounding the bushing that is coupled between the hinge assembly and the stomper shoe biasing the stomper shoe in a first rotational direction relative to the hinge assembly to position the stomper shoe for engaging the crop stubble; and a spring pin attached to the stomper mounting bracket for selective engagement with the hinge assembly, wherein when the spring pin is engaged with the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly is in the default position preventing rotation in the first rotational direction and a second rotational direction and when the spring pin is disengaged from the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly is in the breakaway position allowing rotation in the first and second rotational directions.
2 . The stubble stomper of claim 1 , further comprising a clamp plate attached to the hinge assembly and engaging with the stomper shoe in the second rotational direction and preloading the torsion spring.
3 . The stubble stomper of claim 1 , further comprising a spring compressed between the stomper mounting bracket and the spring pin for biasing the spring pin into engagement with the hinge assembly to retain the hinge assembly in the default position.
4 . The stubble stomper of claim 3 , wherein: the stomper mounting bracket includes a first parallel wall and a second parallel wall; the hinge assembly includes an outer set of parallel walls, including a first outer parallel wall and a second outer parallel wall, and an inner set of parallel walls, including a first inner parallel wall and a second inner parallel wall; the hinge assembly outer parallel walls are positioned within the stomper mounting bracket first parallel wall and second parallel wall; the stomper shoe includes two protruding parallel walls; and the two protruding parallel walls on the stomper shoe are positioned within the inner set of parallel walls of the hinge assembly.
5 . The stubble stomper of claim 4 , wherein each of the two protruding parallel walls in the stomper shoe includes an aperture and each wall of the inner set of parallel walls of the hinge assembly includes an aperture; and the bushing is received within the apertures in the protruding parallel walls in the stomper shoe and the apertures in the inner set of parallel walls of the hinge assembly.
6 . The stubble stomper of claim 5 , further comprising a first pivot pin and a second pivot pin pivotally coupling the hinge assembly to the stomper mounting bracket; wherein: the first pivot pin is received within a first pivot pin aperture in the first parallel wall of the stomper mounting bracket and a first pivot pin aperture in the first outer parallel wall of hinge assembly; the second pivot pin is received within a second pivot pin aperture in the second parallel wall of the stomper mounting bracket and a second pivot pin aperture in the second parallel wall of the hinge assembly; and the first pivot pin and the second pivot pin are in alignment and define an axis of rotation for the hinge assembly, with respect to the stomper mounting bracket, between the default position and the breakaway position.
7 . The stubble stomper of claim 6 , wherein there are three sets of aligned pivot pin apertures in the first and second parallel walls of the stomper mounting bracket including a low height setting, a middle height setting, and an upper height setting.
8 . The stubble stomper of claim 4 , wherein said spring pin is mounted to the first parallel wall in the stomper mounting bracket at a first end; and wherein when the hinge assembly is in the default position a second end of the spring pin is positioned within a spring pin aperture in the first parallel outer wall of the hinge assembly and when the hinge assembly is in the breakaway position the second end of the spring pin is removed from the spring pin aperture in the first parallel outer wall of the hinge assembly.
9 . The stubble stomper of claim 1 , wherein the stomper mounting bracket further comprises a stop engaging with the stomper shoe when in the breakaway position to limit rotation of the stomper shoe in the first rotational direction.
10 . A crop harvesting header comprising: a header frame; a cutterbar attached to the header frame; and a stubble stomper attached to the header frame, wherein the stubble stomper comprises: a stomper mounting bracket mounted to the header frame; a hinge assembly rotatably attached to the stomper mounting bracket and rotatable between a default position and a breakaway position; a stomper shoe pivotally attached to the hinge assembly by a bushing for engaging crop stubble as the crop harvesting header travels across a field; a torsion spring surrounding the bushing that is coupled between the hinge assembly and the stomper shoe biasing the stomper shoe in a first rotational direction relative to the hinge assembly to position the stomper shoe for engaging the crop stubble; and a spring pin attached to the stomper mounting bracket for selective engagement with the hinge assembly, wherein when the spring pin is engaged with the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly is in the default position preventing rotation in the first and second rotational directions and when the spring pin is disengaged from the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly is in the breakaway position allowing rotation in the first and second rotational directions.
11 . The crop harvesting header of claim 10 , further comprising a clamp plate attached to the hinge assembly and engaging with the stomper shoe in a second rotational direction and preloading the torsion spring.
12 . The crop harvesting header of claim 10 , further comprising a spring compressed between the stomper mounting bracket and the spring pin for biasing the spring pin into engagement with the hinge assembly to retain the hinge assembly in the default position.
13 . The crop harvesting header of claim 10 , further comprising a first pivot pin and a second pivot pin pivotally coupling the hinge assembly to the stomper mounting bracket.
14 . The crop harvesting header of claim 13 , further comprising three sets of aligned pivot pin apertures in the stomper mounting bracket including a low height setting, a middle height setting, and an upper height setting.
15 . The crop harvesting header of claim 10 , wherein the stomper mounting bracket further comprises a stop engaging with the stomper shoe when in the breakaway position to limit rotation of the stomper shoe and prevent engagement with the cutterbar.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and all the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/402,645, filed Aug. 31, 2022, and is entitled “Stubble Stomper with Self-Resetting Breakaway Feature”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stubble stomper for use with a crop harvesting header on an agricultural machine, and more particularly, to a stubble stomper that has a self-resetting breakaway feature. 2. Description of Related Art Stubble stompers for crushing and bending the remaining base of harvested crop stalks are known in the art. After a crop is harvested, such as corn or sunflowers, the base of the stalks remains below where the crop was cut during harvesting. These short remaining stalks can be disruptive and problematic for farm equipment, particularly the tires. In some cases, the stalks are rigid and can be sharp. Therefore, stubble stompers are attached to an agricultural machine, such as a corn harvester, and pulled along with the agricultural machine to engage with the remaining stalks as the agricultural machine moves across the field resulting in bent and/or crushed stalks. Bent and crushed stalk bases are also desirable to help promote decomposition of the stalk bases. There are different known designs for stubble stompers, which are also referred to as stalk crushers. However, there are several problems with current designs of stubble stompers due to their inability to flex or pivot. The following paragraphs list several known problems with current known designs of stubble stompers but is not intended to be an exhaustive or all-inclusive list. One problem arises when the stubble stomper is being loaded onto or off a trailer. Since the shoes on the stompers are rigidly attached to their frame and ultimately an agricultural machine, they can loosen, bend, jam, and/or partially or completely break off during the loading and/or unloading process, for example if it catches on something. A second problem is when farming equipment encounters larger objects or obstructions, such as rocks. They can either break or loosen from the agricultural machine. A third problem with known stubble stompers is when they are attached to an agricultural machine and the agricultural machine needs to travel in a reverse direction, the stubble stompers can jam or become lodged in the ground. Current designs often require that the stubble stompers be manually removed or be fully raised off the ground from the agricultural machine prior to driving in a reverse direction. Further, current designs require the stompers to be reinstalled again prior to each operation. Therefore, there is a need for a stubble stomper that: 1) can be loaded and unloaded without bending, loosening, jamming, or breaking; 2) will easily adapt and adjust when it encounters large objects, such as rocks; 3) allows the farming equipment to move in a reverse direction; 4) will not break if not fully raised off the ground; and 5) is self-resetting. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The current invention satisfies these needs by configuring the stubble stomper with a self-resetting breakaway feature. The stubble stomper includes a stomper mounting bracket adapted for mounting the stubble stomper to a crop harvesting header on an agricultural machine, a hinge assembly rotatably attached to the stomper mounting bracket and rotatable between a default position and a breakaway position, and a stomper shoe pivotally attached to the hinge assembly for engaging crop stubble as the agricultural machine travels across a field. According to another aspect of the invention, a crop harvesting header comprises a header frame, a cutterbar attached to the header fame, and a stubble stomper attached to the header frame. The stubble stomper comprises a stomper mounting bracket mounted to the header frame, a hinge assembly rotatably attached to the stomper mounting bracket and rotatable between a default position and a breakaway position, and a stomper shoe pivotally attached to the hinge assembly for engaging crop stubble as the crop harvesting header travels across a field. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stubble stomper with self-resetting breakaway feature according to a primary embodiment of the present invention in a normal operating position; FIG. 2 is a rear cross-sectional view of the stubble stomper shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of the stubble stomper shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stubble stomper with self-resetting breakaway feature according to a primary embodiment of the present invention with the sto