Importance

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Abstract

A rock picker of the floating rotating reel type has the following features: (1) An intermediate pinion is provided for the drive of the reel at the pivot point for the reel assembly. This enables the reel to pivot to clear obstacles without per se changing the relative driving relationships; center-to-center distances can remain constant regardless of the pivoting of the reel. (2) Loosely attached grille teeth permit rocks to wiggle out from between grille teeth. Each grille tooth is provided with a receptacle and shoulder which bears against an angle-iron transversely located on the frame. Clearance between the receptacle and the angle iron permits wiggling of the teeth to occur. A bolt passing through a spacer flange attached to each tooth prevents the tooth from sliding off the angle iron. (3) The draw bar is vertically pivotally attached to the transverse frame member, and the angle of the frame member to the draw bar is adjustable to permit the rock picker to swing relative to the tractor or other vehicle pulling it. (4) The paddles, generally radially mounted on the reel, are interconnected by coil springs under tension which permit some paddle deflection when large rocks or other obstacles are encountered but which also tend to maintain the paddles in preferred radial orientation. (5) The canopy over the reel, which offers protection to the driver of the tractor from flying stones or the like, is also used to support the reel mounting--no separate mounting arm is needed. (6) The entire grille assembly is capable of pivotal movement about a transverse axis to adjust to surface level variations, and the reel is transversely pivotally mounted on the grille supporting frame, thus permitting double pivotal movement for good response to ground surface obstacles.

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First Claim