FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10; rule 13)
“HYDRAULIC TETHER SYSTEM”
CNH Industrial (India) Pvt. Ltd. of the address: B1-207, Boomerang, Chandivali Farm Road, Near Chandivali Studio, Andheri (East) Mumbai 400072, India.
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

HYDRAULIC TETHER SYSTEM
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a hydraulic tether system.
[0002] Cotton is typically harvested from fields with machines called harvesters. One type of cotton harvester is called a picker or spindle harvester. The picker harvester uses spindles coupled to a shaft that may rotate at speeds in excess of 100 RPM. In addition to rotating with the shaft, the spindles may also rotate about their respective axis. The rotation of the spindles enables the harvester to separate the cotton from the cotton plant. The separated cotton is then removed from the spindles and sent into a storage container on the harvester where it is stored until offloaded. The high rate of rotation of the spindles may make visual inspection and debris clearing from the spindles challenging.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0003] A hydraulic tether system is configured to control rotation of a spindle assembly on a harvester. The hydraulic tether system includes a tether motor system configured to convert force from a pressurized hydraulic fluid into torque for rotating the spindle assembly. The hydraulic tether system also includes a tether valve assembly fluidly coupled to the tether motor system. The tether valve assembly controllably releases the pressurized hydraulic fluid for use by the tether motor system.
DRAWINGS
[0004] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a harvester system configured to harvest rows of a crop, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0006] FIG. 2 is a side view of a harvester and a tractor assembly that may be coupled to one another to form the harvester system of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of harvester assembly with spindle assemblies, taken within line 3-3 of FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tether system configured to control operation of the spindle assemblies in FIG. 3, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of a base valve assembly of the tether system of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tether motor system of the tether system of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tether motor system coupled to a gearbox on the harvester assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0012] FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of a tether valve of the tether system of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers’ specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and

business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0014] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
[0015] The harvester discussed below harvests cotton by separating cotton fibers from other agricultural product (e.g., chaff, foliage, dirt) as the harvester travels across an agricultural field. The cotton fibers and the other agricultural materials are discharged through outlets, such as a harvested goods outlet and a discharge outlet. Typical self-propelled harvesters may be large and/or expensive and may only be used during the harvest. The system facilitates conversion or modification of another agricultural or work vehicle into a harvester system. For example, a tractor may be used throughout the year to carry out various farming jobs (e.g., non-harvesting jobs). As harvesting season approaches, an operator (e.g., farmer) may modify the tractor by coupling harvester components (e.g., one or more drums, a blower, a bin, a cabin) to certain tractor components (e.g., a tractor chassis supporting wheels, an engine, a transmission, a heating and air ventilation (HVAC) system) to form a harvester system (e.g., a tractor-mounted harvester or a modified tractor). After the harvest, the operator may again separate the harvester components from the tractor components, enabling the tractor to be reconstructed and used for other farming jobs.
[0016] After harvesting a row, a field, and/or after harvesting for a period of time (e.g., day, week) the harvester assembly may be inspected for proper operation. The harvester assembly may also be inspected upon detection of an interruption in operation. For example, the spindles on the harvester assembly may be inspected to see whether agricultural material has lodged in the spindles and to determine if the spindles are rotating properly. As explained above, the spindles may rotate at speeds in excess of 100

RPM during normal operation. At these speeds, inspection and/or removal of objects caught in the spindles may be challenging. The harvester system discussed below may therefore include a hydraulically actuated and controlled tether system that enables an operator to control rotation and speed of the spindles only during inspection and/or maintenance.
[0017] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a harvester system 6. The harvester system 6 combines two main pieces of equipment, a tractor assembly 8 with a harvester 10 to harvest rows of crops in an agricultural field. To facilitate the discussion, the harvester system 6 and its components may be described with reference to a longitudinal axis or direction 12, a vertical axis or direction 14, and a lateral axis or direction 16.
[0018] As shown, the harvester 10 includes a harvesting assembly 18. The harvesting assembly 18 includes multiple drum assemblies 19 (e.g., harvesting heads) and plant lifters 21. In operation, the plant lifters 21 lift the plant (e.g., branches) for harvesting by the drum assemblies 19. The drum assemblies 19 use one or more rotors with spindles to separate the cotton from the other agricultural materials (e.g., chaff, foliage, stems, debris). It should be appreciated that although two drum assemblies 19 are shown in FIG. 1, the harvester 10 may have any suitable number of harvesting assemblies 18 such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more harvesting assemblies 18.
[0019] The harvester 10 may include an air system that includes a blower 20 (e.g., fan) that blows air to direct the harvested goods through one or more conduits 22 to a bin 24 (e.g., basket or baler). In some embodiments, the bin 24 may move (e.g., pivot or rotate) to transfer the harvested goods from the bin 24 to another container or onto the agricultural field. In some embodiments, the other agricultural materials may be deposited onto the agricultural field beneath and/or behind the harvester 10. As discussed in more detail below, the harvester 10 includes a tether system 26 that enables an operator to control rotation and the rotational speed of the spindles within the drum assemblies 19.
[0020] In some embodiments, the harvester 10 includes a drive system 30 (e.g., pulley system) that drives the multiple drum assemblies 19, the blower 20, and/or other

components of the harvester 10. The harvester 10 may also include a cabin 32 to support or house an operator. It should be understood that the cabin 32 may be an enclosed cabin (e.g., a climate-controlled cabin), as shown, or the cabin 32 may be a platform (e.g., open or non-enclosed platform) on which the operator may sit or stand, for example. In the illustrated embodiment, the cabin 32 includes one or more operator interfaces and/or input devices 34 (e.g., switch, knob, light, display, steering wheel, gear shift lever) that enable the operator to monitor and/or control various functions of the harvester 10, such as ground speed, steering angle, transmission range and/or gear, operation of the HVAC system, operation of the drive system 30, or the like. As shown, the bin 24 and the cabin 32 are supported on a chassis 36 (e.g., harvester chassis or frame). Various other components (e.g., the drum assemblies 19, the blower 20, the one or more conduits 22, and the drive system 30) may be supported by and/or coupled to the chassis 36 to form the harvester 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the chassis 36 supports or includes a cover assembly 38 (e.g., cage assembly) that is configured to cover (e.g., surround or protect) various components, such as the engine, the transmission, the HVAC system, and a radiator, which are supported on a frame 40 (e.g., tractor frame or chassis). In operation, the harvester 10 may be driven in a direction of travel 42 through an agricultural field using forward wheels 44 and rear wheels 46.
[0021] As discussed above, the harvester system 6 includes the tractor assembly 8 and the harvester 10. As illustrated, the frame 40 couples to the front wheels 44 and the rear wheels 46, and supports various components, such as the engine, the transmission, the HVAC system, the radiator, or a combination thereof, to form the tractor assembly 8 (e.g., tractor powertrain assembly). The tractor assembly 8 may couple to other tractor components (e.g., tractor hood, tractor cabin, or the like) to form a tractor (e.g., an unmodified tractor). In some embodiments, the tractor assembly 8 may include tracks in place of front wheels 44 and/or rear wheels 46.
[0022] In contrast, the drums assemblies 19, the blower 20, the one or more conduits 22, the bin 24, the drive system 30, the cabin 32, the input devices 34, the chassis 36, and the cover assembly 38 may be part of a harvester 10 (e.g., harvester kit or conversion kit) that may be coupled to the tractor assembly 8 to create or to build the harvester system 6.

Thus, at certain times of the year, the operator may utilize the tractor assembly 8 as part of a tractor to carry out various agricultural operations. However, during a harvesting season, the operator may separate the tractor assembly 8 from other tractor components of the tractor, and then the operator may combine the tractor assembly 8 with the harvester 10 to build the harvester system 6 to carry out harvesting operations. At the conclusion of the harvesting season, the operator may separate the tractor assembly 8 from the harvester 10, and then reassembly the tractor components of the tractor assembly 8 to form the tractor to do other farm jobs.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a side view of the tractor assembly 8 and the harvester 10 that may be coupled to one another to form the harvester system 6. The tractor assembly 8 may include the front wheels 44, the rear wheels 46, the frame 40, various other components supported on the frame 40, or a combination thereof. For example, the tractor assembly 8 may include powertrain components, such as an engine 70, a transmission 72, and other components that transmit power from the engine 70 to axle(s) to drive the front wheels 44 and/or the rear wheels 46. In some embodiments, the tractor assembly 8 may include various other components, such as an HVAC system 74 (e.g., compressor and condenser) and/or a radiator 76. When the tractor assembly 8 is not coupled to the harvester 10, the tractor assembly 8 may be coupled to various other tractor components 80, such as a tractor hood, tractor cabin, tractor input devices, or the like, to form a tractor (e.g., an unmodified tractor) and to enable the tractor to travel in a forward direction of travel 84 to carry out other agricultural operations (e.g., non-harvesting operations).
[0024] As shown, the harvester 10 includes the harvesting assembly 18, the blower 20, the one or more conduits 22, the bin 24, the drive system 30, the cabin 32, the input devices 34, the chassis 36, and the cover assembly 38, among other components. The harvester 10 may couple to the tractor assembly 8 (e.g., via fasteners) to form the harvester system 6 which then travels in the forward direction 42 through an agricultural field. In some embodiments, the forward direction of travel 84 of the tractor is opposite the forward direction of travel 42 of the harvester 10 (i.e., the front wheels 44 of the harvester 10 may be the rear wheels of the tractor). The harvester 10 may be coupled to the tractor assembly 8 via any of a variety of processes or steps. For example, in some

embodiments, the harvester 10 is partially assembled or fully assembled (e.g., as shown), and then subsequently coupled or mounted onto the tractor assembly 8 to form the harvester system 6. In some embodiments, the components of the harvester 10 may be coupled individually and/or sequentially to the tractor assembly 8. The drive system 30 may be utilized to drive the drum assemblies 19, the blower 20, other components (e.g., the water pump) of the harvester 10, or a combination thereof.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a front view of a portion of a harvester assembly 18 with spindle assemblies, taken within line 3-3 of FIG. 2. Each of the drum assemblies 19 includes one or more spindle assemblies 100 coupled to one or more shafts 102. During operation, the harvester 10 rotates the shafts 102 which, in turn, rotate the spindle assemblies 100. As the spindle assemblies 100 rotate, the spindle assemblies 100 contact and separate cotton fibers from cotton plants. The cotton fibers are then removed from the spindle assemblies 100 in the drum assemblies 19 and sent to the bin 24 for later storage.
[0026] During operation, the spindle assemblies 100 rotate in excess of 100 RPM as the harvester 10 harvests cotton. The spindle assemblies 100 may be driven by a shaft connected to the motor/engine. In order to control rotation and the rotational speed of the spindle assemblies 100 for limitations, the harvester 10 includes a tether system 26. The tether system 26 enables an operator to hydraulically control rotation (i.e., start/stop rotation) as well as the rotational speed of the spindle assemblies 100. An operator may then inspect as well as clear debris from the spindle assemblies 100 without the spindle assemblies rotating at high RPM.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tether system 26 configured to control operation of the spindle assemblies 100 in FIG. 3. The tether system 26 includes a base valve assembly 110, tether motor system 112 (i.e., hydraulic motor), and tether valve assembly 114. In operation, the base valve assembly 110 sends pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether valve assembly 114 through pressure line 116 (e.g., hose, pipe). The tether valve assembly 114 (in response to input from an operator) controllably releases the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether motor system 112 through line 118 (e.g., hose, pipe). As the tether motor system 112 receives the pressurized hydraulic fluid the

tether motor system 112 converts the force of the fluid into torque. The tether motor system 112 transmits the torque through a motor shaft 120 to a gearbox 122. The gearbox 122 in turn rotates the spindle assemblies 100. After passing through the tether motor system 112, the hydraulic fluid returns to the base valve assembly 110 through a return line 124. The hydraulic fluid may then return to a reservoir for reuse by a hydraulic pump.
[0028] In some embodiments, the tether system 26 includes a sensing line 126 that enables the tether system 26 to control the flow of hydraulic fluid through the tether motor system 112. And by controlling the rate of fluid flow through the tether motor system 26, the tether system 26 can control the rotational speed of the spindle assemblies 100. For example, the tether system 26 may include a T-connector 128. The T-connector 128 couples the line 118 to the sensing line 126. As fluid flows through the T-connector 128 from line 118, the pressure of the fluid in line 118 is transferred through the sensing line 126 to the base valve assembly 110. The base valve assembly 110 then uses a pressure sensitive valve 130 to control flow to the tether system 26. For example, any hydraulic pressure in line 118 is communicated to the pressure sensitive valve 130 which begins closing and diverting fluid toward the tether system 26. Once pressure in line 118 reduces the pressure sensitive valve 130 again opens and hydraulic fluid no longer flows to the tethering system 26.
[0029] It should be understood that the pressure sensitive valve 130 along with the rest of the tethering system 26 operates with pressure signals and not with electronic signal feedback/control.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of the base valve assembly 110 of the tether system of FIG. 4. As illustrated, the base valve assembly 110 includes multiple sections 148 that enable the base valve assembly 110 to control multiple hydraulic operations on the harvester 10. These hydraulic operations may include lifting and lowering the harvester assembly 18, rotating the bin 24, as well as controlling the spindle assemblies 100.

[0031] The base valve assembly 110 includes a housing 150 (e.g., primary housing). The housing 150 defines an inlet 152 and an outlet 154 that enable the base valve assembly 110 to couple to hydraulic lines that deliver hydraulic fluid to the base valve assembly 110 and carry hydraulic fluid away from the base valve assembly 110. The housing 150 may also house the pressure sensitive valve 130 that controls hydraulic fluid flow to and from the tethering system 26. The pressure sensitive valve 130 senses changes in pressure in the tethering system 26 through a pressure sensing port 156 fluidly coupled to the sensing line 126.
[0032] The housing 150 also defines a pressure port 158 in a sidewall 160 that directs pressurized hydraulic fluid flow to the sections of the various hydraulic fluid systems supplied by the sections 148, including the tethering system 26.) The housing 150 receives fluid returning from one or more sections 148 through a return port 162. The return port 162 may be in the same sidewall 160 or another wall/surface on the housing 150 enabling hydraulic fluid to exit the various hydraulic systems on the harvester 10 and return to a hydraulic fluid reservoir.
[0033] Some possible examples of the sections 148 include a lift section 164 for controlling motion of the harvester assembly 18, a bin section 166 for controlling operation of the bin 24, and a tether section 168 for directing flow to the tether system 26. Each of these sections 164, 166, and 168 define respective pressure ports 170, 172, and 174; respective return ports 176, 178, and 180; and sensing ports 182, 184, and 186. The ports fluidly couple together when the sections 148 connect to each and to the housing 150 (with threaded fasteners 188), for example. The fasteners 188 couple the sections 148 together by extending through fastener apertures 190. Once coupled, the fasteners 188 may compress the sections 148 together and to the housing 150 and form fluid tight seals between the sections 148.
[0034] In some embodiments, the flow of hydraulic fluid to the tether system 26 may be controlled with an interchangeable tether orifice 192. The tether orifice 192 (e.g., washer) may rest within the pressure port 172 on the bin section 166 and may therefore be held in place when the tether section 168 and the bin section 166 are compressed

together. In should be understood though that the tether orifice 192 may be placed at other locations on the base valve assembly 110 such as between the lift section 164 and the tether section 168 (e.g., if the bin section 166 is not included) or between the housing 150 and the tether section 168 (e.g., if the base valve assembly 110 does not include a lift section 164 and a bin section 166).
[0035] In operation, the tether orifice 192 enables fluid flow to the tether system 26 by changing the tether orifice 192 (e.g., a washer). The tether system 26 may include multiple interchangeable tether orifices 192 that have different apertures sizes to tailor the flow of hydraulic fluid to the tether system 26 (i.e., smaller apertures decrease hydraulic fluid flow and larger apertures enable increased hydraulic fluid flow). This enables the base valve assembly 110 to control fluid flow to the tether system 26 (without changing apertures sizes in the sections 148), size of the tether motor system 112, size of the tether valve assembly 114, size of the lines, etc. By controlling the amount of fluid flow to the tether motor system 112, the tether orifice 192 controls the rotational speed of the tether motor system 112 which, in turn, controls the rotational speed of the spindle assemblies 100. In this way, the rotational speed of the spindle assemblies 100 may be tailored to an operator’s preference or to account for different types of spindle assemblies 100.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tether motor system 112 of the tether system of FIG. 4. The tether motor system 112 includes a hydraulic motor 210 that converts pressurized hydraulic fluid flow into rotation of a motor shaft 212 in either direction 214 or 216, which is then transferred to a gearbox shaft through a shaft coupler 218. As explained above, the gearbox 122 uses the torque applied by the tether motor system 112 to rotate the spindle assemblies 100.
[0037] The hydraulic motor 210 receives hydraulic fluid flow through a pressure port 220. The pressure port 220 receives fluid through a hose fitting 222 that may threadingly engage the pressure port 220 as well as the T-connector 128. As explained above, the T-connector 128 couples to the line 118, which carries fluid from the tether valve assembly 114. As the pressurized hydraulic fluid flows through the T-connector 128, the fluid passes through the hose fitting 222 and enters the pressure port 220 in the hydraulic

motor 210 where it drives rotation of the motor shaft 212. As explained above, the T-connector 128 also couples the sensing line 126 to the line 118. In this way, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the line 118 is sensed by the pressure sensitive valve 130 through the sensing line 126. After passing through the hydraulic motor 210, the hydraulic fluid exits through a return port 224 coupled to a hose fitting 226 that connects the return line 124 to the base valve assembly 110.
[0038] In some embodiments, the tether motor system 112 includes a bracket 228 that couples the tether motor system 112 to the harvester 10. The bracket 228 defines a shaft aperture 230 that enables the motor shaft 212 to extend through the bracket 228 to couple to the shaft coupler 218. Hydraulic motor 210 couples to the bracket 228 with one or more fasteners 232 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more threaded fasteners). These fasteners 232 extend through fastener apertures 234 in the bracket 228 and into corresponding fastener apertures 236 in the hydraulic motor 210. When coupled, the fasteners 232 compress face 238 on the main body against the bracket 228. In some embodiments, the bracket 228 includes one or more apertures 240 that receive respective fasteners. The apertures 240 enable the tether motor system 112 to be secured to the harvester 10 when not in use.
[0039] In some embodiments, the tether system 26 may include one or more hose clamp assemblies 242. The hose clamp assemblies 242 includes first and second plates 244 and 246 that respectively define one or more grooves 248, 250 (e.g., semi-circular grooves). The grooves 248, 250 enable the hose clamp assembly 242 to secure one or more lines (e.g., line 118, line 124, line 126) of the tether system 26. The first and second plates 244 and 246 couple together with a fastener 252 that pass through an aperture 254 defined by the first and second plates 244, 246. The fastener 252 couples to a nut 256 to compress the first and second plates 244 and 246 together as well as compress the second plate 246 against the bracket 228. In some embodiments, the hose clamp assembly 242 includes a compression plate 258 and a washer 260 that distribute the compressive force created by coupling the fastener 252 to the nut 256. The compression plate 258 defines an aperture 262 that enables the fastener 252 to extend through the compression plate 258 and into the aperture 254.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tether motor system 112 coupled to a gearbox 122 on the harvester assembly 18. As explained above, tether motor system 112 converts pressurized hydraulic fluid flow into torque. The torque rotates a motor shaft 212 in either direction 214 or 216, which is then rotates a gearbox shaft 270 through a shaft coupler 218. The gearbox 122 then uses the torque from the tether motor system 112 to rotate the spindle assemblies 100.
[0041] FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of the tether valve assembly 114 of the tether system of FIG. 4. The tether valve assembly 114 controls the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether motor system 112 by opening and closing a hydraulic valve 280. The hydraulic valve 280 is disposed within a valve body 282 and is in fluid communication with a pressure port 284 and a return port 286. The pressure port 284 couples to a hose fitting 288, which in turn couples to the line 116. As explained above, the line 116 delivers pressurized hydraulic fluid from the base valve assembly 110 to the tether valve assembly 114. The tether valve assembly 114 then sends the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether motor system 112 through the return port 286, which is coupled to the line 118 with a hose fitting 290.
[0042] The hydraulic valve 280 opens and closes as a manual lever 292 (e.g., manual actuator) contacts and depresses a button 294 in the valve body 282. As the button 294 moves in direction 296, the hydraulic valve 280 opens enabling pressurized hydraulic fluid to flow from line 116 through the valve body 282 and into line 118 for delivery to the tether motor system 112. As the tether motor system 112 receives the pressurized hydraulic fluid flow, the tether motor system 112 drives rotation of the spindle assemblies 100 enabling inspection and/or removal of debris.
[0043] In some embodiments, the button 294 may be spring loaded and therefore biased in direction 298. The bias enables the hydraulic valve 280 to automatically close once pressure on the button 294 is released. Once the hydraulic valve 280 closes, the hydraulic valve 280 shuts off the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid flow to the tether motor system 112, which in turn stops rotation of the spindle assemblies 100.

[0044] The lever 292 includes a pin 300 that enables the lever 292 to rotate about an axis 302 (when the pin is coupled to opposing plates 304, 306). The plates 304 and 306 include respective pin apertures 308 and 310 that receive ends of the pin 300 to hold the lever 292 in position over the button 294. In addition to coupling to the lever 292, the plates 304, 306 couple to one another on opposing sides 312 and 314 of the valve body 282 with fasteners 316. As illustrated, the fasteners 316 extend through fastener apertures 318 and 320 in respective plates 304 and 306 before coupling to nuts 322. In some embodiments, the valve body 282 may define grooves and/or apertures 324 that receive the fasteners 316. The grooves and/or apertures 324 enable fasteners to block or reduce shifting/misalignment of the valve body 282 with respect to the plates 304 and 306.
[0045] In some embodiments, the tether valve assembly 114 includes a spacer 326 that extends over the lever 292. The spacer 326 defines an aperture 328 that receives a fastener 316 that extends through the plates 304, 306. The fastener 316 couples to the spacer 326 and to the plates 304, 306 which holds the spacer 326 in this position over the lever 292. In operation, the spacer 326 blocks over rotation of the lever 292 in direction 330, thus maintaining the lever 292 in position over the button 294.
[0046] The tether valve assembly 114 may also facilitate holding, grabbing, and/or manipulation of the tether valve assembly 114. As illustrated, the plates 304, 306 include apertures 332 that enables a user to extend multiple fingers between the plates 304, 306 to grab both plates 304, 306. This positions a user’s thumb proximate the lever 292 enabling the user to control operation of the hydraulic valve 280 by depressing and releasing the lever 292. In some embodiments, manual actuator may be a knob, foot pedal, etc. to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to the tether motor system 112
[0047] While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

CLAIMS:
1. A hydraulic tether system configured to control rotation of a spindle
assembly on a harvester, the hydraulic tether system comprising:
a tether motor system configured to convert force from a pressurized hydraulic fluid into torque for rotating the spindle assembly;
a tether valve assembly fluidly coupled to the tether motor system, wherein the tether valve assembly comprises:
a hydraulic valve configured to controllably release the pressurized hydraulic fluid for use by the tether motor system; and
a manual actuator coupled to the hydraulic valve, wherein the manual actuator actuates the hydraulic valve to release the pressurized hydraulic fluid.
2. The system of claim 1, comprising a base valve fluidly coupled to the tether valve assembly, wherein the base valve is configured to direct pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether valve assembly and to receive hydraulic fluid from the tether motor system.
3. The system of claim 2, comprising a sensing line fluidly coupled to the tether valve assembly and to the base valve, wherein the base valve is configured to control a flow of the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether valve assembly in response to a pressure of the pressurized hydraulic fluid in the sensing line.
4. The system of claim 3, comprising a T-connector that fluidly couples the sensing line and the tether motor system.
5. The system of claim 2, wherein the base valve comprises an interchangeable tether orifice configured to increase or decrease a flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid to the tether valve assembly.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein the base valve comprises a pressure sensitive valve to control the flow of the pressurized hydraulic fluid, wherein the pressure

sensitive valve is configured to open to divert pressurized hydraulic fluid away from the tether valve assembly.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual actuator is a manually operated lever.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tether motor system is configured to couple to a gearbox, and wherein the gearbox is configured to transfer torque from the tether motor system to the spindle assembly.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the tether motor system comprises a coupler configured to couple a motor shaft to the gearbox.
10. The system of claim 1, comprising a bracket configured to couple the tether motor system to the harvester.