Abstract: An agricultural feed grinder and mixer having a hammermill means which grinds various types of grain and other feed and combines the ground crop material with supplemental feed and thoroughly mixes the combination and discharges it to other containers or storage areas. The machine has a generally horizontal feed screw auger which receives the material from the hammermill and from the supplemental feed hopper and discharges it into a mixing tank. Power is transmitted from a power source, such as a tractor through a power take-off shaft and through the feed screw auger where the power is delivered to a mixing auger in the mixing tank.

Abstract: A forage wagon or the like having components driven by a power take-off shaft and including apparatus for selectively disengaging the power take-off shaft and the driven parts. The disengaging apparatus includes a safety clutch having a circular drive clutch plate supported on a drive shaft of a power take-off shaft for rotation with the drive shaft and a driven circular clutch plate freely rotatably supported on the drive shaft. The driven clutch plate functions to drive the various driven parts of the forage wagon. In the normal operating condition, a drive pin, aligned parallel to the axis of the drive shaft, is received through bores in both the drive plate and the driven plate such that the driven plate rotates with the drive plate.

Abstract: A support structure for a cutter bar for use in a forage harvester, the support structure adjustably supporting the opposite ends of the cutter bar and providing a convenient readily adjustable structure for supporting the central portion of the cutter bar to prevent movement of the central portion of the cutter bar relative to the cutting cylinder of the forage harvester and to afford adjustment of the position of the central portion of the cutter bar relative to the blades of the cutting cylinder.

Abstract: A forage harvester connectable to a vehicle such as a tractor for being towed by the tractor. The forage harvester includes a transmission having a horizontal rotatable input shaft and a horizontal output shaft separated by an angle of 100.degree. such that the input shaft can be positioned at an angle of approximately 10.degree. relative to the direction of motion of the forage harvester and generally co-axial or positioned at a small horizontal angle relative to the rotatable drive shaft extending from the tractor power take-off shaft to the input shaft. The forage harvester also includes a rotatable cutting cylinder and a blower for blowing out forage into a forage wagon towed by the forage harvester, the rotatable cutting cylinder and the blower being laterally spaced apart.

Abstract: A bale handling apparatus for use with a vehicle such as a farm tractor for lifting and conveying large bales of cut crop material such as hay or the like. The bale handling apparatus includes a vertically mounted frame supported by the tractor, a pair of gripping arms engagable with opposite sides of a bale and a support structure for pivotably mounting the gripping arms such that the arms engaging the bale can pivot toward and away from each other to clampingly engage the bale and can move vertically to lift the bale. The gripping arms each have a generally L-shaped configuration and have one end for engaging the bale and the other end including a gear sector attached thereto. The arms are each pivotably mounted to the support structure such that their respective gear sectors are received in intermeshing relationship and in such a manner that pivotal movement of one of the arms causes pivotal movement of the other.

Abstract: A rotary baling machine for forming large cylindrical bales of cut crop material such as hay which includes an improved twine feeding mechanism for winding twine around the formed bales and an improved articulated drive shaft extending from the power source of the towing vehicle to the power transmitting means of the baling machine for driving the baling mechanism. The twine feeding mechanism includes an improved twine guiding and feeding means which permits controlled and uniform wrapping of twine around the desired length of the bale and further includes a simplified means for cutting the twine at the completion of each bale wrapping cycle. The twine feeding mechanism is driven by a hydraulic means which can be readily controlled by the tractor operator whereby the operator can regulate the amount and position of twine wound around the bale.

Abstract: A blade sharpening device for a rotatable chopping cylinder for a forage harvester or the like, which cylinder has a plurality of circumferentially spaced and generally parallel blades that are of a generally spiral shape. A carriage moves along parallel to the cylinder and has a sharpening tool extending from it for contact with the blades. Guide means are connected to the carriage and roll along the surface of the blade being sharpened whereby as the carriage moves along the axis of the cylinder a grinding wheel may be maintained in alignment with the blade. Biasing means are provided to maintain a torque on the cylinder and to maintain that blade in contact with the guide means for proper relationship with the grinding wheel.

Abstract: A multiple row crop harvester is provided with two endless chain drives and associated endless belt conveyors for simultaneously handling the crop from all rows. Each endless chain drive comprises a number of chain sprockets at fixed radial spacings from each other, a chain tensioning idler, and an endless drive chain trained about the sprockets and idler. The idler of one chain drive and the idler of the other are operatively interconnected by a self-adjusting, one-way tensioning device.

Abstract: A sprocket rotatable about a vertical axis and engaging a flexible roller chain having a sagging oncoming flight has a sloped portion on the upper side of each tooth near the forwardly moving edge thereof to facilitate initial engagement with the underside of the upper link plate of an oncoming sagging chain link and to lift the link plate up onto an adjacent flat horizontal surface near the tooth root whereby the chain link is firmly supported horizontally while engaged with the tooth. Preferably, each tooth has two oppositely sloped surfaces defining sloped edges and a commonly usable flat surface on its upper and lower sides so that the sprocket can be mounted for rotation in either direction regardless of which side faces upward.

Abstract: An attachment for mounting on a mobile forage chopper is provided with at least one endless belt conveyor and associated crop cutting assembly for severing a crop row from the ground and moving it along an upwardly and rearwardly inclined passage into the inlet of the chopper. A cutting assembly at the inlet end of the crop feeding passage comprises a stationary cutting blade and a crop engaging star wheel which is connected to the front idler of the belt conveyor. The star wheel cooperates with the cutting blade to shear standing crop material from the ground while cut crop material is being moved along the feeding passage by the belt conveyor.