Abstract: A mower conditioner header has a reel which includes a plurality of rotatably mounted toothbars each carrying teeth. The toothbars are controlled during rotation of the reel so that they rock to maintain the teeth at the desired attitude relative to the crop as it is swept across a cutterbar of the harvester to be cut and then on the nip of conditioner rolls. This control of the toothbars is done by toothbar guide arms fixed to an end of each toothbar, the arms each carrying a roller which is received in an upright D-shaped cam track carried by an adjacent one of opposite side structures of the frame of the header.

Abstract: A cutterbar includes a plurality of modules connected in end-to-end relationship with each other, the modules respectively including identical cast gear housing sections which cooperate to form a gear housing in which is located a spur gear drive train. Each module includes a removably mounted cutting unit, with the cutting units having blade-carrying discs and being arranged such that the discs are indexed 90.degree. relative to each other and in counter rotating pairs, when an even number of units are used to form a cutterbar but being arranged such that the leftmost and adjacent blade-carrying discs rotate in the same direction when an odd number of modules are used.

Abstract: A cutterbar for a rotary mower includes a gear housing containing a series-parallel spur gear train coupled for driving cutting units spaced along the cutterbar. The gear housing, as viewed from an end, defines a cavity which is wedge-shaped in cross section with the deep part of the wedge being located at the rear of the cutterbar. As considered when the cutterbar is leveled from end-to-end and disposed for cutting crop at a relatively high level, a top wall of the cavity extends substantially horizontally and the spur gears contained within the cavity are positioned close to and parallel to the top wall so that a substantial volume is left below the gears for containing lubricant. A plurality of fore-and-aft extending, transversely spaced ribs are formed along a bottom wall of the housing at a level below the gearing whereby the ribs serve to prevent the lubricant from moving quickly towards a lower end of the cutterbar when the latter is working on a slope.

Abstract: A rotary mower includes a cutterbar having a fluid-tight gear housing made up of a plurality of identical gear housing sections connected together in end-to-end relationship with each other. Each section is a casting including spaced apart top and bottom walls, the top wall being provided with a pair of circular openings and the bottom wall being provided with a pair of upwardly opening cylindrical receptacles respectively located in axial alignment with the pair of openings and having respective annular upper ends defining bearing seating surfaces. Each idler gear has a bearing received in a central bore thereof and the assembled idler gear and bearing is located in a housing section such that the inner race of the bearing rests on a selected one of the seating surfaces and is held in place by means of a stub shaft tightly received in the bearing and in a selected one of the receptacles and having an enlarged head which is tightly received in the opening which is aligned with the receptacle.

Abstract: A hitch adapter couples a semi-integral, PTO-driven implement to a quick coupler carried by a tractor three-point hitch. The hitch adapter includes a drawbar located significantly below the level of the connection of lower three-point hitch link with the quick coupler and a parking stand is integral with the bottom of the drawbar. Lowering of the three-point hitch from a normal working position results in the stand engaging the ground to prevent interference between the hitch and the drive shaft coupling the implement to the tractor PTO shaft. Once the stand engages the ground, the hitch adapter can be disconnected from the quick coupler hooks by releasing latches associated with the lower hooks and lowering the three-point hitch.

Abstract: A hitch adapter is used to couple a PTO-driven implement to a three-point hitch arrangement of a towing tractor. The implement includes a transmission housing mounted for rotation about an upright axis that passes through a ball connection effected between a drawbar of the hitch adapter and the implement tongue. The tractor power take-off shaft is connected by a telescopic drive shaft to an input shaft supported by the transmission housing for rotation about an axis extending perpendicular to and intersecting said upright axis.

Abstract: A hitch adapter is attached to the tongue of an implement having components adapted for being driven by a tractor power take-off shaft and is constructed to permit the implement to be semi-integrally mounted either to a tractor having a hitch arrangement consisting only of a three-point hitch or to a tractor having a hitch arrangement wherein a quick coupler is carried by its three-point hitch without necessitating a change in the length of a drive shaft interconnecting the tractor power take-off shaft with an input shaft of a transmission assembly carried by the implement tongue.

Abstract: A towed implement includes apparatus adapted for being driven by a power take-off shaft of a towing tractor. The implement includes a tongue having a hitch bracket at its forward end, the bracket incorporating a ball coupler. A hitch adapter is provided for coupling the hitch bracket to a three-point hitch of the towing tractor, the adapter including a hitch bar connected to the ball coupler by a pin. The implement includes a power transmission assembly separate from the hitch adapter and including identical first and second right angle gear boxes, with the first gear box being rigidly fixed to the tongue and the second gear box being drivingly coupled to the first gear box along an axis passing through the ball coupler and about which the second gear box may rotate.

Abstract: A sickle-type mower includes a cutter bar assembly having a pair of sickles mounted for reciprocable motion along respective cutter bars. The sickles include inner knife sections located to cut against stub guards mounted at inner locations of the cutter bars, with the inner knife section of the upper sickle being disposed to cut against a finger of a double hold-down located centrally along the cutter bar assembly with its fingers disposed above respective stub guards located on opposite side of the centerline of the bar assembly.