Abstract: A baler for forming parallelepiped bales includes an auger compactor located within a mainly cylindrical auger housing having a rear transition section including four corner feed structures spaced equally about the auger housing longitudinal axis. Each corner feed structure is defined by a pair of walls joined to define a corner which leads to a respective corner of a rectangular cross section bale-forming chamber at the rear end of the auger housing. The junction of one of the walls of each corner structure with the cylindrical auger housing is generally oriented so as to be crosswise to the direction of the auger flighting as it passes beneath the junction. A stripper plate is located along each junction, which occurs at the downstream side of the associated corner feed structure, as considered in the direction of rotation of the auger, for stripping material from the outer part of the auger flighting so that it enters the corner feed structure.

Abstract: A side-delivery rake includes a main frame comprising right- and left-hand frame members which diverge rearwardly and are interconnected at their forward ends by a front support assembly and are further interconnected by front, intermediate and rear braces. The intermediate brace is constructed of a cylindrical tubular member and is bent to include opposite end sections that are respectively disposed at right angles to the right- and left-hand main frame members. Identical bell cranks are mounted for rocking about opposite ends of the intermediate brace and include first arms respectively connected, by suspension chains, to identical upstanding brackets fixed to a rake reel support basket extending beneath the main frame, and second arms respectively connected to right- and left-hand lift cranks.

Abstract: A sensing unit for a row crop harvester guidance system is simply attachable and retrofittable to commercially available headers. The header comprises first and second crop dividers, each having a pair of sidewalls. A crop receiving passageway is formed between the dividers. The sensing unit comprises a rotatably mounted crop engaging arm biased into a crop engaging position in which the arm is disposed in the passageway. For mounting the unit includes a frame member which is fixed to the divider sidewalls with either bolts or clamping plates. Forwardly converging edges of the frame member are received within a tip on the forward end of the divider. The unit may be alternately fixed to dividers having different sizes and corresponding to different row spacings.

Abstract: An oscillating knife cutting apparatus preferably for use on a row crop harvesting unit of a forage harvester to sever crop material from its standing position in a field as it is delivered into the harvester. The apparatus comprises a main support with a main pair of knives fixed thereon, a bearing fixed to said main support, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing, and a secondary support with a knife fixed thereto. The secondary support is mounted on said shaft for oscillatory movement therewith relative to said main support. The secondary knife is disposed between the pair of main knives and is used to sever material disposed between the secondary knife and each of the main knives. The secondary knife is adjustably mounted for movement toward the plane defined by the main knives by adjustment of a member threadably mounted longitudinally of the shaft whereby rotation of the threaded member frictionally engages a clamp mounting the secondary support on the shaft.

Abstract: An upper stalk guide or control for a forage harvester header. The stalk control comprises a transverse member spaced above the crop conveying passageways of the header, two outwardly and forwardly diverging arms attached to the respective ends of the transverse member and a centrally disposed wedge member for subdividing the upper portions of the crop stalks so as to enhance the clog-free feeding of the butt ends of the stalk through the crop receiving passageways of the header and into the throat of the harvester in advance of the upper portions.