Abstract: In apparatus for conditioning crops such as grass, one or more conditioning devices engage crop passing through a passage and condition the crop by relative movement between the conditioning device and the crop. Preferably each conditioning device is a brush having a multiplicity of stiff, resilient, elongated elements which are yieldable in more than one plane in response to engagement by the crop by bending of the elements. One brush may form a rotary conveying device for conveying crop through the passage, and another brush may accelerate or retard the crop relative to the first brush. The second brush may be stationary or may be another rotary brush. The conditioning apparatus may be mobile or stationary, and when mobile may include cutting means for cutting crop to be conditioned.

Abstract: An apparatus for comminuting crop includes a duct through which the crop is fed by a reciprocating piston with the duct having reciprocating knives extending thereacross for cutting the crop. The knives are spring-mounted for movement under crop pressure in the horizontal plane against the returning influence of a compression spring.

Abstract: In apparatus for picking up and conveying cut crop, a conveying rotor is mounted on a mobile frame which is moved over the ground, and is rotated in a manner such as to pick up previously cut crop lying on the ground and to convey the crop upwardly and rearwardly over the rotor and along a passage of the mobile frame. The rotor is a brush-like structure having a multiplicity of stiff, resilient, elongate elements which are yieldable in response to engagement with the crop but are sufficiently stiff to penetrate at least part of a stream of crop conveyed by the rotor. The elements pick-up and convey crop by an action including relative movement between the conveying elements and the crop engaged thereby. The elements are arranged in tufts of element supported and protected at the base by a sleeve, and the tufts are spaced apart in the direction of the rotor axis. In other arrangements the elements may be arranged with individual elements spaced apart in the direction of the rotor.

Abstract: A crop engaging rotor for conveying and/or conditioning crop comprises support members and a plurality of outwardly extending crop engaging elements. Each crop engaging element comprises an elongate strip of stiff resilient synthetic plastics material folded to form two outwardly extending arms generally in a V-shape. The folded strip is secured to a first flange of a channel-section transverse mounting bar which forms part of the rotor. The arms of the conditioning element protrude through openings in the support member which provide guide surfaces and, which maintain the folded strip in the V configuration against the outward bias of the arms. The arms are yieldable to move rearwardly under excess load conditions by a rocking movement about the bolt and by sliding movement of the arms along the guide surfaces.

Abstract: A crop cutting and conditioning apparatus has two vertical axis rotary drum cutters 13, each having an upper rotor with a crop conveying surface 19 and a lower rotor carrying knives 21. Gears drive the upper and lower rotors at different peripheral velocities. The lower rotor has an annular rim 18 having an upper surface shaped to continue the outline of the conveying surface 19. The knives 21 protrude outwardly from beneath the rim 18 and rotate with the rim. The upper rotor has conditioning elements comprising brushes 35 (or sheets of plastics material), for conveying crop and conditioning crop by relative movement between the brushes and the crop. The outer tips of the brushes 35 (or the edges of the sheet or rib-like elements) lie along one or more helical or part helical paths around the rotor axis. Preferably the lower end of each helix leads during the rotation so as to exert a lifting action on crop engaged by the rotors.

Abstract: Two cooperating rotors are mounted for counter rotation about parallel axes for passage of crop between the rotors. At least one rotor has stiff, resilient, outwardly directed crop engaging elements having sharp tips on the outer ends for treating crop. The rotors rotate with the outer perimeters of the rotors overlapping and with regular inter-meshing of crop engaging elements on one rotor with crop engaging elements on the other rotor. Crop engaging elements of one rotor press crop into gaps between crop engaging elements on the other rotor so that the crop is laid across the sharp tips of the elements to treat the crop by a spiking action. The crop engaging elements may be outwardly extending fins, or transversely extending ribs of discs perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The crop engaging elements may have specified yielding characteristics, being yieldable in a preferred direction and being yieldable predominantly at a region spaced from the outer tip.

Abstract: A crop cutting apparatus has two vertical axis rotary drum cutters 13, each having an upper rotor with a crop conveying surface 19 and a lower rotor carrying knives 21. Gears drive the upper and lower rotors at different angular velocities. The lower rotor has an annular rim 18 having an upper surface shaped to continue the outline of the conveying surface 19. The knives 21 protrude outwardly from beneath the rim 18 and rotate with the rim. A wiper brush 34 mounted on the conveying surface 19 projects outwardly over the rim 18 for lifting and transferring crop to the surface 19. The upper rotor may have conditioning brushes 35 for conveying crop and conditioning crop by relative movement between the brushes and the crop. The upper and lower rotors may be rotated in opposite senses to effect at least partial shear cutting.

Abstract: In apparatus for conditioning crops such as grass, one or more conditioning devices engage crop passing through a passage and condition the crop by relative movement between the conditioning device and the crop. Preferably each conditioning device is a brush having a multiplicity of stiff, resilient, elongated elements which are yieldable in more than one plane in response to engagement by the crop by bending of the elements. One brush may form a rotary conveying device for conveying crop through the passage, and another brush may accelerate or retard the crop relative to the first brush. The second brush may be stationary or may be another rotary brush. The conditioning apparatus may be mobile or stationary, and when mobile may include cutting means for cutting crop to be conditioned.

Abstract: Compression apparatus including a press framework defining a compression region for housing material such as straw to be compressed, one or more compression elements such as two opposed arrays of compression teeth for compressing material by movement along the compression region, and a drive mechanism for moving the compression teeth in a cycle of movement. The cycle includes the compression teeth entering into the compression region, moving along the compression region along a substantially rectilinear path to compress material in the compression region, and returning to the position occupied at the beginning of the cycle, the compression teeth being at least partially removed from the compression region during the return movement.