Abstract: A harvesting header for a combine harvester comprises a central header section and two lateral header sections hinged to and arranged to rotate relative to the central section for assuming a working configuration, in which the three header sections are mutually horizontally aligned, and a transport configuration, in which the lateral header sections overlap the central section. The header sections are provided with a support frame and a cutting bar associated with the support frame by a hydraulic suspension and comprising a blade having substantially trapezoid-shaped knives capable of to-and-fro movement by a motor-driven control member. The header sections also include a pick-up reel supported on the support frame by means of swivel arms, a transport belt conveyor arranged downstream of the cutting bar and configured to feed the material cut by the cutting bar downstream of the harvesting header toward a rear part of the harvesting header.

Abstract: An epicyclical drive having a generally flat, disk shaped flywheel, a flywheel to pinion carrier in the form of an inner hub of the flywheel, and a flywheel support bearing and structure incorporated into the flywheel itself, all of which are concentric about a rotational axis of the flywheel so as to be axially compact, and so as to be particularly well adapted for being located beneath, or incorporated into, the floor of a grain header of an agricultural harvesting machine, for reciprocatingly driving knife knives of a sickle thereof. In particular, the flywheel support bearing is located in an annular space between the inner hub and an outer flange which is rotated by a belt or other drive for rotating the flywheel.

Abstract: An underwater lake weed cutting apparatus which is adapted to be driven by an electric auger motor from the rear portion of a boat. The weed cutting apparatus includes an elongated drive shaft extending through an elongated tubular housing, wherein the drive shaft is driven by the motor to consequently reciprocate a sickle bar at a lower end thereof. A geared driving mechanism converts rotary motion of the drive shaft to a reciprocating motion of a sickle bar to reciprocate a first elongated toothed cutting blade with respect to an identical second toothed cutting blade to generate a scissors action. The scissors action of the sickle bar severs lake weeds as the apparatus is swept through the water proximate the lake bottom by a boat. The cutting apparatus can be adjusted to various depths of water to facilitate cutting lake weeds proximate the root structure near the lake bottom.

Abstract: A drive motion transmitting assembly is mounted to a mowing implement which also mounts a power drive source having a rotary output drive shaft and a reciprocatory sickle bar. The assembly include a motion converting member, a plurality of idler members, and a drive motion transmitting flexible arrangement. The motion converting member is rotatably mounted about an axis and is drivingly interconnected to the output drive shaft for rotating about the axis upon rotation of the output drive shaft. The motion converting member has a portion spaced from the axis which undergoes orbital movement about the axis as the motion converting member rotates about the axis. The idler members are rotatably mounted both adjacent to and remote from the sickle bar and the motion converting member and in spaced relation to one another for guiding the transmission of drive motion from the motion converting member to the sickle bar.

Abstract: A dam, positioned behind the sickle blades on the cutter bar of a combine, prevents rocks and dirt from entering the combine and saves grain pods, prematurely dislodged from the stem, from falling from the combine header platform onto the ground. The grain-saver dam may be made in sections, bolted together loosely, so as to flex with the flexible cutter bars utilized on today's combines, or may be of one piece for use with a rigid cutter bar.