Abstract: A cutting system for a harvesting header includes a transversely extending cutter bar, a transversely extending knife back, a knife section mounted to the knife back having a knife edge extending generally in a forward direction, a knife guard component having a front guard portion and a rear portion interconnected by a medial portion having a recess. The medial portion is configured for receiving a lengthwise portion of the knife back with the knife section being received into, and the knife section is operable to move transversely into and out of a cutting slot in the front guard portion. A hold down component is located between an upper surface of the rear portion of the knife guard component and an underneath surface of the cutter bar, and an attachment mechanism is operable to secure the knife guard component and the hold down component to the underneath surface of the cutter bar.

Abstract: In a cutter bar having a upper and lower knife guards in cooperating pairs mounted on a support bar where each guard includes at least one point extending forwardly to define a channel therebetween in which the knife reciprocates, the upper knife guards are attached to an upper surface of the support bar by a compressible resilient pad between an under surface of the upper knife guard and the upper surface of the support bar, at least one hold down screw fastener engaged between the upper knife guard and the support bar which holds the upper knife guard on to the resilient pad and forms a fulcrum and at least one adjustment screw between the upper knife guard and the support bar behind the screw fastener so that adjustment of the screw increases an amount of compression of the compressible resilient pad.

Abstract: A sickle cutting apparatus includes a plurality of triple finger knife guards which are arranged side by side along the cutter bar to cooperate with a reciprocating sickle bar carrying a row of double blade knife sections and a set of hold-down members carrying hold-down fingers. The hold-down members are arranged alternately as a single finger and double finger with each hold-down member being connected to the cutter bar in association with a respective triple guard. In this way the hold-down fingers are arranged at alternate guard fingers leaving the intervening guard fingers open. The system includes both pointed guards with no tang and stub guard so that the user can select either to be used with the hold-downs. The hold down fingers are all individually adjustable so that the double hold-down have two adjustment screws which can be individually operated causing flexing of the bridge between the double fingers.

Abstract: A grain lifter for a combine harvester mowing system with mowing fingers (2) has a carrier rail (6) that receives a fixing element (10). The fixing element (10) is connected to the carrier rail (6) which, in turn, secures the grain lifter to the mowing finger (2). The fixing element (10) includes a holding element (11) with two spaced arms (12, 12a). The tip of the mowing finger (2) can be introduced between the two arms. A locking lever (17) is supported on a pivot pin (16), between the two arms (12, 12a) of the holding element (11). The locking lever (17) has a first lever arm (18) with a supporting face (19). The supporting face (19) contacts the upper face (20) of the mowing finger (2). A second lever arm (21) of the locking lever (17) includes three engaging faces (22, 22a, 22b). A locking element, in the form of a leaf spring (25), is provided.

Abstract: A sickle bar cutter assembly for use on crop harvesting machines includes a mechanism for automatically adjusting the relationship of the cutter hold downs to the cutter knives to ensure that proper scissors action of the cutter knives produces a clean cut of the crop being harvested. The mechanism includes a member for biasing the cutter hold downs against the cutter knives and a member to which the cutter hold down is mounted and about which it pivots. At least those portions of the cutter hold downs contacting the cutter knives are hardened.

Abstract: An adjustable hold down clip for use on apparatus using a reciprocating sickle, for maintaining the sickle in a stabilized, efficient shearing position relative to an underlying cutting surface by pivoting around a pivot member in response to the tightening or loosening of an adjustment nut which counteracts a lifting force imparted onto the clip by a tension member. The tension member is located between the pivot member and sickle, to provide lifting action away from the sickle and minimize drag on the reciprocating blade.

Abstract: A power-operated sickle for cutting agricultural plants and for preventing the cut stalk of the plant from coming in contact with reciprocating components of the sickle. The sickle includes a plurality of cutting teeth attached to a drive bar that is slidably retained on a stationary horizontally disposed sickle bar. A plurality of underside teeth are attached to the sickle bar and extend forwardly therefrom. A cover member is attached to the sickle bar and extends over covering the drive bar and other reciprocating components thereat. The cover member includes a plurality of upper teeth that extend over the underside teeth and sandwich the reciprocating cutting teeth therebetween. The cover member includes a semi-circular section extending between its attachment to the sickle bar and the upper teeth.

Abstract: The upper and lower finger portions of the sickle guard comprises two separate components which are disconnected at their tips so that the knife sections of the sickle can project forwardly beyond at least one of the fingers during operation and thereby provide a self-cleaning action for the gap defined between the two fingers and through which the sickle reciprocates. The size of the gap can be precisely adjusted for maximum cutting efficiency through the use of an adjusting set screw adjacent the rear of each upper finger which incrementally forces the two fingers apart in a fulcruming action to the extent permitted by mounting bolts of the guard when the screw is operated.

Abstract: A hold down for retention of reciprocable sickles of cutter assemblies is characterized by its inflexibility and provision of adjustability in relation to the cutter bar such as to preclude undue movement of the sickle sections away from their normal scissors-like cutting positions in cooperation with the sickle guards on the cutter bar. A strong, massive hold down body permits minimum running clearance of the sickle beneath wear pads on forwardly extending fingers integral with the body. After adjustment of a extensible bolt and nut assembly between the hold down and the cutter bar and clamping of the hold down to the cutter bar, essentially trouble-free use can be expected without undue clogging or failure to easily cut even the toughest of grasses, weeds, and crops generally.

Abstract: In a crop cutting apparatus having a cutterbar and attached sickle sections, an integrated hold-down sickle guard protects the sickle sections from damage and maintains them in proper spaced relation relative to complementary cutting edges for optimum cutting action. The hold-down sickle guard eliminates the need for separate sickle section hold-down plates positioned along the length of the cutterbar and provides a sickle section retaining arrangement of increased strength for every sickle section permitting the linearly arranged, coupled reciprocating sickle sections to be held in close cutting cooperation with associated complementary cutting edges along the entire width of the cutterbar. The hold-down sickle guard includes integral upper and lower sections with a generally horizontal slot located therebetween within which a sickle section is movably positioned.

Abstract: A mowing apparatus of the reciprocating sickle type includes, as is conventional, guards projecting forward from an elongated frame member and a sickle bar assembly, including a plurality of knife sections, reciprocating parallel to the frame member with cutting edges of the knife sections and of the guards in a crop shearing relationship. Somewhat resilient holddown plates are rigidly secured to the frame member and have finger-like portions extending forward over the guards and defining, with the guards, a slot in which the sickle bar assembly reciprocates. Bridge-like adjusting clips each have a rear leg bearing on the frame member and a forward leg bearing downwards on a finger portion of the holddown plates. Clip retaining means are adjustable so as to vary the pressure of the forward leg of the clip on the holddown plate, to control the width of the slot between the holddown plate and the guard and thus the operating clearance between the knife sections and the guard ledger surfaces.

Abstract: A crop cutting apparatus having an elongated cutterbar, a plurality of guards, and reciprocating knife disposed in the usual arrangement wherein cylindrical cup-like retainer members are mounted by the guard mounting bolts to the top side of the cutterbar. A hold down clip slips over the retainer members and has a rearward portion contacting the cutterbar, a medial portion displaced from the cutterbar, and a forward portion including a horizontal surface acting against the knife and a vertical surface acting against the front side of the knife back. A single tie down bolt disposed between the retainer cups adjustably hold the clip in position to resist upward movements of the knife assembly.

Abstract: A hold down for retention of reciprocable sickles of cutter assemblies is characterized by its inflexibility and provision of adjustability in relation to the cutter bar such as to preclude undue movement of the sickle sections away from their normal scissors-like cutting positions in cooperation with the sickle guards on the cutter bar. A strong, massive hold down body permits minimum running clearance of the sickle beneath wear pads on forwardly extending fingers integral with the body. After adjustment of a extensible bolt and nut assembly between the hold down and the cutter bar and clamping of the hold down to the cutter bar, essentially trouble-free use can be expected without undue clogging or failure to easily cut even the toughest of grasses, weeds, and crops generally.