Abstract: A non-row sensitive forage harvester header is formed with a single rotary member driven by a simplified drive mechanism coupled to the primary drive of the forage harvester to which the header is mounted. A horizontal drive shaft transfers the rotational power laterally to a gear box. The vertical output shaft from the gearbox has a first drive sprocket mounted thereon to connect directly with a drive chain fixed to the crop transfer disks, and a second drive sprocket mounted thereon and coupled to a drive chain entrained around a driven sprocket on the cutting disk to provide a drive speed differential with respect to the crop transfer disks. The crop guides are formed with rearwardly angled transfer arms cooperable with sweeper members on the crop transfer disk to direct the severed crop into engagement with the transfer disks for feeding into the forage harvester.

Abstract: In an agricultural machine having a machine housing, a main drive axle with pivotal drive wheels, and a feed rake, an apparatus for allowing pivotal adjustment of a frontal attachment relative to the feed rake includes at least one pivot element or frame pivotally connected between the feed rake and the frontal attachment, thereby creating at least two separate pivot planes between the frontal attachment and feed rake. The pivot element pivots about a pivot axis that is generally coaxial with a crop path through the feed rake.

Abstract: A self-propelled forage harvester is equipped with a header including intake and plucking arrangements which, in the case of corn, separate the ears from the stalk and conveys them in different streams to the harvester. The harvester has a conventional cutter drum that receives the stalks and cuts them into short lengths, and has a hammermill which receives the corn ears and chops them into small pieces. The corn stalk pieces and the chopped ears can be recombined and discharged from the harvester into a trailer as whole plant silage, or can be delivered in separate streams to separate trailers or separate containers of the same trailer.

Abstract: A feeding and picking device having a rotating feeding device that is rotated about a vertical axis. The device is able to work in fields not planted in rows and is designed to grasp plant stalks and feed them into a picking device. The picking device comprises a snapping channel formed by snapping bars under which is located at least one snapping roll. The feeding device comprises a disc having fingers that overlap the snapping channel. The feeding device is therefore designed to transport the plant throughout the effective length of the picking device.

Abstract: Attachments for broadcast combines which have been converted into row type combines, in which the bearing guard attachment shields the shaft bearing on the lower ends of the drum shafts from becoming covered with vegetation which wraps therearound during the harvesting operation. The vegetation wrapped around the shaft bearing and the lower ends of the shafts precludes free circulation of air which cools the bearings and prevents the loss of lubricant therefrom due to expansion of the lubricant resulting in leakage from the elastomer seals.