Abstract: A crop harvesting header includes a sickle knife driven by a first hydraulic motor and a crop transfer system including three conveying drapers which is driven by at least one second hydraulic motor. A mechanical drive input from the combine harvester drives a first pressure regulated piston pump generating flow for the first motor and a second gear pump for the second motor. When the drive input is driven in the reverse direction, hydraulic fluid is supplied from the second pump in the reverse direction for driving the second motor in the reverse direction. As the first pump does not pump in the reverse direction the hydraulic control circuit is arranged such that, when the second pump is driven by the drive input in the reverse direction, hydraulic fluid is supplied from the second pump to the first motor for driving the first motor in the reverse direction.

Abstract: A self-propelled swather has a frame mounted on ground wheels with a header in front which discharges between the wheels. A swath conveyor belt is located underneath the frame and arranged to convey the cut crop across the frame to a first discharge side of the frame. A mounting assembly including a beam across the belt and a lift arm mounts the swath conveyor for movement between a raised storage position in which the belt is horizontal underneath the frame and a lowered operating position in which the belt is inclined forwardly and downwardly while at the same time causing the beam to twist to cause the inlet end of the belt to move forwardly further than the discharge end to a forwardly inclined position between the front wheels.

Abstract: A crop harvesting header with a cutter bar and a draper assembly has a draper canvas with a plurality of transverse slats with a resilient strip across a front edge of the outer surface in front of the front end of the slats to cooperate with a rearwardly projecting element of the cutter bar extending over the upper run of the draper canvas to engage the upper surface of said strip to form a seal to inhibit entry between the cutter bar and the draper canvas of materials carried by the cut crop. There is also provided a bead on the canvas on the surface opposite the strip within the width of the strip. The arrangement can be symmetrical with a strip at each of the front and rear edges spanned by the slats extending between them, with beads on each edge opposite the front and rear strips respectively.

Abstract: A crop harvesting machine including a header mounted on a tractor is hydraulically driven by a pair of pumps on the tractor and a series of motors on the header. A first circuit control includes variable rate valves controlling the rate of supply of fluid from the unidirectional pumps to the motors to vary rate of the knife, conditioner, reel and converging systems in a forward harvesting direction. A second circuit controls reverse rotation of at least some of the elements for releasing a blockage by taking the fluid from one of the pumps and passing it through the separate second circuit to the required motors in series. The second circuit is provided in a separate block which can be omitted and thus constitutes an option. The drive of the motors in reverse direction in series ensures that they are driven at common speed without need from individual speed control.

Abstract: A crop header has a cutter bar with generally horizontal flail disks driven about generally spaced upright axes. At least two of the disks are mounted outwardly of a discharge opening and the outermost disk carries an impeller and at least one additional impeller is mounted inwardly and rearwardly of the outer impeller to carry the crop inwardly. A discharge opening is defined in a rear wall inwardly of the outer disks and a swath converging apparatus is mounted in the mouth of the opening and is formed by two pairs of upstanding cylindrical rollers rotatable about their axes in a direction to carry the crop inwardly of the discharge opening. The pairs are mounted on respective top and bottom plates which pivot about the axis of the outer roller with the latter extending forwardly to overlap a floor plate of the cutter bar.

Abstract: A crop harvesting header has a cutter bar with a plurality of generally horizontal flail disks mounted thereon for driven rotation about generally upright axes spaced along the cutter bar. At least one of the disks is mounted outwardly of the discharge opening and carries an “hour glass” shape impeller to carry the crop inwardly. A pair of conditioner rolls is mounted in the discharge opening and a transfer roller is mounted behind the disks and in front of the nip for transferring the crop upwardly and rearwardly from the disks to the nip. The transfer roller is of the same diameter as the bottom roll and carries high ribs preferably forwardly inclined for an aggressive action on the crop. The roller is mounted with its axis above the cutting plane and its uppermost edge of the ribs at or above the axis of the bottom roll.

Abstract: A draper header for a combine harvester includes two side drapers each running from an outer end guide roller at a first end of the header to an inner end guide roller adjacent the discharge location of the header and a central feed draper located at the discharge location and including a front guide roller just behind the cutter bar and running to a rear guide roller in front of the feeder house of the combine harvester. An auger is located between the discharge rollers with a front edge of the flight forward of the rear end of the discharge rollers to feed the material inwardly and underneath the auger to the inlet of the feeder house. A pan member is located underneath the feed draper and is formed of a flexible polyethylene sheet which is tensioned between its front and rear edges by a front mounting strip which is spring mounted for up and down movement and a rear latch which can be released to allow the rear edge to be lowered.

Abstract: A tractor has a frame defined by two side rails extending longitudinally carried on ground wheels with a cab on the frame at one end and an engine compartment at the other end. The cab has doors on each side and there are provided two operator platforms each attached to the frame at a respective side with suitable ladder, guard rails and surface by which the operator can climb to the cab. Each operator platform is mounted for movement longitudinally of the frame on levers allowing movement along the side of the frame from the cab entry position to an engine service position. The platform can cover operator serviceable parts which in the cab position which are exposed when the platform is moved to the engine service position.

Abstract: A feed roller primarily for feeding crop into a feeder house of a combine harvester is located above and behind a feed draper and includes an outer flight and retractable fingers for feeding the crop through the zone behind the draper and into the feeder house. The fingers rotate about a finger axis offset from the roller axis so that they extend to a maximum at the draper and are retracted behind the roller to release the crop. When the roller is reversed to release a blockage, the fingers are also reversed in direction and the finger axis is moved rearwardly to the opposite side of the roller so that the fingers are extended behind the roller at the feeder house and retracted at the draper. This movement is done automatically on reversing the roller and uses power from the reversal to move the finger axis using a clutch. An anti-distortion wheel is mounted on the finger shaft to prevent retraction of the finger ends into the roller which can cause damage by loss of proper guidance.

Abstract: In a swather formed by a tractor and attached header for cutting standing crop to form a swath, reel speed and optionally draper speed are controlled relative to ground speed by a control system including a manually operable input and display available to the operator. The control system acts to calibrate” the control output so that the control module has a secondary reference point as to how the PWM valve should function in the event of a speed sensor failure. Instead of using the speed sensor signal as a reference, the control system now compares the set point with the stored table (which may in one example provide 256 values) containing the PWM voltage/current values. These values correspond to a set of actual speed sensor values taken during the profiling procedure, plus extrapolated values equalling 256 points.

Abstract: A wear shield is attached to a cutter bar and is formed from a molded wear body having a front mounting portion bolted onto the guards of the cutter bar by the guard mounting bolts with recesses for the guard fingers and a front edge of an upper planar mounting surface clamped onto the guard bar. A rear covering portion is cantilevered rearwardly from the front mounting portion underlying a bottom plate of the cutter bar for engaging the ground so as to underlie and protect the bottom plate. Resilience in the wear shield forces the rear part against the bottom plate of the cutter bar to avoid the necessity for a rear fastener. A series of the wear shields is arranged side by side across the cutter bar with two side edges each for locating adjacent a side edge of a next adjacent wear shield.

Abstract: A coupling device that requires no manual actuation to achieve coupling features a locking bolt movable along a hole extending into a mouth of a hook body to secure a coupling pin therein. A control lever pivotally connected to the locking bolt opposite the mouth end is biased toward a locked position in which motion of the locking bolt is blocked. To engage the coupling pin and the hook mouth, the coupling pin and an operable pin extending through the hollow locking bolt are brought into contact. This causes an end of the operable pin opposite the mouth to push against the control lever to unlock it from the latching position. The coupling pin pushes the locking bolt out of the mouth so that it can pass by further into it, at which point the lever and bolt return to the locked positions to secure the coupling pin inside.

Abstract: A crop header has a cutter bar with generally horizontal flail disks driven about generally spaced upright axes. At least two of the disks are mounted outwardly of a discharge opening and the outermost disk carries an impeller and at least one additional impeller is mounted inwardly and rearwardly of the outer impeller to carry the crop inwardly. The impellers are formed of angularly spaced bars which are inclined inwardly to a center waist to form an “hour glass” shaped impeller. A transfer roller transfers the crop upwardly and rearwardly from the disks to the nip of a pair of conditioner rolls and is at least as large as the bottom roll and carries high ribs forwardly inclined for an aggressive action on the crop with its axis above the cuffing plane and its uppermost edge of the ribs at or above the axis of the bottom roll.

Abstract: A transport system for a crop header includes a first and a second wheel arrangement on the header frame adjacent a respective ends for acting as a stabilizer when the header is in the operating position and movable to a transport position for transporting the header when removed from the vehicle in a transport direction generally longitudinal of the header frame and at a right angle to the working direction with each being mounted on the header frame for rotation of a rolling direction of the first wheel arrangement between the working position and the transport position, in which the rolling direction is along the transport direction. Each of the wheel arrangements includes two parallel wheels coupled together.

Abstract: A crop harvesting header has a cutter bar with a plurality of generally horizontal flail disks mounted thereon for driven rotation about generally upright axes spaced along the cutter bar. At least one of the disks is mounted outwardly of the discharge opening and carries an “hour glass” shape impeller to carry the crop inwardly. A pair of conditioner rolls is mounted in the discharge opening and a transfer roller is mounted behind the disks and in front of the nip for transferring the crop upwardly and rearwardly from the disks to the nip. The transfer roller is of the same diameter as the bottom roll and carries high ribs preferably forwardly inclined for an aggressive action on the crop. The roller is mounted with its axis above the cutting plane and its uppermost edge of the ribs at or above the axis of the bottom roll.

Abstract: The center sickle overlap arrangement of a sickle type mower for a cutter bar that include a pair of sickles for reciprocating motion where each sickle is essentially half the length of the cutter bar for reduced forces and vibrations for high speed cutting. In the center, the sickle blades overlap at only guard and the blade of one sickle is inverted and co-operates with a top ledger surface of the associated guard so that both the blades are in proper shearing arrangement with the respective guard ledgers. Further the top ledger surface is adjustable to allow clearance adjustment to ensure tight clearance between all sickle cutting surfaces and guard ledgers. Further the arrangement ensures that all crop is cut between sickle sections and guard ledgers rather than between a pair of sections on the opposing sickles.

Abstract: A forage conditioner for conditioning cut crop material from a forage harvester includes a fixed bottom fluted roller carried in end housings and a top fluted roller which is pivotally mounted on the housings by a linkage pivotal relative to the housing about an axis lying in a plane at right angles to the roller axes so that the top roller is liftable from crushing position against the bias of a spring extending along the top roller. Flutes on the rollers are arranged with a first surface on one side which extends substantially radially outwardly to an apex and a second surface which has a first portion parallel to a tangent of the roller and a second portion inclined inwardly to the roller surface at an angle significantly less than 90 degrees. The bottom roller is arranged with the first surfaces leading to carry the crop into the area between the rollers and the top roller is arranged with the first surface trailing.

Abstract: A pull-type crop harvesting machine has a header carried on a frame mounted on ground wheels with a hitch arm extending from the frame over the header to a hitch connector of a tractor. The hitch arm is mounted for pivotal movement about a generally upright axis such that in a first position the tractor tows the frame in echelon to one side and in a second position the tractor tows the frame in echelon. There is provided connecting assembly for connecting the forward end of the hitch arm to a hitch connector of the tractor and a mechanical connection from the PTO of the tractor to a pump for hydraulically driving the cutting assembly. The connecting assembly provides three axes of pivotal movement for up and down, tilting and side to side movement of the header relative to the tractor.

Abstract: A tractor has hydraulically driven wheels at a cab end and castor wheels at an engine end. It can be driven cab forward in a working mode with a header on the forward end. It is rotated to engine forward in the transport position for more stable higher speed travel. The driven wheels are driven by hydraulic motors each having their own drive pump the output of which is controlled by a cam plate. The speed control is effected by a manually operable lever through a servo-cylinder which locates a speed control arm moving both cam plates to the set position. In a maximum speed position both cam plates are engaged against a stop. The steering is effected by moving the cam plates differentially to drive the wheels at different speeds. The piston rod of the servo-cylinder includes a spring relief so that the speed control arm can back off from the maximum position by moving the servo-cylinder body when steering in the maximum speed position.

Abstract: A pull-type crop harvesting machine has disk cutter carried on a frame mounted on ground wheels with a hitch arm extending from the frame over the header to a hitch connector of a tractor. The hitch arm is mounted for pivotal movement about a generally upright axis such that in a first position the tractor tows the frame in echelon to one side and in a second position the tractor tows the frame in echelon. The disks are hydraulically driven by a pump at the front end of the hitch arm and a motor at the frame with the hydraulic circuit including a sump tank defined by a hollow interior of the hitch arm and a cooling radiator defined by a tubular frame member which is preferably located at the disk drive as a support therefore as it is cooled by the air flow from the disks and contact with the crop and carries a low volume of fluid.