Abstract: A crop conditioner is equipped with an impeller including a rotor to which a plurality of conditioner tines are respectively pivotally mounted at one of their ends. The tines are contoured so that they release crop at an appropriate location for the crop to engage the forming shields and thus become part of a well-defined windrow.

Abstract: A suspension arrangement for a work machine includes a frame and a rear axle rigidly carried by and substantially immovable relative to the frame. The suspension arrangement includes a caster wheel assembly having a shaft, a wheel arm, a suspension and a caster wheel. The shaft is pivotably couplable with an outboard end of the rear axle. The caster wheel is coupled with a lower end of the wheel arm. The suspension is in the form of a torsion spring including an outer tube, an inner member, and a plurality of elastomeric members interposed between the outer tube and the inner member. The outer tube is coupled with the shaft, and the inner member is coupled with an upper end of the wheel arm.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner implement is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar and associated with the cutter bar are a plurality of crop-lifting units that cooperate to define an upright lip that works together with transversely spaced ramp sections, of the respective lifting units, that incline downwardly to the front from transversely spaced locations along the top of the lip for lifting and directing cut crop to the conditioner. In one embodiment, the crop-lifting units are releasably coupled to the cutter bar, and, in a second embodiment, are formed integrally with the cutter bar.

Abstract: A suspension arrangement for a work machine includes a frame and a rear axle rigidly carried by and substantially immovable relative to the frame. The suspension arrangement includes a caster wheel assembly having a shaft, a wheel arm, a suspension and a caster wheel. The shaft is pivotably couplable with an outboard end of the rear axle. The caster wheel is coupled with a lower end of the wheel arm. The suspension is in the form of a torsion spring including an outer tube, an inner member, and a plurality of elastomeric members interposed between the outer tube and the inner member. The outer tube is coupled with the shaft, and the inner member is coupled with an upper end of the wheel arm.

Abstract: An agricultural implement includes a frame, and a pair of crop processing rolls carried by the frame and defining a nip therebetween. At least one of the crop processing rolls includes an outer surface with a plurality of cleats. Each cleat has a leading edge with an undercut.

Abstract: An agricultural implement includes a frame, and a pair of crop processing rolls carried by the frame and defining a nip therebetween. At least one of the crop processing rolls includes an outer surface with a plurality of cleats. Each cleat has a leading edge with an undercut.

Abstract: A mowing implement is equipped with a rotary cutter bar and utilizes right- and left-hand sets of converging drums to aid those cutting discs located outboard of opposite sides of a discharge zone to converge crop to the discharge zone. The inner two of each of the sets of converging drums are identical and have inverted bowl shaped lower end plates having conical surfaces which aid in lifting crop. The insides of the bowl-shaped converging drum end plates form voids, which together with flat horizontal ejector plates, mounted on respective cutter discs for sweeping beneath the inner two of each set of converging drums, keep crop from packing beneath these converging drums. Associated with each of the innermost ones of the inner pair of converging drums is a guide element defining a horizontal shelf located for guiding crop, elevated by the conical surfaces of the lower ends of the inner most converging drums, to the discharge passage.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a pair of conditioner rolls oriented for feeding crop along a flight path extending upwardly toward an impact surface of a swath forming shield. A crop deflector includes a panel disposed so as to intersect the flight path at a location between the conditioner rolls and the impact surface of the swath forming shield so as to cause the crop to follow a steeper path so that it impacts the forming shield with greater impact than it would otherwise, which causes the crop to fall in a random orientation so as to form a fluffy windrow.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.

Abstract: A trailer, for a header-equipped implement, has a T-shaped main frame, with the head of the T being defined by a beam extending in the direction of travel and with the stem of the T centered between a pair of loading ramps having first end portions coupled to the beam for pivoting about a fulcrum such that the ramps are moved from a loading to a transport position by the weight of the implement when the implement is backed up the ramps to a loaded position resting on the beam and in engagement with respective bumper/latch bars fixed to the beam. Stability of the trailer is maintained during loading of the implement by parking stands, at opposite ends of the beam, which are either manually or automatically moved between support and stored positions.

Abstract: A method of joining sheet metal parts is disclosed which includes forming tabs on one and slots in the other of a pair of parts being welded together with the tabs having a length equal to half the dimensional thickness of the parts. The tabs fit accurately within the slots and welding takes place within the slots at the ends of the tabs so that tabs and material bordering the slots are melted together with the welding rod or wire, whereby the heat generated by the welding process and the resultant weld material are located in the neutral axis of the parts being joined together so that distortion of the parts due to the welding process is lessened or eliminated.

Abstract: A rotary mower cutter disc includes a replaceable knife mount shield which, in one embodiment, comprises a unitary slotted body which is received over the edge of the disc and held in place by the knife mounting bolt. The nut holding the bolt in place is located within a cylindrical cavity of the shield. In a second embodiment, the shield in made in two pieces mounted in sandwiching relationship to the mounting location of the disc having a back-turned lip defining a slot received over the edge of the disc and with the other piece being located on the side of the disc beside the lip and forming the cylindrical cavity for protecting the nut of the knife mounting bolt.

Abstract: A mower-conditioner has a header equipped with a rotary cutterbar for severing crop and directing it to a crop conditioner spanning a crop discharge opening centered rearwardly of the cutterbar and having a width some-what less than the length of the cutterbar. The cutter discs at the extreme outer ends of the cutterbar are equipped with upright, crop converging drums. For shorter cutterbars, paddles are mounted only to the tops of the cutter discs at the extreme outer ends of the cutterbars for operating in conjunction with the converging drums to move cut crop inwardly and rearwardly to the crop conditioner. For cutterbars of an intermediate length, paddles are also provided on the pair of discs respectively adjacent the discs at the extreme outer ends of the cutterbar and for cutterbars having a longer length, short crop converging drums are mounted to these adjacent discs.

Abstract: A crop harvester header or platform includes a rotary cutterbar for cutting and directing crop to a crop conditioner having a length shorter than that of the cutterbar and being disposed centrally behind the cutterbar. The header is equipped with a crop converging structure including right- and left-hand drums or cages respectively mounted to the tops of right- and left-hand cutter discs respectively at opposite ends of the cutterbar, and further including right- and left-hand crop guiding or directing structures respectively disposed for guiding crop from forward locations of the drums or cages over the cutter discs respectively adjacent the end cutter discs and toward the crop conditioner.

Abstract: A drive for a center-pivot mower-conditioner includes a power shaft supported within the center-pivot tongue and ending in an equal-angle drive section which intersects the vertical axis of the connection of the tongue with the center of a transverse beam forming part of a main frame of the mower-conditioner when the tongue is in a straight ahead position. A multiple v-belt drive transfers rotation of the tongue-carried drive-line to a substantially horizontal, fore-and-aft extending main header drive shaft located just leftwardly of the transverse beam of the main frame. The main header drive shaft is coupled to a first header drive box containing right-angle gearing for directing power to a downwardly extending through shaft extending through a second header gear box to a left-most cutting unit of a rotary cutterbar extending transversely across a header suspended for floating over undulating terrain during cutting operation.