Abstract: A forage harvester having a rotary reel cutterhead disposed within a housing to operate against a shear bar, peripheral shielding being disposed on the inlet side of the cutterhead except for a material entry gap in the region above the shear bar is provided with a crop reinjection chamber disposed in the peripheral shielding immediately above the material entry gap, the chamber comprising a transversely extending cavity wherein the cavity wall in the direction of rotation includes an arcuate portion for redirecting the flow of crops escaping the cutterhead periphery back into the cutterhead at a substantial angle to the cutterhead periphery.

Abstract: A crop pickup device is provided with a tine reel having axially spaced sets of outwardly projecting tines, and crop supporting strippers disposed about the reel between the sets of tines, the strippers having forward lower portions disposed at a uniform radius about an axis below the rotational axis of the tine reel, and a forward upper portion having a substantially larger radius of curvature than the lower forward portion and terminating in a straight trailing portion for attachment to the pickup frame, the projection of the tines beyond said strippers being greater at the upper forward portion than at the lower forward portion.

Abstract: A control apparatus is provided for controlling a gathering unit mounted on a forage harvester for vertical articulative movement about a transverse axis thereon, the control apparatus including a main lever pivotally mounted on the forage harvester frame and operatively attached by a tension apparatus to the gathering unit, a lifting apparatus interconnecting the frame and main lever through a lost motion connection for selectively engaging the main lever to lift the gathering unit, a floatation spring lever having a first pivotal connection and a second detachable connection with the main lever, and a floatation spring assembly interconnecting the spring lever and the frame, the floatation spring assembly counterbalancing a portion of the weight of the gathering unit when the detachable connection between the spring lever and the main lever is attached and being ineffective when the detachable connection is detached.

Abstract: A forage harvester of the type having a rotary reel cutterhead and a feed roll mechanism for feeding crops to the cutterhead is provided with improved drive means for the feed roll mechanism including a forward chain drive arrangement incorporating intermediate shafts and an electromagnetic clutch and a reverse chain drive arrangement incorporating a second electromagnetic clutch, both drive arrangements being driven from the cutterhead drive and driving a common output shaft operatively connected with the feed roll mechanism. An electrical remote control switch operates the electromagnetic clutches for mutually exclusive engagement, or with neither clutch engaged, to produce remotely controlled shifting of the mechanism between forward, idle and reverse drives.