Abstract: A rotary platform is provided for the harvest of specialty crops such as grass seed. In particular the conditioning rolls are removed from the header to reduce seed shatter and converging elements are added inside the conditioner opening on both sides and to the rear of the cutterbar to feed the crop around the conditioner opening corner and to the rear of the platform. Additional converging elements are provided behind the first converging elements at a angle less then 90 DEG. to the ground so as to form the top of the windrow so that there is minimal seed loss. The converging elements may or may not be powered and the angle of the second converging element can be adjustable. The rotary knives perform the cutting function more efficiently than a sickle cutterbar, and the converging elements move the crop toward the center to form a windrow with less disturbance.

Abstract: A crop knockdown shield is provided for use with rotary platforms in harvesting specialty crops such as grass seed. The knockdown shield is mounted to the front of the platform and extends forwardly and upwardly at an angle ahead of the cutting device. The knockdown shield can comprise two panels hingedly attached to one another so as to allow one panel to be folded back in shorter crops to improve visibility and to provide an extension of the first panel in higher crops. The knockdown shield serves to gently lean the crop forward before cutting so as to minimize seed shatter due whipping of the seed head.

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.