Abstract: A plastic tine comprising a solid molded body adapted for mounting on a harvester crop pickup reel bat and having a finger portion of predetermined length extending from the tip of the bat at least half the length of the finger portion being of constant thickness in the front to rear flexure direction and of greater width than thickness for more than half the finger length, the finger width decreasing progressively from the edge of the bat to the tip of the finger, whereby the upper portion of the finger will flex in the fore-and-aft direction but not sideways except under extreme load, and will be resistant to breakage, distortion or taking a set.

Abstract: A spider arm journal and bat section connecting means for harvester reel pick-up bats which permits a limited amount of axial, angular and transverse flexure between the bat sections and the journal shaft to which the bat sections are mounted, the said means comprising a bat retainer assembly onto which the end of a bat is fastened and into which an end of the journal shaft is received with sliding fit engagement, and a connecting link integral with and normal to the journal connected adjacent its outer end with an attachment plate comprising the end of said assembly adjacent the journal.

Abstract: A controller for maintaining pick-up tines on harvesting reels at predetermined orientation in space as the reel is rotated for severing crops from the ground having inherent structural self-compensation for wear and dimensional tolerance stack-up in the assembly of parts thereof and induced reduction of peak loads thereon by means of a pendulously-suspended control spider which is pivotally mounted on the machine in the direction against and nominally on the line of action of the applied load on said spider from the gathering and cutting of crops by the pick-up reel of said machine.