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 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: 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 clamp arrangement for securing a needle to a needle support member includes an interface arrangement between a first clamp segment, defining an inner end of a baler needle, and a surface of a needle support member, on which a second clamp segment is located on a side of the support member opposite to that engaged by the first clamp segment. The interface arrangement is such as to permit the needle to be rocked sideways so as to adjust an outer twine delivery end of the needle from side-to-side as necessary to bring the twine delivery end in correct alignment with a knotter mechanism.

Abstract: A clamp arrangement for securing a needle to a needle support member includes an interface arrangement between a first clamp segment, defining an inner end of a baler needle, and a surface of a needle support member, on which a second clamp segment is located on a side of the support member opposite to that engaged by the first clamp segment. The interface arrangement is such as to permit the needle to be rocked sideways so as to adjust an outer twine delivery end of the needle from side-to-side as necessary to bring the twine delivery end in correct alignment with a knotter mechanism.

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 method for forming lugs of crop conditioner rolls includes cutting lugs from a piece of cylindrical tube stock having a thickness equal to a desired thickness of the lug and having an inside radius approximately equal to that of a conditioner roll core to which the lug is to be affixed.

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.