Abstract: A double knife section for a reciprocating sickle bar mower is provided with two knives. Each knife is provided with a base portion extending in the transverse direction and a knife portion extending in the longitudinal direction. The base portion is provided with at least two mounting holes. The knife portion is provided with two cutting edges. The knife is also provided with a series of breakage holes defining transverse breakage zones which allow a knife to break before damaging the knife guard holding the knife. The holes are sized to allow for breakage of the knife before breaking the guard.

Abstract: A harvesting platform having a frame and a cutterbar supported by the frame, a reciprocal knife that moves relative to the cutterbar, a drive motor having a rotary input and a linearly reciprocating output shaft. The output shaft is coupled to the knife for reciprocating the knife and a one piece mounting bracket is coupled to the cutterbar and the drive motor to establish the position of the drive motor relative to the cutterbar. The bracket has machined surfaces engaging the drive motor and the cutterbar to establish the relative positions of the drive motor and the cutterbar within the machining tolerances. This provides proper alignment of the drive motor output with the cutterbar that is necessary for an in-line drive motor.

Abstract: A chain or belt tensioner is provided in a header for a harvester having a pair of rollers, each supported on separate pivot arms and engagable with the slack and taut strands of the chain or belt. The pivot arms are mounted about a common pivot and are spring biased into engagement with the chain or belt by a common spring. When the drive direction is reversed, the normally slack side of the chain becomes taut and assumes a straight-line position between the sprockets or sheaves. The pivot arms will rotate about the pivot and the pivot arm on the strand that has now become slack will rotate to tension the slack strand. The biasing spring coupled to the two pivot arms biases the rollers against the two strands of the chain and provides a fixed tensioning force on the chain that does not require adjustment.

Abstract: The non-driving end of the cutterbar is provided with a specialized integral end guard section having a single guard and a body portion defining a slot for enclosing the reciprocating end knife section. The body portion is also provided with a rearwardly extending mounting portion.

Abstract: A crop stripper has a moving shaker pan between the stripper drum and an auger receiving the gathered crop parts from the drum. The pan has a conveying platform arranged in a series of descending steps from the stripper drum to the auger. It is constrained to oscillate in a manner in which the front end has both horizontal and vertical components of movement whereas the rear end moves along a small downwards incline. It is found that these features help to promote the rearward movement of crop parts such as grain, so reducing spillage in the space between the stripper drum and the auger.