Abstract: A rotary blade lawnmower grass ejection chute device having a capability of folding up from a fully open and operating position to a partially closed or a fully closed position when the leading edge comes in contact with a fixed object. This grass ejection chute device then has the capability of re-opening up to a full operating position when the lawnmower has cleared the fixed object. This grass ejection chute device also has the capability of being fully closed and in a locked position blocking cut grass from being ejected through the lawnmower deck ejection port to allow a mulching process of cut grass clippings to take place.

Abstract: There is provided a mower in which a guide member does not easily protrude on the side of the mower, and a grass mowing machine including the same. A mower for discharging mowed grasses from a discharge port provided in a side part of a mower deck to an exterior of the mower deck includes a flexible rubber sheet formed in a flat plate shape, a pivot frame, support frames, and a pivot shaft for attaching the rubber sheet to the mower deck oscillatably in the up and down direction, and fixing members for fixing the rubber sheet to the mower deck in a state that the rubber sheet is bent into a shape capable of guiding the mowed grasses discharged from the discharge port.

Abstract: A crop guide comprising one or more generally wedge-shaped guides configured to interact with a crop discharge stream as it is discharged from an agricultural mower having a counter-rotating disc cutterbar. The guides are positioned rearward from the cutterbar, with one guide being generally positioned on an axis centered between each pair of converging-rotation disc cutterheads where crop material flow is concentrated. Each guide is generally pyramidal in shape, having a pair of surfaces angled with respect to one another and forming a triangular pyramid form with respect to a third generally planar surface, typically the mower swathboard. The vertex of the pyramid is oriented upstream in the crop flow so that a portion of the crop flow is split by the angled surfaces and laterally dispersed. This dispersion of crop material produces a crop mat on the ground behind the mower having a more uniform thickness compared to that produced by a traditional mower using a counter-rotating rotary cutterbar.

Abstract: A swath roller is attached to a tractor and includes a first frame with two arms each independently connected to the tractor on an adjustable bracket allowing at least up and down movement of the arm relative to its bracket and a transverse bean across the arms. A second frame carries the roller and is supported on a pair of castor wheels spaced outwardly to respective sides of the roller. The second frame includes a front beam connected to the first frame by a center pivot so as to allow side to side pivotal movement of the second frame and two force transmitting members spaced outwardly of the pivot. Conversion to transport is provided by adding a hitch at one end of the frame and an additional wheel behind the roller at the opposite end and by locking one or more of the wheels against castoring.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a harvesting header includes a helper roll having at auger flighting configured to move crop material laterally inward. The auger flighting may be outboard of a crop receiving area. The helper roll may be placed rearward of a cutter mechanism and forward of a conditioning roll of the header. The axis of rotation of the helper roll may be positioned slightly above a cutting plane of a cutting bed so that the auger flighting extends vertically past the cutting plane. In an example embodiment, at least a portion of the auger flights are positioning outboard of a conditioning roll of the header.

Abstract: A swath roller is attached to a tractor and includes a first frame with two arms each independently connected to the tractor on an adjustable bracket allowing at least up and down movement of the arm relative to its bracket and a transverse bean across the arms. A second frame carries the roller and is supported on a pair of castor wheels spaced outwardly to respective sides of the roller. The second frame includes a front beam connected to the first frame by a center pivot so as to allow side to side pivotal movement of the second frame and two force transmitting members spaced outwardly of the pivot. Conversion to transport is provided by adding a hitch at one end of the frame and an additional wheel behind the roller at the opposite end and by locking one or more of the wheels against castoring.

Abstract: A floating swathgate for a cutting and conditioning header for a frame-supported tractor in which the angular attitude of the swathgate relative to an airborne stream of crop material being ejected from conditioner apparatus is varied as the header moves vertically with respect to the tractor to optimally direct the crop material toward a rearwardly disposed crop merger conveyor. As the header moves vertically, changes in the angular attitude of the swathgate direct the airborne crop material to generally the same location on the merger conveyor to minimize crop losses that typically occur with a fixed swathgate when the crop trajectory varies directly with the header vertical movement.

Abstract: A mowing arrangement includes a tractor carrying a front-mounted mower unit and towing a mobile carrier frame having left and right mower units mounted to opposite sides of the carrier frame. In a first embodiment, the carrier frame is box-shaped in plan view. A pair of mower unit support arms are respectively mounted to forward outer locations of the carrier frame for pivoting vertically between horizontal first positions, wherein they dispose the mower units in respective operating positions, and vertical second positions, wherein they dispose the mower units in raised transport positions.

Abstract: A method of harvesting crops of the type falling in the genus Brassica comprises lodging the crops using a crop pusher assembly transported by a tractor and including a stationary crop pushing surface which is inclined downwardly and rearwardly from an upper top edge to a position adjacent the ground. The surface is convex and includes a bottom pivotal flap for following ground contour. The standing crop is moved to a lodged position against the ground without cutting or breaking the crop stems. This prevents shattering of the crop by maintaining the crop in the lodged position and causes the crop to continue to mature by maintaining the stems without cutting or breaking. After the crop has matured, the lodged crop is cut with a header of a combine harvester for harvesting the crop.

Abstract: A feeder adapter for mounting a header on a feeder housing of a combine, the feeder adapter having a housing with an inlet positionable immediately behind a rear feed draper of the header and an outlet which is of a size and shape to match with a forward facing inlet of the feeder housing. The housing of the feeder adapter contains a feeder drum of the retractable finger type mounted for rotation on a transverse axis above a floor surface of the housing so as to engage the cut crop delivered to the rear end of the rearward feed draper and propel it into the outlet opening and thus into the inlet of the feeder housing. The feeder adapter has a subframe for attaching the feeder adapter to the feeder housing and attachment members for suspending the header from the subframe.

Abstract: An attachment for a swather comprises a panel which is hinged at a front edge on the swather so as to hang downwardly and rearwardly therefrom so that rear edge engages and compresses the swath as it emerges from the swather. The panel is spring biased downwardly to compress the swath into the stubble to reduce the danger of wind damage in fluffy crops such as flax. Side edges of the panel include spring tines extending outwardly from the rear edge so as to compress the swath particularly at side edges of the swath with a center section of the panel bowed upwardly to reduce the compression action in that area.

Abstract: An attachment for forming standing straw snow traps comprises sickle blade, a curved guide and a support frame for mounting the attachment on the harvesting machine so that the sickle blade extends forwardly of, above and generally parallel to the machine's sickle blade over a short length thereof which is covered to prevent cutting of the crop. The attachment is connected to the reel arms of the machine for common height adjustment therewith. The curved guide directs the cut heads of the crop onto the collection draper of the machine. The attachment can be pivotaly mounted or mounted on scissors linkage from the cover.