Abstract: The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.

Abstract: A slot driven low profile sickle drive has an input rotatable about an upstanding rotational axis and carries an eccentric captured in a slot in one end of a pivot arm pivotable about an upstanding pivotal axis. A power source is connected in rotatably driving relation to the input. The opposite end of the pivot arm connects to a knife assembly of a sickle. The input, eccentric and pivot arm are generally flat, and the power source is vertically coextensive therewith for incorporation in or below the floor of a header of a plant cutting machine. Rotation of the input causes epicyclical orbiting of the eccentric, resulting in sideward pivoting of the opposite end of the pivot arm and sickle knife. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife, such that opposite forces generated by operation of the drives will be largely canceled.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting vegetation is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a first and second cutting mechanism for cutting vegetation. The first cutting mechanism is configured to cut vegetation from an original height to a first height. The original height is a height greater than a height reachable by the second cutting mechanism. The second cutting mechanism is configured to cut the same vegetation from the first height to a second height, after the first cutting mechanism has cut the vegetation to the first height.

Abstract: A pair of pincer-type cutting blades are pivotally supported from a frame to be mounted from a front loader and fluid cylinders having base ends pivotally supported from the frame outwardly of the remote sides of the cutting blades include outer ends universally coupled to the front ends of the cutting blades, the pivot axes of the cutting blades and the base ends of the cylinders being substantially parallel and the cylinders being downwardly and outwardly inclined toward the free ends thereof relative to a plane normal to the aforementioned axes, whereby the cutting blades, during movement toward their closed positions, are slightly downwardly and laterally displaced at their forward ends. A front loader including forwardly projecting lift arms is provided from which the aforementioned frame is supported and the front loader includes a forwardly spaced and downwardly directed spray head intermediate the lift arms thereof for downwardly directing a spray of vegetation killer upon a cut tree stump.

Abstract: The cutting device proposed has cutting cells (3), located side by side, which collect the items to be cut. Each cell (3) contains a stationary element, which is designed to act as a support for the items to be cut and has a stop edge for the items, and a mobile element (4) which is designed to press the items together in the cell (3). During the cutting process, the mobile element is driven so that it remains substantially parallel to the support edge, and its motion during cutting is tangential to the items being cut. This tangential cutting action enables very considerable reductions to be made in energy consumption and noise generation. The cutting device is suitable for use in grass mowers, agricultural reaping and mowing machines and hedge clippers.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a mowing apparatus including: a motive power source for supplying rotating motion; a mowing head; a pair of first and second cutting disks slidably superposed with each other, each of the disks including a plurality of peripheral cutting teeth and the first and second cutting disks being oscillatably mounted to the mowing head; a mechanism for reciprocatively oscillating the first and second cutting disks oppositely with each other within a predetermined oscillating range, the reciprocatively oscillating mechanism being accommodated in the mowing head and adapted to be driven by the rotational motion supplied form the motive power source; and a mechanism for changing the mounting position of the first and second cutting disks about the mowing head in the circumferential directions of the cutting disks so that a portion to be used for mowing in the first and second cutting disks can be changed without removing the first and second cutting disks from the apparatus, the mounting position chan

Abstract: The invention relates to a mowing device applicable to any type of front cutting or non-front cutting mowing machine, power mower or mower driven by a tractor or other vehicle, comprising a support bar preferably rigidly fixed to the mowing machine frame, and with which there are associated, in a fixed position, guide means for a comb and for a cutting blade which overlies the comb, these latter oscillating in opposite directions longitudinally to said support bar. The comb is provided with teeth which extend forwards and are provided with tangs directed rearwardly and upwardly. Drive means are provided to cause the blade and comb to oscillate in phase opposition so as to dynamically compensate the device wholly or partly, the travel strokes of the blade and comb being preferably inversely proportional to their respective masses, the mass ratio of comb to blade being preferably between 1.5 and 3.

Abstract: An oscillating knife cutting apparatus preferably for use on a row crop harvesting unit of a forage harvester to sever crop material from its standing position in a field as it is delivered into the harvester. The apparatus comprises a main support with a main pair of knives fixed thereon, a bearing fixed to said main support, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing, and a secondary support with a knife fixed thereto. The secondary support is mounted on said shaft for oscillatory movement therewith relative to said main support. The secondary knife is disposed between the pair of main knives and is used to sever material disposed between the secondary knife and each of the main knives. The secondary knife is adjustably mounted for movement toward the plane defined by the main knives by adjustment of a member threadably mounted longitudinally of the shaft whereby rotation of the threaded member frictionally engages a clamp mounting the secondary support on the shaft.

Abstract: A multirow forage harvester header for cutting and conveying a row crop from a standing position in the field into a crop receiving throat of the harvester for processing. The header is provided with an improved drive means for actuating a pair of crop cutters respectively disposed adjacent the crop entries of two crop receiving and conveying passageways of the header. The drive means includes a reciprocatable rod connected between one of the cutters and a remotely located input drive and a second reciprocatable rod connected between the two cutters. The two cutters are synchronously driven by the input drive through the first and second reciprocating rods.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improvement in a reciprocating mower of the type wherein pivotal reciprocation of the cutting blades is produced by impact blows received from a rotary impactor. In accordance with this invention, two actuating levers are employed to transmit impact forces from a rotary impactor to the movable blades of the mower; one such lever moves the blades in one direction and the other lever effects the return movement of the movable blades. The rotary impactor successively contacts the two levers so that the resulting movements of the cutting blade is a movement in one direction followed by a dwell period, then a movement in the opposite direction followed by a dwell period. A fan, driven by the same prime mover as utilized to drive the rotary impactor, generates air currents which pick up and straighten the grass or other vegetation to be cut by the reciprocating blades and directs the cut vegetation through the plenum chamber of the fan and outwardly through a discharge chute.