Abstract: A sickle cutting apparatus having a plurality of knife guards and a sickle bar having a plurality of sickle knife blades driven for reciprocating movement relative to the knife guards. The length of the cutting edge of each knife blade from a transverse rearmost cutting line at which a cutting action occurs is increased to a length greater than 2.2 inches; the width at the rear of the ledger surface of each guard is increased to greater than 1.2 inches; and the front edge of the blade is formed with an apex to shed crop material to one or other side of the apex.

Abstract: A cutter assembly for mowing apparatus comprises a sickle guard having individual guards which each consist of a guard body and an upper lip. The guard bodies are connected to a cutter bar via mounting pads. Each guard is provided with a rearward knife slot within which knife sections can move back and forth in a reciprocating manner. A hold-down member is provided to act against an upper face of a knife section, the hold-down member extending through the upper lip.

Abstract: A cutter assembly for a mowing apparatus having at least two guards. Each guard includes a guard body, a tine, and a knife slot for receiving a knife section. A connecting web connects the two guards. An upper trashbar is fixed between the two guards above the knife section. Extending from the upper trashbar is a hold-down member movable into contact with the knife section.

Abstract: A cutter assembly for mowing apparatus comprises a sickle guard having individual guards which each consist of a guard body and an upper lip. The guard bodies are connected to a cutter bar via mounting pads. Each guard is provided with a rearward knife slot within which knife sections can move back and forth in a reciprocating manner. A hold-down member is provided to act against an upper face of a knife section, the hold-down member extending through the upper lip.

Abstract: A cutter assembly for mowing apparatus comprises a sickle guard having individual guards whose guard bodies are connected to a cutter bar via mounting pads. Each guard is provided with a rearward knife slot within which knife sections can move back and forth in a reciprocating manner. Hold-down members are provided to act against an upper face of the knife sections, the hold-down members being formed as ball plungers and are screwed into a front part of a hold-down arm. The hold-down arm at its rearward end is fixed by a base to the cutter bar by means of guard mounting screws.

Abstract: A mower assembly in which a standard sickle guard having two long fingers is replaced with a guard having two long fingers and two alternate fingers that are relatively short. The sickle blade cooperates with cutting surfaces on both the long and the short fingers. In the case of the long fingers, there are slots through which the sickle bar moves. In the case of the short fingers, the blade merely moves over a cutting surface of the short finger. There are trash bars extending between the fingers to strengthen the fingers and guard against rocks or uncut plants jamming the space between the fingers.The guard unit is fastened at two points to the guard support bar so as to minimize any tendency of the guard unit to turn.