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. Crop that passes beneath the shelves is guided to locations of the discharge passage inward of respective side walls bordering the discharge passage by respective legs depending from the back sides of the shelves.
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.