Patent ID: 9578805
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: A01D

Claim:
1. A harvesting header operable to harvest crop, said harvesting header comprising: a header frame; a flexible cutterbar assembly mounted to the header frame to extend lengthwise in a lateral direction relative to the normal direction of travel of the header; a plurality of laterally spaced apart support arms being attached to and cooperatively supporting the flexible cutterbar assembly, each of said support arms being pivotally coupled to the frame for swinging movement about a laterally extending axis so that the flexible cutterbar assembly is operable to flex along the length thereof in response to changes in terrain as the header is advanced; a draper assembly supported on the header frame behind the cutterbar assembly to flex therewith, said draper assembly including a pair of side drapers configured to receive severed crop materials from the cutterbar assembly and convey the materials laterally, said side drapers presenting opposite laterally outermost margins of the draper assembly, with an outermost one of the support arms being located adjacent each of the end margins, said side drapers each including a flexible endless draper belt presenting laterally endmost margins, one of which defines the corresponding outermost margin of the draper assembly, said outermost support arms being positioned laterally outside of the endmost margins of the draper belts, such that each of the outermost support arms is spaced laterally outward from the endmost margin of the respective draper belt; and a pair of end crop dividers, each being mounted adjacent a respective one of the outermost support arms, each of said crop dividers including a crop deflector that angles downwardly toward the adjacent outermost margin of the draper assembly, each of said crop deflectors being positioned at least in part above the laterally endmost margin of the respective draper belt so as to cover at least a portion of the laterally endmost margin.