Patent ID: 8056310
Filing Date: 2011-11-15
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
1. An agricultural mower-conditioner header comprising: a cutting mechanism arranged transversely on the header to define a cutting width for cutting and feeding the crop material rearward the cutting mechanism including a plurality of space-apart disc cutters wherein each adjacent pair of cutters is configured for counter-rotation creating a plurality of rotating pairs of disc cutters configured for convergent rotation; a pair of elongate, intermeshing conditioner rolls disposed in adjacent parallel relationship rearwardly of said cutting mechanism for receiving said crop mat from said cutting mechanism, said conditioner rolls each having a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs extending across the axial length of said rolls; and a tread pattern formed by said ribs on each of said pair of conditioner rolls, said tread pattern cyclically varying relative to location along the axial length of each roll for more than one cycle, said tread pattern being reversed end-for-end on one of said pair of rolls thereby enabling intermeshing relationship of said conditioner rolls, said cyclical pattern further having at transition zones in which the rib pattern transitions from having a positive slope to a negative slope with respect to the transverse axis, the transitions zones being horizontally positioned and aligned along the cutting width of the header between the centers of corresponding disc pairs configured for convergent rotation crop from the corresponding disc pairs configured for convergent rotation.