Patent ID: 6718744
Filing Date: 2004-04-13
Classification: A01D

Abstract:
In a crop harvesting platform including opposite, fore-and-aft extending side walls, a transverse rotary cutter bar extending between said side walls and equipped with a plurality of rotary cutting units including at least right- and left-hand end cutting units and right- and left-hand second cutting units respectively located beside said right- and left-hand end cutting units and operating together with said end cutting units for delivering crop to a centrally located discharge passage defined between right- and left-hand inner side walls, a crop conditioner arrangement mounted across said discharge passage, right- and left-hand end crop converging drums respectively being mounted for rotation with said right- and left-hand end cutting units, and a platform drive arrangement including a power distributing main gear box having drive distribution components coupled for receiving power from a power source and delivering it to one of said end cutting units and to a power transfer arrangement; the improvement comprising: second and third converging drums mounted on each side of said platform respectively between said right- and left-hand end converging drums and said discharge passage and including respective upright, second and third converging drum drive shafts; first and second converging drum drive pulleys respectively being coupled to said second and third converging drum drive shafts at each side of said platform; first and second drive belts respectively coupling said first and second converging drum drive pulleys at each side of the platform: and said power transfer arrangement including power transfer components coupled for driving said conditioner arrangement and for driving each of said third converging drum drive shafts.