A pair of arms are pivotably affixed at their upper ends to a shaft secured to brackets depending from the underside of a combine header or other agricultural machinery, the arms being disposed at an angle of about 45.degree. with the ground. A roller is secured across the lower ends of the arms, the roller having a width slightly greater than the width of the row of the crop to be harvested. The entire assembly is connected to a plate which may be welded or otherwise secured to the machine ahead of the tires. A compression spring is affixed at its upper end to the plate and at its lower end to a cross-piece secured across the arms at about their midpoint, the spring urging the roller against the ground so that the stubble will be forced substantially flat against the ground as the large tires of the combine pass over it. The considerable damage to such tires which otherwise occurs from stubble wearing the tread is eliminated or reduced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an attachment to the header of a combine for 
flattening stubble in advance of the large tires of the combine or other 
agricultural machinery. 
In harvesting beans, corn, and similar rough-fibered crops, a stubble of 
from about 2 to 4 inches high is continuously produced following the 
harvesting operation of the combine header. Typical combines have large 
rubber tires which are located immediately behind the header and which are 
subject to being damaged from the spike-like stubble. Such combine tires 
tend to wear out at a rapid rate due to continually running on the cut-off 
rows of crops. Since each tire represents a significant expense, various 
means have been tried to avoid damage from the stubble and to eliminate 
frequent replacement of the tires. One such attempt has involved steel 
slides mounted on the underneath sides of the front end of the combine 
header. However, the slides have not proven effective, as they tend to 
pick up dirt, leaves and stems, particularly if the soil is the least bit 
wet. 
Cranberry harvesters such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,607,180 to 
Stankavich and 2,504,459 to Schneider have employed rollers which hold 
down cranberry vines as the berries are caught between the harvesting 
bars. The rollers of such machinery are designed to hold the vines down 
lest they be pulled from the soil and for such purpose are so constructed 
that they rise and fall as the harvester moves along. That is, such 
rollers are not designed and could not be used to flatten stubble in the 
path of large combine tires. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A stubble flattener comprising a pair of arms pivotably affixed to a 
combine header, a roller secured at the lower ends of the arms, and a 
compression spring urging the roller against the ground is provided for 
attachment to the underside of a combine header in the path of the large 
rubber tires thereof, to force stubble substantially flat against the 
ground as the large tires pass over it. Preferably, the upper ends of the 
pair of arms are slideably attached to a shaft by means of screw-tightened 
collars or the like so that the position of the roller can be adjusted 
relative to the large tire by moving the arms laterally along the shaft. 
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and yet 
efficient means for flattening stubble in the path of the large rubber 
tires of a combine, so as to prevent damage to such tires from the 
spike-like contact of the stubble against the tires. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a stubble flattener which 
can be permanently or removably attached to the underside of a combine 
header. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide a pair of stubble 
flatteners slideably secured to a shaft at the upper ends of their arms so 
that they can be moved laterally with respect to each other and the large 
rubber combine tires.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, combine 11 has a pair of large rubber tires 12 mounted 
behind the header 13 which cuts the standing crop 14 to produce stubble 
16. Although the crop shown being harvested is corn, it is understood that 
similar rough-fibered crops, such as beans, will also produce a hard, 
spike-like stubble that could damage the large tires of the combine. The 
stubble flattener 17, shown in operating position ahead of tire 12, can be 
utilized for flattening any of such stubble. 
As shown in FIG. 2, a single stubble flattener 17 (shown in dotted lines) 
is secured to the underside of the header 13 directly in line with large 
rubber tire 12. Similarly, a stubble flattener is secured in front of the 
opposite wheel, not shown. As will be described below, each of the stubble 
flatteners may be slideably disposed on the header for lateral movement so 
that its position can be adjusted relative to the other and to the large 
rubber tires 12. 
The stubble flattener 17 comprises a pair of arms 18 pivotably attached to 
a shaft 22 which in turn is secured by depending brackets 19 to the 
underside of plate 20 which may be secured to the header 13 in proper 
position, as by welding. A roller 26 is affixed across the lower ends of 
the arms 18, the arms being disposed at about a 45.degree. angle with the 
ground and the roller being urged against the ground by compression spring 
21 and rod 15 disposed within the spring. As shown in FIG. 3, the action 
of the roller substantially flattens the stubble 16 ahead of the large 
rubber tire 12 of the combine. 
The rod 15 and compression spring 21 are held in position on plate 20 by 
cotter key 32, bushing 23 and set screw 29, and are secured at their lower 
ends to bracket 24 on crosspiece 25. The rod 15 works inside the spring 
21, and can be used to raise the roller completely clear of the ground, or 
to exert sufficient downward pressure on the roller to flatten the stubble 
rows. The crosspiece 25 is secured across the arms 18 at about their 
midpoints. The spring 21 and rod 15 are adjustable by means of bushing 23 
and set screw 29 such that the flattening pressure of the roller can be 
readily increased or decreased. 
As shown in FIG. 4, the roller 26 is positioned directly in line with the 
large rubber tire 12, the roller 26 having a width slightly greater than 
that of the row of stubble over which the large rubber tires passes. The 
arms 18 are slideably as well as pivotably attached to the shaft 22 by 
means of collars 27 and set screws 28, the shaft itself being of about the 
same width as the large rubber tire so that when the compression spring 21 
and rod 15 are temporarily disconnected, the arms 18 can be slid laterally 
to the left or the right to adjust the position of the roller 26 with 
respect to the rubber tire 12. Holes 31 are spaced evenly along the upper 
surface of plate 20 to accommodate different lateral settings of the 
roller. The cotter key 32 can be readily removed and rod 15 moved to 
another hole 31, as required. Accordingly, the roller 26 can be positioned 
to flatten stubble in the path of the tire 12 no matter where the rows 
contact the tire. The rear wheels of a typical combine are much smaller 
than the large front wheels and usually run between the rows, where they 
are not subject to damage from the stubble. 
Preferably, the roller 26 has a width of about 6 inches and a diameter of 
about 10 inches. The roller 26 can be a roller bearing wheel constructed 
of steel, with the arms, shaft, plate, and crosspiece also being so 
constructed, to provide an inexpensive and long-lasting attachment to 
combine headers. 
Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail, by way 
of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, it 
is understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced 
within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.