Patent ID: 8225589

Claim:
A crop harvesting header comprising: a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which there is a standing crop for harvesting; a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop; a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on the cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes spaced along the cutter bar; each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of the disk about its axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as it rotates around the axis on the disk; the cutter bar including a first longitudinally extending hollow gear case underneath a first plurality of the cutter disks and a second longitudinally extending hollow gear case underneath a second plurality of the cutter disks; each of the first plurality of disks and the second plurality of disks containing at least five disks; the first hollow gear case extending from a first end of the cutter bar to a position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a first gear train formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the first plurality of disks and arranged to drive the first plurality of cutter disks; the second hollow gear case extending from a second end of the cutter bar to said position part way along the cutter bar and containing therein a second gear train formed by a series of intermeshing gears underneath the second plurality of disks and arranged to drive the cutter disks; the intermeshing gears of the first hollow gear case being separated from the intermeshing gears of the second hollow gear case so that the first gear train drives the first plurality of disks and the second gear train separately drives the second plurality of disks; one of the cutter disks of the first plurality of cutter disks having a first upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the first gear train; one of the cutter disks of the second plurality of cutter disks having a second upstanding drive shaft through which drive is connected to the second gear train; a first gear box connected to an upper end of the first drive shaft; a second gear box connected to an upper end of the second drive shaft; a drive transfer shaft connecting the first and second gear boxes; and an input drive for supplying driving rotation to at least the first of the first and second gear boxes.