Patent ID: 8662131

Claim:
A method comprising, providing a continuous belt of a fabric material having a first surface engaging the drive roller and a second surface engaging a harvested crop material; where the drive roller comprises a cylindrical metal roller body having an outer metal cylindrical surface surrounding an axis of rotation of the roller for engaging the first surface of the belt; forming a plurality of raised elements on the outer metal surface of the roller body so as to be raised to a height from the metal surface; the raised elements and the belt being arranged such that the raised elements do not engage into any recesses in the first surface of the belt; forming the raised elements by applying to the metal surface a material containing particles of a hard wear resistant material in a binder and applying heat to the material to clad the particles of the hard wear resistant material on the metal surface; and forming the raised elements into a pattern on the metal surface so as to leave areas of the metal surface between the raised elements which are free from the raised elements so that the metal surface is bare of the hard wear resistant material.