Patent ID: 6854251

Claim:
A crop harvesting header comprising: a frame; a crop cutting assembly mounted across a front of the header frame for cutting a crop as the header frame is moved across the ground; an elongate crop conditioner assembly arranged transversely across the frame and arranged for receiving the cut crop from the cutting assembly and for discharging the crop rearwardly from a rear of the crop conditioner assembly as a web having a width across the width of the crop conditioner assembly; and a windrow forming system for receiving the web from the crop conditioner assembly and for guiding the web to form a windrow on the ground, the system comprising; a center deflector panel mounted at a position relative to the frame located above the web and arranged so as to be inclined downwardly and rearwardly into contact with an upper surface of the web so as to direct that portion of the web in contact with the center deflector panel downwardly toward the ground; the center deflector panel having two side edges defining a width of panel therebetween; the center deflector panel being adjustable in width across the web so as to increase and decrease the width of the panel between the side edges which is arranged to contact the upper surface of the web; the center deflector panel being adjustable in width between the side edges to a width less than the width of the web so as to engage a center portion of the web and to direct that center portion downwardly toward the ground leaving two side portions which are not deflected and thus move to a height above the center portion; and two side deflector panels each mounted at a position relative to the header frame located to the side of the web and extending generally at an angle across a respective one of the side portions so that the center portion remains substantially without redirection by the side deflector panels and such that the side portion is redirected from a position at one side of the center portion and above the center portion to a position on top of the center portion.