Patent ID: 7591127

Claim:
A crop lifter and air assist feeding assembly for a floating cutter bar header comprising: a lower tube that is generally horizontal, an upper tube, integral with a forward end of the lower tube, and extending rearwardly and upwardly from the forward end of the lower tube to an air discharge orifice, a vine lifting rod attached to the upper tube and extending rearwardly and upwardly from the air discharge orifice, a vertical tongue with a crop lifter support bore attached to the lower tube and extending upwardly from the lower tube, a threaded vertical bore integral with a rear portion of the lower tube; and a rear air inlet collar integral with the lower tube, a knife guard with a guard forward tip received in the crop lifter support bore, and a lower tube retainer bolt that passes through a flexible cutter bar, the knife guard and screws into the threaded vertical bore and clamps the lower tube to the cutter bar; a skid plate assembly clamped to the cutter bar, a terminal air supply tube connected to the skid plate assembly, passing through a passage through an upturned front section of the skid plate assembly and having a terminal air supply forward end telescopically connected to the rear air inlet collar on the lower tube; and an elastic and flexible tube positioned above the skid plate assembly and having a flexible tube forward end connected to an air receiving end of the terminal air supply tube and a flexible tube rear end connected to a blower air delivery tube forward of an upturned rear section of the skid plate assembly.