Patent ID: 8752359

Claim:
A crop header arranged for cutting and transporting a standing crop comprising: a header frame; the header frame comprising a main rear frame member and a plurality of forwardly extending beams each connected by a rigid connection to the main rear frame member; the rigid connection holding each of the beams at a fixed angle relative to the main rear frame member so as to extend forwardly therefrom to a forward end; an elongate cutter bar connected to the forward end of the beams so as to be arranged along a front edge of the frame; a draper assembly mounted on the header frame rearwardly of the cutter bar such that cut crop falls onto the draper assembly for transportation longitudinally of the header; the draper assembly including a first and a second draper guide roller each arranged at a respective end of the draper assembly spaced apart along the cutter bar with an axis of each guide roller arranged substantially at right angles to the cutter bar; wherein the draper assembly comprises a continuous loop of flexible material arranged to be wrapped around the first and second draper guide rollers so as to define an upper run of the flexible material on top of the rollers and a lower run of the flexible material below the rollers; wherein the flexible material includes a front edge of the upper run of the flexible material arranged adjacent the cutter bar, and a rear edge of the upper run of the flexible material arranged at a position spaced rearwardly of the cutter bar; a front rail extending along the front edge of the upper run of the flexible material; a rear rail extending along the rear edge of the upper run of the flexible material; the front rail and the cutter bar being supported by the plurality of forwardly extending beams at a position which is held by the rigid connection in a common fixed plane with the rear rail; and a plurality of support rollers parallel to the first and second rollers for supporting the upper run of the flexible material at spaced positions therealong; the plurality of support rollers being supported at the forward end at the front rail and being supported at the rear end at the rear rail so that the support rollers are fixed in the common fixed plane.