Patent ID: 8468789

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 the respective axis of the disk causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as the blade rotates around the axis on the disk; a common rotary member extending across the header behind the cutter disks and including at each end a respective end element arranged generally longitudinal of the cutter bar and a center section between the end elements; the common rotary member being arranged to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the member in a direction with a front face thereof turning upwardly and rearwardly; each end element including a rotating cylindrical surface with at least one helical raised member on the surface so as to carry the cut crop longitudinally of the cutter bar behind the cutter disks; the center section having a cylindrical surface with at least one helical raised member carried thereon along at least a part of the length thereof; and wherein said at least one helical raised member at each end element has a shorter helical pitch than that of said at least one helical raised member of the center section.