Patent ID: 8590284

Claim:
A cam shield for an agricultural crop cutting header including a cam having a curved forward region disposed in a plane at least generally perpendicular to a rotational axis of a rotary reel including a plurality of tine bars generally parallel to the rotational axis, each of the tine bars being rotatable about a tine bar axis therethrough generally parallel to the rotational axis of the reel, the cam shield comprising: at least two cam followers configured and operable for movement in contact with and along sequential portions of the forward region of the cam, in a manner so as to maintain a generally constant angular relationship to the portion of the cam with which the cam followers are in contact; a linkage arrangement extending between one of the cam followers and one of the tine bars so as to be moved along the sequential portions of the forward region of the cam therewith, the linkage arrangement being configured and operable to change in relation to the followers during movement therewith so as to rotate the one of the tine bars about the tine bar axis therethrough as a function of a rotational position thereof about the rotational axis of the reel; and a body portion connected to the cam followers so as to be moved along the sequential portions of the forward region of the cam therewith and so as to be maintained thereby in the generally constant angular relationship to the portion of the cam with which the cam followers are in contact, the body portion being disposed generally forwardly of the forward portion of the cam for deflecting crop material from the cam during the movement therealong.