Patent ID: 8220236

Claim:
A harvester adapted for harvesting a plant having a stalk and a grain head comprising: a combine vehicle; a lower row crop cutter mechanism mounted to a connecting section of said combine vehicle for cutting the plant stalk at a lower end of the plant; an upper grain cutter mechanism coupled to a lower section of said combine vehicle and being vertically displaced from said lower row crop cutter mechanism, said upper grain cutter mechanism including an elongate blade portion and a plant positioning mechanism, said plant positioning mechanism defining a paddle structure rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to said blade portion to urge the plant thereagainst for cutting the grain head at an upper end of the plant simultaneously with the cutting of the plant stalk by said lower row crop cutter mechanism, said upper grain cutter mechanism further including a blower in open communication with an opening formed within a back wall of a collection bin for receiving and displacing the grain heads of the plant external to said combine vehicle.