Patent ID: 8205424

Claim:
A pre-cutter assembly for reducing crop material fed through the cutter, comprising: a transverse rotor including a cylindrical rotor body having a plurality of tines mounted thereto in side-by-side spaced relation to each other, with each tine comprising a plate provided with a centrally located circular hole and being mounted to said rotor body, with the body located in said hole such that the plates of the tines sweep respective, parallel circular paths extending perpendicular to a longitudinal rotation axis of the rotor body; each plate including a plurality of crop-engaging points disposed equal-angularly about, and projecting outwardly relative to said axis, with each point, as considered relative to a forward direction of rotation of said rotor, having leading and trailing edges converging outwardly to a tip of the point; and a plate stiffening arrangement comprising one of a pair of parallel stiffening straps being mounted in sandwiching relationship to, and of a pair of stiffening ribs being joined to, a leading region of opposite axially facing surfaces of each point, with each stiffening strap or rib, respectively, of said one of said pair of stiffening straps and pair of stiffening ribs having a leading edge conforming to the shape of and forming a sideways extension of the leading edge of the associated point and extending from the tip of the associated point to the circular hole in the plate.