A sickle header has a cutter bar having a mounting plate extending along the cutter bar, a top cutter bar assembly mounted to reciprocate in a side-to-side motion relative to the mounting plate, the top cutter bar assembly having an elongate top knife bar mounted on a top slide plate. The cutter bar has a bottom cutter bar assembly mounted to reciprocate in a side-to-side motion relative to the mounting plate, the bottom cutter bar assembly having an elongate bottom knife bar mounted on a bottom slide plate. The top and bottom knife bars have a row of knife sections and oppositely facing adjacent knife sections of the top and bottom knife bars effect a cutting action as the cutter bar assemblies are reciprocatingly moved sidewardly. The cutter bar has a sickle drive mechanism configured to drive the cutter bar assemblies in opposite sideways directions.

A sickle header has a cutter bar having a mounting plate extending along the cutter bar, a top cutter bar assembly mounted to reciprocate in a side-to-side motion relative to the mounting plate, the top cutter bar assembly having an elongate top knife bar mounted on a top slide plate. The cutter bar has a bottom cutter bar assembly mounted to reciprocate in a side-to-side motion relative to the mounting plate, the bottom cutter bar assembly having an elongate bottom knife bar mounted on a bottom slide plate. The top and bottom knife bars have a row of knife sections and oppositely facing adjacent knife sections of the top and bottom knife bars effect a cutting action as the cutter bar assemblies are reciprocatingly moved sidewardly. The cutter bar has a sickle drive mechanism configured to drive the cutter bar assemblies in opposite sideways directions.

A header of an agricultural harvester or plant cutting machine is provided that includes a shaft sealing assembly for a center knife drive assembly having an output shaft, a cover, and a pressurized air source. The shaft sealing assembly is fastened to the cover, circumscribes the output shaft and conveys pressurized air for cleaning.

An agricultural system includes a cutter bar assembly with a first knife section and a second knife section. The agricultural system also includes a drive system associated with the cutter bar assembly and having a first drive assembly configured to drive movement of the first knife section and a second drive assembly configured to drive movement of the second knife section. The agricultural system further includes a controller configured to receive signals indicative of a relative phase between the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly and provide control signals to adjust the relative phase between the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly to maintain the relative phase at a target relative phase.

The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.

The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.

A center knife drive for a sickle of a plant cutting machine having an upwardly facing cover and at least one output element reciprocatingly movable by the drive above the cover for moving a knife of the sickle in a sideward reciprocating cutting action, including at least one cleaning flap in connection with the output element positioned and configured for reciprocating forward and rearward movement thereby, disposed above the cover and configured for cleaning loose material therefrom during the movement and for pushing the loose material from the cover to accommodate upward movement of the drive within a space below or in a floor of the machine, clearing the material from the path of the output element, and improved heat dissipation.

A center knife drive for a sickle of a plant cutting machine having an upwardly facing cover and at least one output element reciprocatingly movable by the drive above the cover for moving a knife of the sickle in a sideward reciprocating cutting action, including at least one cleaning flap in connection with the output element positioned and configured for reciprocating forward and rearward movement thereby, disposed above the cover and configured for cleaning loose material therefrom during the movement and for pushing the loose material from the cover to accommodate upward movement of the drive within a space below or in a floor of the machine, clearing the material from the path of the output element, and improved heat dissipation.

The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.

The pivoting action sickle drive has a low profile allowing incorporation in or below a floor of a header of a plant cutting machine to allow passage of cut plant material thereabout. The drive includes a substantially flat rotatable input element, and a drive arm connected eccentric thereto for eccentric rotation along an epicyclical path. The arm extends to a connection with a pivot arm of a pivot element that connects to a knife arm that drives a sickle knife assembly, such that the pivot element, knife arm and knife assembly will be reciprocatingly driven by the eccentric rotation of the drive arm. A second drive can oppositely drive a second sickle knife assembly, such that opposite forces generated by the drives will cancel. The drives can be packaged in a forwardly tapered or curved enclosure, and the pivot elements can be correspondingly shaped to streamline the drives.