A harvesting machine includes a cutter head having a cutter bar for cutting crop from a ground surface and a rotatable reel located above the cutter bar. Reel arms of the reel each include a plurality of fingers thereon to engage the crop. The cutter head also has an actuator configured to adjust a pitch of the fingers with respect to the reel arms. A controller is operably connected with the cutter head and is configured to receive an input on a cutter head posture relative to the ground surface, with the input on the posture of the cutter head including one or more of a height of the cutter head or an angle of the cutter head relative to the ground surface. The controller operates the actuator to automatically control the pitch of the plurality of fingers based on the received input on the posture of the cutter head.

A harvesting machine includes a cutter head having a cutter bar for cutting crop from a ground surface and a rotatable reel located above the cutter bar. Reel arms of the reel each include a plurality of fingers thereon to engage the crop. The cutter head also has an actuator configured to adjust a pitch of the fingers with respect to the reel arms. A controller is operably connected with the cutter head and is configured to receive an input on a cutter head posture relative to the ground surface, with the input on the posture of the cutter head including one or more of a height of the cutter head or an angle of the cutter head relative to the ground surface. The controller operates the actuator to automatically control the pitch of the plurality of fingers based on the received input on the posture of the cutter head.

A reel of a harvester including a cutter bar includes a plurality of reel bats which are pivotal so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates. The reel is used with a cutter bar which can change in height at one or more positions along its length to accommodate changes in ground height and contour. In order to maintain the fingers of the reel as close as possible to the cutter bar for best crop control, there is provided a sensor at each of one or more positions along the cutter bar responsive to the cutter bar height and an actuator which changes the diameter of the reel bats at the respective position.

A reel of a harvester including a cutter bar includes a plurality of reel bats which are pivotal so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates. The reel is used with a cutter bar which can change in height at one or more positions along its length to accommodate changes in ground height and contour. In order to maintain the fingers of the reel as close as possible to the cutter bar for best crop control, there is provided a sensor at each of one or more positions along the cutter bar responsive to the cutter bar height and an actuator which changes the diameter of the reel bats at the respective position.

The present invention relates to a harvesting appliance (2), having a reel (12), which has a number of tine carriers (22), non-rotatably mounted on which, in a distributed manner over the length thereof, there are a number of reel tines (28), the tine carriers (22) being rotatably connected to the spoke elements (26). In order to protect the reel tines against an overload, each tine carrier (22) is held in a rotational position via a support element (30) against a variable-length energy store (32), which permits a yielding motion of the reel tines (28) when a load is applied to the reel tines (28).

The present invention relates to a harvesting appliance (2), having a reel (12), which has a number of tine carriers (22), non-rotatably mounted on which, in a distributed manner over the length thereof, there are a number of reel tines (28), the tine carriers (22) being rotatably connected to the spoke elements (26). In order to protect the reel tines against an overload, each tine carrier (22) is held in a rotational position via a support element (30) against a variable-length energy store (32), which permits a yielding motion of the reel tines (28) when a load is applied to the reel tines (28).

A header for a harvester has a reel extending transverse to a working direction of the header. The reel has reel rake tubes distributed circumferentially about the reel. Reel tines are fastened to the reel rake tubes. At least some reel tines are rotatably supported in bearings at the reel rake tubes and can rotate about a rotation axis along a movement path, predetermined by a control, from a neutral position into an evasion position and back. The evasion position corresponds to a spatial position in which a free end of the reel tines has moved in a direction corresponding to a conveying direction of the conveying device in the region of the reel tines. A distance of the free end to the reel rake tube in evasion position is reduced in relation to a distance of the free end to the reel rake tube in neutral position.

A header for a harvester has a reel extending transverse to a working direction of the header. The reel has reel rake tubes distributed circumferentially about the reel. Reel tines are fastened to the reel rake tubes. At least some reel tines are rotatably supported in bearings at the reel rake tubes and can rotate about a rotation axis along a movement path, predetermined by a control, from a neutral position into an evasion position and back. The evasion position corresponds to a spatial position in which a free end of the reel tines has moved in a direction corresponding to a conveying direction of the conveying device in the region of the reel tines. A distance of the free end to the reel rake tube in evasion position is reduced in relation to a distance of the free end to the reel rake tube in neutral position.