A harvesting machine may include a main frame, a rotor assembly rotatably coupled to the main frame, a top frame movably attached to the main frame forming a passageway for crop material between the top frame and the rotor assembly, a bottom frame movably attached to the top frame, a plurality of knives movably attached to the top and bottom frames, and an actuator operatively connected to one of the top frame and the bottom frames. The plurality of knives extends through slots in the top frame. The top and bottom frames and the plurality of knives are in a raised position when the actuator is in a first position. The top and bottom frames and the plurality of knives are in a lowered position when the actuator is in a second position, which enlarges the passageway and partially retracts the knives through the slots in the top frame.

An agricultural baler includes a feeder duct communicating with a bale chamber for charges of crop material to be transferred into a bale chamber. The baler also includes a door that defines at least a portion of a bottom wall of the feeder duct. The door is movable between: (i) a door-open-position, in which an opening in the bottom wall is provided; and (ii) a door-closed-position in which the opening is closed. The baler further includes a pick-up device that is movable between: (i) a lowered-position in which it is operable to convey crop material into the feeder duct; and (ii) a raised-position in which it is spaced further away from the ground than in the lowered-position. The pick-up device is mechanically coupled to the door of the bottom wall such that movement of the pick-up device causes the door to move from the door-open-position to the door-closed-position.

A harvesting machine including a frame, a rotor assembly rotatably coupled to the frame configured to move crop material, and a plurality of knives movably attached to the harvesting machine. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of spaced apart rotating blades, wherein one or more of the plurality of knives extends into the spaces between the blades. Each of the plurality of knives includes a knife body and a cutting edge having a plurality of teeth, wherein each of the teeth includes a scallop or valley. Each one of the plurality of valleys extends from the knife body to the leading edge of one of the plurality of teeth, wherein adjacent valleys are located on opposite sides of the knife body. The valleys are lined with a wear resistant material to increase the longevity of the cutting edge and cutting ability.

A harvesting machine includes a main frame having a main actuator; a cutting frame having a crop guiding surface including a plurality of slots extending in a direction of travel of crop over the crop guiding surface and a plurality of knives pivotally mounted below the crop guiding surface; an outer frame being pivotable around a common pivot axis and being connected to the actuator; an inner frame having a plurality of operating units, and a selector mechanism configured to selectively engage one or more of the plurality of operating units. The outer frame includes an axis for pivotally holding a plurality of levers, each lever being pivotally connected to an operating unit of each knife. Guides are provided for lateral movement of the crop guiding surface with the plurality of knives from an operating position into a servicing position and vice versa.

The invention relates to a cutting blade overload protection device (10) for a cutting mechanism (11) of a harvester (100) for leaf and stalk material, comprising at least one cutting blade (13) which can pivot about a cutting blade rotational axis (12) and which is connected to a toggle lever mechanism (14). The toggle lever mechanism (14) includes two coupled toggle levers (16, 17) which can pivot about a toggle lever rotational axis (15) and which move the cutting blade (13) from an operating position (P1) to a resting position (P2) when a predefined force (F1) is exceeded.

The invention also relates to a harvester (100) which is equipped with at least one such cutting blade overload protection device (10).

In order to protect the cutting blade (13) better when contacting foreign objects, it is proposed to provide the cutting blade overload protection device (10) with a special toggle lever mechanism (14) which comprises a stop limit (24) and a spring element (19), with the spring element (19) and limit stop (24) interacting such that when a predefined force (F1) is exceeded, the toggle lever rotational axis (15) is moved past a dead center point (20), with the position of the toggle levers (16, 17) shifting from a first buckling position (21) through a straight position (22) into a second buckling position (23).

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester comprises a rotor with a plurality of tines, a knife that is adjustable between a cutting position and a non-cutting position, and a positioning device that controls movement of the knife. The positioning device is adjustable between (i) a first position in which it positions the knife in the cutting position, (ii) a second position in which it positions the knife in the non-cutting position, and (iii) a third position in which it is disengaged from the knife to allow movement of the knife independently of the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to engage the knife and prevent significant movement of the knife independently of the positioning device when the positioning device is in the first position and at intermediate positions between the first position and the second position.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester, including: a rotor with a plurality of tines; a sub-assembly including a pivot shaft, a knife, and a first bottom plate located beneath the rotor in a working condition; a support frame; a positioning device mounted to the support frame, and a control mechanism mounted to the support frame. The sub-assembly is moveably mounted to the support frame and is arranged to move relative to the support frame in a lateral direction that is transverse to the forward moving direction of the cutter device between i) a working position in which the sub-assembly is aligned with the support frame in a manner that enables the knife to be engageable by the positioning device, and ii) a maintenance position in which the knife is laterally spaced apart from the positioning device and the sub-assembly protrudes laterally outwards from the support frame.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester includes: a rotor with a plurality of tines, the rotor being rotatable to transfer agricultural crop along a feed path; a knife, the position of the knife being adjustable; a bottom plate located beneath the rotor, the feed path being located between the rotor and the bottom plate, and the bottom plate including an opening through which the knife extends when in a cutting position; a control mechanism including a control element which is movable between primary and secondary positions. The control element control movements of the knife between a first position in which the knife is in a cutting position in the feed path, a second position in which the knife is substantially out of the feed path in a non-cutting position, and a third position in which the knife is located at an intermediate position between the cutting and non-cutting positions.

A crop cutting device including a crop guiding surface including parallel slots. A row of knives pivotally mounted below the guiding surface is pivotable between a retracted inoperative position in which it is located below the guiding surface and an extended operative position, wherein the knives project above the guiding surface. An actuating mechanism includes movable operating members. Each operating member is associated with a respective knife and is movable from a first position in which the knife is in its retracted position to a second position in which the knife is in its extended position. Further, there is included a lifting mechanism for raising at least a part of each knife above the guiding surface, while the operating members are in their first position.

An agricultural baler including a bale chamber, a feeder duct communicating with the bale chamber for charges of crop material to be transferred from the feeder duct into the bale chamber; and a feeder operable within the feeder duct to accumulate a charge of crop material therein and then stuff that accumulated charge into the bale chamber. There is an opening in the bottom wall of the feeder duct and at least one door hingedly attached to an edge of the opening, the edge being the edge of an end part of the bottom wall of the feeder duct, and the end part of the bottom wall to which the door is hingedly attached, is movably arranged relative to the top wall of the feeder duct.