A sickle cutting system is mounted on a header for forward travel over ground having a standing crop thereon and includes a cutter bar with a plurality of knife guards and two opposed sickle bars driven in opposite phase with a drive system for driving the sickle bar through repeated cycles of reciprocating movement from start-up of the system through to a shut-down. The drive system includes a control device responsive to the sensor signals from both of the first and second drive systems for advancing or retarding one of the first and second drive systems so that a number of sensor signals obtained from the first drive system is continually maintained so as to be substantially equal to a number of sensor signals obtained from the second drive system to maintain the sickle bars in opposite phase.

A sickle cutting system is mounted on a header for forward travel over ground having a standing crop thereon and includes a cutter bar with a plurality of knife guards and two opposed sickle bars driven in opposite phase with a drive system for driving the sickle bar through repeated cycles of reciprocating movement from start-up of the system through to a shut-down. The drive system includes a control device responsive to the sensor signals from both of the first and second drive systems for advancing or retarding one of the first and second drive systems so that a number of sensor signals obtained from the first drive system is continually maintained so as to be substantially equal to a number of sensor signals obtained from the second drive system to maintain the sickle bars in opposite phase.

In a swather a support arm is attached to the header to carry the heavy hydraulic hoses which are connected to the tractor for supplying the drive fluid to the hydraulic system of the header. The support arm is articulated so as to accommodate the up-and-down and twisting movement of the header relative to the tractor during harvesting action and this supported to prevent collapse when the hoses are disconnected from the tractor manifold. The support arm is attached at the rear to the tractor preferably at the wheel strut by a releasable ball joint coupling. From the coupling at the wheel strut, there is a free portion of the hydraulic hoses which extends to the manifold at the tractor where the ends of the hoses are attached to manually graspable handle portions which can be lifted away and the attached to a bracket on the support arm.

In a swather a support arm is attached to the header to carry the heavy hydraulic hoses which are connected to the tractor for supplying the drive fluid to the hydraulic system of the header. The support arm is articulated so as to accommodate the up-and-down and twisting movement of the header relative to the tractor during harvesting action and this supported to prevent collapse when the hoses are disconnected from the tractor manifold. The support arm is attached at the rear to the tractor preferably at the wheel strut by a releasable ball joint coupling. From the coupling at the wheel strut, there is a free portion of the hydraulic hoses which extends to the manifold at the tractor where the ends of the hoses are attached to manually graspable handle portions which can be lifted away and the attached to a bracket on the support arm.