A unique method of harvesting hemp plants is useful to isolate the leafy/flower-budded crop canopy from lower stalks of the plants to enable separate collection thereof, whereby CBD rich leaves/buds of the canopy can be processed more efficiently at an off-site facility. The harvesting method includes performing a first cutting operation at an elevated cutting height, during which the tops of the plants are detached from remnant lower stalks left standing in the field, and the detached plant tops are laid in a windrow or collected in an accompanying collection receptacle. A second cutting operation performed over the same field area at a lower cutting height serves to cut the lower stalks from the field and lay these cuttings into a separate windrow that is entirety isolated from the cut plant tops. This enables separate storage, transport and post-harvest processing of the different materials.

A unique method of harvesting hemp plants is useful to isolate the leafy/flower-budded crop canopy from lower stalks of the plants to enable separate collection thereof, whereby CBD rich leaves/buds of the canopy can be processed more efficiently at an off-site facility. The harvesting method includes performing a first cutting operation at an elevated cutting height, during which the tops of the plants are detached from remnant lower stalks left standing in the field, and the detached plant tops are laid in a windrow or collected in an accompanying collection receptacle. A second cutting operation performed over the same field area at a lower cutting height serves to cut the lower stalks from the field and lay these cuttings into a separate windrow that is entirety isolated from the cut plant tops. This enables separate storage, transport and post-harvest processing of the different materials.

A grass collection chute fastener includes a lever that tensions a strap that engages the grass collection chute and mower deck. A hook attached to the strap is insertable into a hole adjacent a side discharge opening of a multi-blade mower deck to secure the grass collection chute over the side discharge opening by rotating the lever to an over center position.

A header for stalk crop has a multi-part cutter bar with oscillatingly driven cutter bar parts. Cutter bar knives of the cutter bar interact with counter knives connected to header frame. A drive shaft ends in a first plane inside a gear housing arranged behind the cutter bar. An eccentric shaft supported in the gear housing carries a gear wheel arranged in a second plane above or below the first plane. The drive shaft drives the gear wheel through a bevel gear. First and second eccentric discs, arranged in third and fourth planes, respectively, are connected to the eccentric shaft; first and second eccentric levers are correlated therewith. First and second pivot levers are connected to the first and second eccentric levers and connected to stationarily supported pivot shafts. Crank arms connected to the pivot shafts, respectively, transmit their pivot movement to the cutter bar parts.

A header for stalk crop has a multi-part cutter bar with oscillatingly driven cutter bar parts. Cutter bar knives of the cutter bar interact with counter knives connected to header frame. A drive shaft ends in a first plane inside a gear housing arranged behind the cutter bar. An eccentric shaft supported in the gear housing carries a gear wheel arranged in a second plane above or below the first plane. The drive shaft drives the gear wheel through a bevel gear. First and second eccentric discs, arranged in third and fourth planes, respectively, are connected to the eccentric shaft; first and second eccentric levers are correlated therewith. First and second pivot levers are connected to the first and second eccentric levers and connected to stationarily supported pivot shafts. Crank arms connected to the pivot shafts, respectively, transmit their pivot movement to the cutter bar parts.

A float arm support system may include a float arm supporting an active member, the float arm being pivotable about a first axis, a skid shoe to bear against and follow local ground contours of the underlying terrain while supporting the active member of the float arm above the underlying terrain and a powered actuator. The skid shoe may be coupled to the float arm between the first axis and the active member. The powered actuator may be operably coupled to the skid shoe to vertically move the skid shoe to adjust a spacing at which the skid shoe supports the active member of the float arm relative to the underlying terrain.

A float arm support system may include a float arm supporting an active member, the float arm being pivotable about a first axis, a skid shoe to bear against and follow local ground contours of the underlying terrain while supporting the active member of the float arm above the underlying terrain and a powered actuator. The skid shoe may be coupled to the float arm between the first axis and the active member. The powered actuator may be operably coupled to the skid shoe to vertically move the skid shoe to adjust a spacing at which the skid shoe supports the active member of the float arm relative to the underlying terrain.

A reel for use in an agricultural header has an axis of rotation and comprises a bat and a finger. The bat is mounted to rotate around the axis of rotation to gather crop, and has a non-circular cross-sectional profile. The finger is mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop. The finger comprises a tine and a clamshell mount to which the tine is coupled and that surrounds the bat to mount the finger to the bat against rotation about the bat.

A reel for use in an agricultural header has an axis of rotation and comprises a bat and a finger. The bat is mounted to rotate around the axis of rotation to gather crop, and has a non-circular cross-sectional profile. The finger is mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop. The finger comprises a tine and a clamshell mount to which the tine is coupled and that surrounds the bat to mount the finger to the bat against rotation about the bat.

A sugarcane harvester for harvesting sugarcane in a forward direction of travel comprises a chopper, a basket, and a sill. The chopper chops stalks of sugarcane into billets, and comprises a lower drum and an upper drum that counter-rotates relative to one another, each about a respective axis of rotation. The basket is positioned to receive a stream of billets discharged from the chopper. The sill is positioned between the chopper and the basket to guide billets discharged from the chopper toward the basket. A plate of the sill comprises a billet guide surface oriented to guide billets over the sill.