A stalked crop harvesting header include multiple harvesting units each including a set of deck plates defining a channel, a set of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates and adapted to grasp and pull stalks downwardly through the channel, and a pair of gathering chains adapted for conveying stalks along the channel. Each harvesting unit further includes a stalk guider at either side of a front end of the channel. Each stalk guider includes an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel carried by a frame. The frame includes a protrusion between the upper and the lower stalk guiding wheels, which protrusion includes a support for carrying a respective front end of the snapping rollers.

A stalked crop harvesting header include multiple harvesting units each including a set of deck plates defining a channel, a set of snapping rollers mounted below the deck plates and adapted to grasp and pull stalks downwardly through the channel, and a pair of gathering chains adapted for conveying stalks along the channel. Each harvesting unit further includes a stalk guider at either side of a front end of the channel. Each stalk guider includes an upper stalk guiding wheel and a lower stalk guiding wheel carried by a frame. The frame includes a protrusion between the upper and the lower stalk guiding wheels, which protrusion includes a support for carrying a respective front end of the snapping rollers.

Systems and methods for estimating throughput of a crop material and controlling a belt speed of a cross conveyor. A conveyor can convey, and discharge, cut crop material from a merger device. A first sensor coupled to the conveyor provides information indicative of a weight or mass of the crop material on the conveyor, while another sensor can provide information regarding the speed at which the conveyor is operating. Such speed and weight or mass information can, along with calibration factors, be used to estimate a throughput of the crop material, including a rate at which crop material is being discharged from the merger device. The throughput estimation and information relating to the location and speed of travel of the associated agricultural vehicle, location of another windrow, target location for the discharged crop material, and selected windrow parameters can also be used to control the speed of the conveyor.

Systems and methods for estimating throughput of a crop material and controlling a belt speed of a cross conveyor. A conveyor can convey, and discharge, cut crop material from a merger device. A first sensor coupled to the conveyor provides information indicative of a weight or mass of the crop material on the conveyor, while another sensor can provide information regarding the speed at which the conveyor is operating. Such speed and weight or mass information can, along with calibration factors, be used to estimate a throughput of the crop material, including a rate at which crop material is being discharged from the merger device. The throughput estimation and information relating to the location and speed of travel of the associated agricultural vehicle, location of another windrow, target location for the discharged crop material, and selected windrow parameters can also be used to control the speed of the conveyor.

A corn header for a combine harvester capable of lifting stalks that have fallen sideways in a row is provided. The corn header includes a frame, a plurality of row units and a plurality of row dividers for guiding crop plants toward the row units. The frame is mounted to a forward end of the combine harvester. The plurality of row units extends forward from the frame. Each row divider is connected to and extends forward of at least one row unit, and includes a conveyor connected to a lateral side of the row divider for the purpose of lifting and propelling crop plants into the corn header. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor is an auger including a helical flight having a non-circular profile or a plurality of notches to increase its ability to lift and propel crop plants into the corn header.

A corn header for a combine harvester capable of lifting stalks that have fallen sideways in a row is provided. The corn header includes a frame, a plurality of row units and a plurality of row dividers for guiding crop plants toward the row units. The frame is mounted to a forward end of the combine harvester. The plurality of row units extends forward from the frame. Each row divider is connected to and extends forward of at least one row unit, and includes a conveyor connected to a lateral side of the row divider for the purpose of lifting and propelling crop plants into the corn header. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor is an auger including a helical flight having a non-circular profile or a plurality of notches to increase its ability to lift and propel crop plants into the corn header.

A draper tensioner mechanism includes a positioning control carriage 404 on which a draper roller is mounted, the carriage being moveable with respect to a header frame 204 along a direction that is perpendicular to a rotational axis of the roller. The mechanism has a rockshaft 408 extending in a direction substantially parallel with the roller 402, a tensioning linkage 410 connecting the carriage 404 to the rockshaft 408, where the tensioning linkage has a pivot arm 412 having a proximal end connected to the rockshaft and a distal end connected to a first end of a positioning link 414 at pivot joint 416, and where a second end of the positioning link is connected to the carriage such that rotation of the rockshaft moves the pivot arm about an axis of the rockshaft so as to position the carriage.

A draper tensioner mechanism includes a positioning control carriage 404 on which a draper roller is mounted, the carriage being moveable with respect to a header frame 204 along a direction that is perpendicular to a rotational axis of the roller. The mechanism has a rockshaft 408 extending in a direction substantially parallel with the roller 402, a tensioning linkage 410 connecting the carriage 404 to the rockshaft 408, where the tensioning linkage has a pivot arm 412 having a proximal end connected to the rockshaft and a distal end connected to a first end of a positioning link 414 at pivot joint 416, and where a second end of the positioning link is connected to the carriage such that rotation of the rockshaft moves the pivot arm about an axis of the rockshaft so as to position the carriage.

An apparatus for roughage processing includes a first platform for placing of a first type of roughage, a first cutting mechanism for processing the first type of roughage, a first chain for cutting the first type of roughage from the first platform to the first cutting mechanism; and a second platform, a second cutting mechanism, and a second chain for performing similar tasks with a second type of roughage. The first chain and the first cutting mechanims and the second chain are driven at a different speed to provide concurrent cutting of the first and second types of roughages at different cut sizes. The apparatus further includes a conveyor an auger for concurrently collecting the first type of roughage and the second type of roughage after respective processing by the first cutting mechanism and the second cutting mechanism for effective blending of the two types of roughages, each of which has been cut differently to obtain its optimum particle size for ruminant consumption. The apparatus can be powered by a very small horse power motor. It also includes a mechanism that will stop the floor chains carrying the roughage into the knife drums when the power load force that is detected by the knife drum power load reading device reaches a predetermined amount. This predetermined amount is still within, but near the upper limits of, the available horsepower range of the small motor powering it.

An apparatus for roughage processing includes a first platform for placing of a first type of roughage, a first cutting mechanism for processing the first type of roughage, a first chain for cutting the first type of roughage from the first platform to the first cutting mechanism; and a second platform, a second cutting mechanism, and a second chain for performing similar tasks with a second type of roughage. The first chain and the first cutting mechanims and the second chain are driven at a different speed to provide concurrent cutting of the first and second types of roughages at different cut sizes. The apparatus further includes a conveyor an auger for concurrently collecting the first type of roughage and the second type of roughage after respective processing by the first cutting mechanism and the second cutting mechanism for effective blending of the two types of roughages, each of which has been cut differently to obtain its optimum particle size for ruminant consumption. The apparatus can be powered by a very small horse power motor. It also includes a mechanism that will stop the floor chains carrying the roughage into the knife drums when the power load force that is detected by the knife drum power load reading device reaches a predetermined amount. This predetermined amount is still within, but near the upper limits of, the available horsepower range of the small motor powering it.