A merger, for picking up and distributing materials from a ground surface, includes a frame that provides support to the merger, a pick-up head affixed to the frame that lifts the materials from the ground surface, a height adjustor affixed to the frame that maintains a minimum clearance between the ground surface and the pick-up head, and a conveyor affixed to the frame that receives the materials from the pick-up head. The conveyor includes a first belt and a second belt that independently distributes the materials on the ground surface from at least one of a first side of the frame and a second side of the frame.

A windrow merger includes heads having cams that control the speed of the tines. The cam is configured with a section that slows the speed of the tines while passing a lower front portion of the path of rotation to lift material from the ground at lower speeds and therefore handles the material more gently at the point of pickup. The cam is configured to accelerate the tines at the point where the lifted material is propelled rearward from the pickup assembly. The merger heads also include a widened conveyor that is configured with an upper surface extending rearward and slightly downward to further evenly distribute material across the width of the conveyor. The heads are supported on skids that have a linkage connecting the skids at each end of the head with one of the skids having a mechanism that acts as a master to control the slave of the linked opposite skid.

A merger apparatus including a pick-up header; a conveyor with a conveyor belt; a skid shoe disposed below the pick-up header and the conveyor; and an operative connection between the pick-up header and the skid shoe that enables the merger apparatus to articulate independently of an external frame underneath the conveyor, such that loose material transported by the conveyor belt that lags beneath the return side may fall to the ground keeping the return side of the conveyor belt free from obstructions.

A feeder assembly pivotally attached to an implement having a pickup reel wherein the feeder assembly has a continuous belt having a plurality of teeth that is mounted about a pair of rollers. The feeder is angled such that is picks up a windrow of stover from the ground and transports the stover to a raised pickup reel.

A merger apparatus including a pick-up header; a conveyor with a conveyor belt; a skid shoe disposed below the pick-up header and the conveyor; and an operative connection between the pick-up header and the skid shoe that enables the merger apparatus to articulate independently of an external frame underneath the conveyor, such that loose material transported by the conveyor belt that lags beneath the return side may fall to the ground keeping the return side of the conveyor belt free from obstructions.

An agricultural implement for collecting, pulverizing and dispersing straw that has been windrowed during a harvesting operation. A frame carries a pickup mechanism at a front end thereof, and first and second straw-processing stages therebehind, and each featuring a rotor and accompanying concave having static teeth fixed thereon. The first rotor likewise has fixed teeth, and the second rotor has flailing knives, whereby the straw is gradually broken down in the two sequential stages before discharge back into the field.

A belt pickup (100) with drive system (130) includes a frame (102); a pickup conveyor (106) supported on the frame (102), a transfer conveyor (108) supported on the frame (102), wherein the drive system (130) includes a motor (132) coupled to a drive roller of the transfer conveyor (108), a first pulley (134) driven by the motor (132), a first drive belt (136) driven by the first pulley (134), a second pulley (138) driven by the first drive belt (136), a third pulley (140) fixed to the second pulley (138) and driven by the second pulley (138), a second drive belt (142) driven by the third pulley (140), and a fourth pulley (144) coupled to a drive roller (112) of the pickup conveyor (106).

A merger apparatus including a pick-up header; a conveyor with a conveyor belt; a skid shoe disposed below the pick-up header and the conveyor; and an operative connection between the pick-up header and the skid shoe that enables the merger apparatus to articulate independently of an external frame underneath the conveyor, such that loose material transported by the conveyor belt that lags beneath the return side may fall to the ground keeping the return side of the conveyor belt free from obstructions.

A pickup unit of an agricultural baler that includes a frame, at least one draper belt, at least one belt actuator operably connected to the at least one draper belt, a first auger and a second auger each being rotatably connected to the frame and located above the at least one draper belt, and a first and a second auger actuator respectively operably connected to the first and second auger. The pickup unit also includes an electrical processing circuit operably connected to and configured for adjusting the at least one belt actuator, the first auger actuator, and the second auger actuator so that a rotational speed of the at least one draper belt, the first auger, and/or the second auger is increased or decreased to evenly distribute the crop material as the crop material is transported to the bale chamber.