System and method for operating an agricultural harvester

A system for operating an agricultural harvester, the system comprising:

• a harvesting implement including a plurality of row dividers;
• a sensor assembly comprising:
• a base member pivotably coupled to a first row divider of the plurality of row dividers;
• a first arm pivotably coupled to the base member, the first arm extending outwardly from the base member in a first direction relative to a centerline of the first row divider and rearwardly from the base member relative to a direction of travel of the harvester, wherein the first arm is configured to deform upon contact with crop rows;
• a second arm pivotably coupled to the base member, the second arm extending outwardly from the base member in a second direction relative to the centerline of the first row divider and rearwardly from the base member, wherein the second arm is configured to deform upon contact with crop rows;
• one or more biasing elements configured to bias the first and second arms outwardly relative to the centerline of the first row unit;
• and
• first and second sensing devices configured to detect first and second parameters indicative of a distance defined between the first and second arms;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the first and second sensing devices, the controller being configured to monitor the distance between the first and second arms based on measurement signals received from the first and second sensing devices, the controller being further configured to switch the harvester from a first operating mode to a second operating mode when it is determined that the monitored distance has exceeded a predetermined distance threshold that indicates that at least one of the first and second arms is not in contact with crop rows.