Crop harvesting reel with an end shield plate and fingers for guiding crop

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame structure arranged for movement in a direction of working movement across ground carrying a crop to be harvested;
• a cutter bar arranged across a forward edge of the header frame structure for cutting the crop;
• a cut crop transport arrangement mounted on the header frame structure for receiving and transporting the cut crop for further processing;
• and a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar;
• the reel being mounted on the header frame structure for movement therewith in the direction of movement and for rotation about a reel axis generally parallel to the cutter bar;
• the reel having a plurality of reel bats at spaced positions around the reel axis, the reel bats all lying on a common bat circle around the reel axis so that rotation of the reel causes the reel bats to follow a path of movement lying on the bat circle;
• each of the reel bats being pivotal by a drive linkage about its respective bat axis parallel to the reel axis so as to vary the angle of the bats about the bat axis as the reel rotates;
• each reel bat having a row of bat fingers projecting generally outwardly from the bat axis with the bat fingers of the row being arranged at longitudinally spaced positions along the bat axis and including an end most finger adjacent an end of the reel;
• an end shield plate mounted on the reel at the end of the reel for rotation with the bats around the reel axis and lying generally in a radial plane of the axis of the reel;
• the end shield plate having a peripheral edge located radially inward of an outer tip of the bat fingers;
• each of the endmost fingers of the bats having a base at the bat which is axially inside the end shield plate;
• and each of the endmost fingers is shaped to define an outer tip which is axially spaced from the base to a position at least axially aligned with the radial plane of the end shield plate;
• wherein
• the peripheral edge of the end shield plate has an apex at each of the bats and the peripheral edge at each of the bats includes portions which are recessed from a straight line joining the apexes to allow rotation of the endmost finger around the bat axis without contacting the peripheral edge.