Cutting apparatus

In a cutting apparatus for a header of an agricultural harvester, the apparatus including (i) a first wheel and a second wheel, each wheel having a drive surface;

• (ii) a drive source configured to selectively drive the first wheel;
• (iii) a knife carrier that comprises a loop having a running side and a knife-carrying side, and wherein the loop is tensioned around the first and second wheels so that the running side is engaged by the drive surfaces of the first and second wheels for transmitting torque from the drive source to rotate the wheels and the knife carrier;
• (iv) a plurality of knives for cutting crop, the knives having two cutting blades and being mounted to the knife-carrying side of the knife carrier;
• and (v) a sensor for monitoring operation of the knives, a method of operating the cutting apparatus comprises:
• receiving, from the sensor, a signal relating to operation of the knives;
• determining, based on the received signal, a section of the knife carrier to spend more time on a return side of the cutting apparatus than on a cutting side of the cutting apparatus;
• controlling the drive source to oscillate the movement of the knife carrier through a series of oscillations, the series of oscillations comprising a movement of the knife carrier in a clockwise direction and a movement of the knife carrier in an anticlockwise direction, so that the determined section of the knife carrier spends more time on the return side of the cutting apparatus than on the cutting side.

A cutting apparatus for a header of an agricultural harvester, the apparatus comprising:

• a first wheel and a second wheel, each wheel having a drive surface;
• a drive source configured to selectively drive the first wheel in one of a clockwise direction and an anticlockwise direction;
• a knife carrier that comprises a loop having a running side and a knife-carrying side, and wherein the loop is tensioned around the first and second wheels so that the running side is engaged by the drive surfaces of the first and second wheels for transmitting torque from the drive source to rotate the wheels and the knife carrier;
• a plurality of knives for cutting crop, the knives having two cutting blades and being mounted to the knife-carrying side of the knife carrier;
• and
• a sensor for monitoring operation of the knives, wherein the sensor is a torque sensor that is configured to monitor a torque applied by the drive source onto the first wheel, wherein changes in the monitored torque are indicative of operation of the knives.