Harvesting machine cutter head with automated posture-based reel finger pitch adjustment

A control system for controlling pitch of a plurality of reel fingers in a cutter head of a harvesting machine, the cutter head including a cutter bar for cutting crop and a reel for engaging the crop and transporting it rearward, the reel comprising a plurality of reel arms on which the plurality of reel fingers are located, wherein the control system comprises:

• an actuator operably connected to the reel to adjust a pitch of the plurality of reel fingers relative to a ground surface;
• and
• a controller operably connected to the actuator, the controller configured to:
• receive an input on a posture of the cutter head relative to the ground surface, the input on the posture of the cutter head including an angle of the cutter bar relative to the ground surface;
• and
• operate the actuator to automatically control the pitch of the plurality of reel fingers based on the received input on the posture of the cutter head;
• wherein the actuator is operated to rotate the plurality of reel fingers toward the more horizontal orientation as the cutter bar tilts forward toward the ground surface and toward a more vertical orientation as the cutter bar tilts backward away from the ground surface.