Plant-cutting assembly for a header

A cutting assembly suitable for mounting proximate to the center of a header of a plant-cutting machine, the cutting assembly comprising:

• a head assembly comprising:
• an elongate head attach bar having a major axis, the elongate head attach bar comprising:
• a series of cavities along a first surface, a portion of the first surface being configured to form a flush contact with a blade assembly;
• a series of first fastener-receiving through-openings, each first fastener-receiving through-opening of the series passing through the first surface and a second surface, the series of first fastener-receiving through-openings being substantially parallel to the major axis and being configured to receive a series of removable fasteners therethrough;
• and
• a second fastener-receiving through-opening, the second fastener-receiving through-opening passing through the first surface and a projection extending from the second surface;
• a bearing unit adjacent the projection, the bearing unit comprising a bearing retainer and an annular bearing, the annular bearing having an interior surface bordering a bearing through-opening, the bearing through-opening being substantially coaxial to the second fastener-receiving through-opening, the annular bearing being retained in the bearing retainer;
• and
• a connecting block comprising a connecting block through-opening, the connecting block being configured to retain the bearing unit in the connecting block through-opening, the connecting block being configured to receive a driver element;
• a blade assembly comprising:
• an elongate blade attach bar comprising:
• a series of first apertures configured to receive a series of removable fasteners, the series of first apertures being substantially coaxial with the series of first fastener-receiving through-openings of the elongate head attach bar;
• and
• a series of second apertures configured to receive a series of blade fasteners therethrough;
• the series of second apertures being substantially aligned with the series of cavities of the elongate head attach bar;
• and
• a series of removable fasteners securing the elongate blade attach bar to the elongate head attach bar, thereby securing the blade assembly to the head assembly, the series of removable fasteners passing through the series of first fastener-receiving through-openings of the elongate head attach bar and penetrating the series of first apertures of the elongate blade attach bar.

A header for a plant-cutting machine comprising:

• a first cutting assembly drivingly connected proximate the center of the header;
• a second cutting assembly drivingly connected proximate the center of the header, the second cutting assembly being in an end-to-end relation with the first cutting assembly and being substantially coaxial to the first cutting assembly, the second cutting assembly comprising:
• a head assembly comprising:
• an elongate head attach bar having a major axis, the elongate head attach bar comprising:
• a series of cavities along a first surface, a portion of the first surface being configured to form a flush contact with a blade assembly;
• a series of first fastener-receiving through-openings, each first fastener-receiving through-opening of the series passing through the first surface and a second surface, the series of first fastener-receiving through-openings being substantially parallel to the major axis and being configured to receive a series of removable fasteners therethrough;
• and
• a second fastener-receiving through-opening, the second fastener-receiving through-opening passing through the first surface and a projection extending from the second surface;
• a bearing unit adjacent the projection, the bearing unit comprising a bearing retainer and an annular bearing, the annular bearing having an interior surface bordering a bearing through-opening, the bearing through-opening being substantially coaxial to the second fastener-receiving through-opening, the annular bearing being retained in the bearing retainer;
• and
• a connecting block comprising a connecting block through-opening, the connecting block being configured to retain the bearing unit in the connecting block through-opening, the connecting block being configured to receive a driver element.