Ear saver

A grain header comprising:

• a pair of row dividers;
• each row divider pair of row dividers comprising a housing;
• a pair of gathering chains disposed adjacent to a respective pair of row dividers, each gathering chain of the pair of gathering chains comprising gathering fingers that extend into a gathering space between the pair of row dividers;
• and
• a pair of crop-retaining devices coupled to the respective pair of row dividers and disposed superior to the gathering chains, wherein each of the pair of crop-retaining devices comprise:
• a brush comprising:
• a set of bristles;
• and
• a spine comprising:
• a front clamp plate disposed along a front side of the spine;
• a back clamp plate disposed along a back side of the spine, wherein the set of bristles are clamped between the front clamp plate and the back clamp plate, wherein the set of bristles extend from an inferior side of the spine, wherein the front clamp plate, the back clamp plate, and the set of bristles clamped between the front clamp plate and the back clamp plate comprise a first width;
• and
• a ridge disposed along a superior side of the spine, wherein the ridge comprises a second width greater than the first width, wherein at least one of the ridge and the front clamp plate are couplable to at least one coupler configured to couple the brush to the grain header.

A harvester comprising:

• a grain header comprising:
• a pair of row dividers;
• each row divider pair of row dividers comprising a housing;
• a pair of gathering chains disposed adjacent to the respective pair of row dividers, each gathering chain of the pair of gathering chains comprising gathering fingers that extend into a gathering space between the pair of row dividers;
• and
• a pair of crop-retaining devices coupled to a respective pair of row dividers and disposed superior to the gathering chains, wherein each of the pair of crop-retaining devices comprise:
• a brush comprising:
• a set of bristles;
• and
• a spine comprising:
• a front clamp plate disposed along a front side of the spine;
• a back clamp plate disposed along a back side of the spine, wherein the set of bristles are clamped between the front clamp plate and the back clamp plate, wherein the set of bristles extend from an inferior side of the spine, wherein the front clamp plate, the back clamp plate, and the set of bristles clamped between the front clamp plate and the back clamp plate comprise a first width;
• and
• a ridge disposed along a superior side of the spine, wherein the ridge comprises a second width greater than the first width, wherein at least one of the ridge and the front clamp plate are couplable to at least one coupler configured to couple the brush to the grain header.