Row crop harvesting apparatus

A crop harvesting apparatus having means for severing a crop from a field and means including at least two laterally opposed forwardly and rearwardly extending conveyor belts having substantially parallel rearwardly movable surfaces defining between them a crop receiving passage for conveying the crop rearwardly, the improvement comprising a pair of forward idlers, one forward idler being in supporting relationship with each belt, a plurality of intermediate idler members spaced rearwardly from said forward idlers, in operable supporting relationship with each of said belts, one of said forward idlers being located forwardly of the other forward idler for establishing an extended portion of one of said substantially parallel rearwardly moving surfaces of said belts, the length of said extended portion including at least the projection of the diameter of the other of said pair of idlers, and wherein said severing means includes a rotary cutter, said extended portion being laterally opposed to said rotary cutter, said intermediate idler members along the crop receiving passage being spaced so that no intermediate idler member in supporting relationship with one belt is laterally aligned with an intermediate idler member in supporting relationship with the other of said belts.

A crop harvesting apparatus having means for severing a crop from a field and means including at least two laterally opposed forwardly and rearwardly extending and rearwardly movable surfaces defining between them a crop receiving passage for conveying the crop rearwardly, the improvement comprising a plurality of idler members in operable supporting relationship with each of said opposed surfaces, which idler members along the crop receiving passage are spaced so that no idler member in supporting relationship with one opposed surface is laterally aligned with an idler member in supporting relationship with the other of said surfaces, and at least one movable surface comprises an endless conveyor belt, which has a plurality of spaced double lugs, each double lug comprising a top lug and a bottom lug, extending from the inner surface of said conveyor belt and in which at least one of said idler members along said crop receiving passage is positioned between top lugs and bottom lugs in operable supporting relationship with both the advancing and returning portion of said endless conveyor belt.

In a row crop harvesting apparatus having means for severing the crop from a field and means including at least two laterally opposed forwardly and rearwardly extending and rearwardly movable surfaces defining between them a crop material receiving passage for conveying the crop rearwardly, the improvement comprising a forward idler in supporting relationship with each of said surfaces, said forward idlers including a pulley and shaft, one of which forward idlers is located rearwardly of the other, said means for severing the crop including a rotary cutter supported and driven by the rearwardly located forward idler and a second cutter element mounted in cooperating cutting relationship with said rotary cutter.

In a row crop harvesting apparatus having means including at least one forwardly and rearwardly extending endless conveyor belt for conveying crop material rearwardly, a forward idler in operable contact with said conveyor belt, a rotary cutter operatively associated with the bottom of said forward idler, and means for supporting said forward idler the improvement comprising means connected to the bottom surface of said rotary cutter and movable with said forward idler for cleaning debris from between said forward idler and said means for supporting said forward idler.

In a row crop harvesting apparatus having means including at least one forwardly and rearwardly extending endless conveyor belt for conveying the crop rearwardly and means for severing the crop from a field, the improvement comprising an adjustable forward idler in operable contact with said conveyor belt, means for supporting said forward idler, said means for severing the crop from a field includes a rotary cutter and a cutter element which cooperates with said rotary cutter, said rotary cutter being operatively associated with said adjustable forward idler, and means for adjusting said forward idler and said rotary cutter relative to said means for supporting said forward idler to adjust the cutting relationship of said rotary cutter and said cutter element, said forward idler being adjusted in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation thereof.