Harvester attachment

In a multi-row crop harvester having a plurality of forwardly extending laterally spaced divider members adapted to move between rows of row planted crops and fore and aft crop receiving passages in the space between adjacent divider members, each inner divider member including a hood-like downwardly and forwardly inclined shield structure on top of the divider member, the shield structure including a generally semi-conical forward portion converging to a forward point, a generally inverted U-shaped rear portion, a generally inverted U-shaped central portion between the forward and rear portion and a rearwardly facing riser wall extending between the central portion and the rearward portion, the combination therewith of improved shield extensions removably mounted on top of the shield structures, each shield extension comprising:

• an upwardly and forwardly inclined rear wall extending upwardly from the riser wall and having a generally inverted U-shaped upper edge;
• a front panel extending forwardly from the upper edge of the rear wall, and having a generally truncated semiconical shape with forwardly converging sides and a downwardly and forwardly inclined top portion, the lower, forward edges of the sides and the top portion seating against the top of the central portion of the shield structure with the fore and aft center line of the shield extension being vertically aligned with the fore and aft center line of the shield structure;
• at least one tab element mounted on and extending forwardly from the lower front edge of the front panel;
• at least one opening in the central portion of the shield structure adapted to receive the tab element when the shield extension is mounted on the shield structure;
• a first pair of laterally spaced latch elements disposed on the riser wall on opposite sides of the shield structure center line;
• and a second pair of latch elements respectively mounted on the shield extension rear wall and shiftable between locking positions wherein they engage the first pair of latch elements to lock the shield extension to the shield structure and unlocking position wherein they disengage the first pair of locking elements to permit the upward separation of the rearward and of the shield extension from the shield structure and the withdrawal of the tab element from the opening in the central portion of the shield structure.