Sickle knife remover and installer and method

An assembly for removing and installing an elongated reciprocating knife having spaced recurrent elements along a length thereof, the assembly comprising:

• a support member mountable adjacent a portion of the reciprocating knife;
• a first rotatable support mounted to the support member;
• a second rotatable support mounted to the support member such that the first and second rotatable supports are separated and rotate about parallel axes;
• an endless flexible member interconnecting the first rotatable support with the second rotatable support;
• the endless flexible member including means for engaging recurrent elements of a reciprocating knife adjacent the support member;
• and
• means for moving the endless flexible member such that recurrent elements of the knife are engaged sequentially by the means for engaging.

An assembly for removing and installing a sickle knife from a sickle knife holder, the sickle knife having a plurality of sickle knife sections attached with spaced fasteners to a knife back bar along a longitudinal length of the knife back bar, the assembly comprising:

• a support member including a base having an elongated slot therethrough secured to the knife holder such that recurrent fasteners are aligned with and accessible through the slot;
• first and second rotatable supports mounted to the support member adjacent opposite ends of the slot;
• an endless line member interconnecting and drivably engaging the first and second rotatable supports, the endless line member further having a length positioned in the slot adjacent recurrent fasteners of the knife below the support member and having drive means thereon;
• and
• a drive shaft secured to drive one of the rotatable supports to move the endless line member such that current fasteners of the sickle knife are drivably engaged sequentially by the drive means.

An assembly for removing and installing an elongated reciprocating knife having spaced recurrent elements along a length thereof and reciprocal in a reciprocating knife holder, the assembly comprising:

• a support member mountable adjacent a portion of the reciprocating knife;
• displacement means mounted to the support member for displacing the reciprocating knife within the reciprocating knife holder;
• the displacement means including recurrent engagement means for engaging the recurrent elements of the reciprocating knife;
• and
• drive means for driving the displacement means such that the recurrent elements of the reciprocating knife are engaged sequentially by the recurrent engagement means.