Crop harvesting apparatus

Apparatus for harvesting required crop parts from standing crop comprising:

• a mobile frame for movement over the ground,
• moveable support means mounted for driven movement relative to the frame,
• a plurality of outwardly projecting crop engaging elements mounted on the moveable support means in rows transverse to the normal direction of forward travel of the apparatus,
• guide means cooperating with the crop engaging elements to form a crop flow passage, and
• drive means for driving the moveable support means to carry the elements upwardly at a front region of the apparatus so as to detach from standing crop predetermined required parts of the crop and to move the detached crop parts along the crop flow passage, the crop engaging elements being arranged to engage standing crop while projecting forwardly relative to the direction of forward travel of the apparatus,
• the crop engaging elements being arranged to form a plurality of crop gathering regions each having an intake region with inwardly converging boundaries leading to at least two succeeding relief regions which lead inwardly away from the distal ends of the elements, each relief region having boundaries which diverge from each other at the entrance to the relief region, and the width of the entrance to each relief region being less than the depth of that relief region in the inward direction away from the distal ends of the elements, each crop gathering region being defined by adjacent crop engaging elements in the same transverse row,
• in which said boundaries of each said relief region are curved concave boundaries, said entrance to said first relief region being formed between respective junctions of said inwardly converging boundaries of said intake region with said diverging boundaries of said first relief region, and said entrance to said second relief region being formed between opposed cusps on the sides of adjacent elements produced by respective junctions of said curved concave boundaries of said first relief region with said curved concave boundaries of said second relief region.