Sickle guard with integral streamlined air discharge system for blowing plant material toward a header of an agricultural plant cutting machine

A guard for a sickle of an agricultural plant cutting machine, comprising:

• a base configured for mounting to a header of a plant cutting machine adjacent to a forward edge of an upwardly facing floor of the header;
• and
• an elongate finger extending from the base and having a forward tip portion opposite the base, the finger being oriented relative to the base so as to extend forwardly therefrom to the tip portion when the base is mounted to the header, the finger including a slot extending sidewardly therethrough intermediate the base and the tip portion, the slot being configured for cooperatively receiving a sickle knife for reciprocating sideward movement therethrough, the finger including opposite longitudinally extending side surfaces located adjacent to opposite ends of the slot and against which plants are to be severed by the sickle knife when reciprocatingly moved, the finger having an upwardly facing surface, the upwardly facing surface including a rearwardly directed air discharge nozzle therein located above and forwardly of the slot, and the finger including an internal air flow passage connecting with the nozzle, the air flow passage including a lower passage portion extending forwardly through the finger beneath the slot from an inlet opening disposed adjacent to the base, and an upper passage portion connecting to the lower passage portion and extending rearwardly through the finger to the nozzle, the nozzle being mostly flush with or below the upwardly facing surface for discharging air rearwardly over the finger without obstructing plant material flow thereover, wherein the upwardly facing surface includes a shallow concave channel rearwardly of the nozzle, and the nozzle Is oriented to discharge the air through the channel.

A header for an agricultural plant cutting machine, comprising:

• an elongate upwardly facing floor having a longitudinally extending forward edge;
• and
• a sickle including a plurality of elongate, forwardly extending guards mounted to the header at spaced locations along the forward edge of the floor, each of the guards having an upwardly facing surface extending over a slot, the sickle including an elongate sickle knife extending through the slots of the guards, the sickle knife being configured to be reciprocatingly moved through the slots relative to the guards for severing plants against opposite sides of the guards;
• and
• the upwardly facing surfaces of the guards including rearwardly directed air discharge nozzles therein located forwardly of or above the slot of the guard, respectively, and each of the guards including an internal air flow passages connecting with the nozzle thereof, each of the air flow passages including a lower passage portion extending forwardly through the guard beneath the slot thereof, and an upper passage portion connecting to the lower passage portion and extending through the guard to the nozzle, respectively, each of the nozzles being flush with or below the upwardly facing surface for discharging air rearwardly over the guard toward the floor without obstructing plant material flow over the guard, wherein the upwardly facing surface includes a shallow concave channel rearwardly of the nozzle, and the nozzle is oriented to discharge the flow of air through the channel.