Crop harvesting header with rotary disks and impellers for transferring the crop inwardly to a discharge opening

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which there is a standing crop for harvesting;
• a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop;
• a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on the cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes spaced along the cutter bar;
• each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of the disk about the respective its axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as the blade rotates around the axis on the disk;
• the header frame defining a discharge opening through which the cut crop is discharged for forming a swath behind the header;
• in front of the discharge opening there being located a plurality of the cutter disks;
• at a first end of the cutter bar outboard of a first end of the discharge opening there being provided first, second and third cutter disks with the axis of the first cutter disk being located outboard of the first end of the discharge opening and the second and third cutter disks being located outboard of the first cutter disk;
• the second cutter disk and the third cutter disk each being arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each moves inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• the second cutter disk and the third cutter disk each carrying thereon a respective one of two first impellers arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each first impeller moves inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• and a first crop converging structure located at least partly in an area behind a zone between the first and second cutter disks and tending to move the crop inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• at a second end of the cutter bar outboard of a second end of the discharge opening there being provided fourth, fifth and sixth cutter disks with the axis of the fourth cutter disk being located outboard of the second end of the discharge opening and the fifth and sixth cutter disks being located outboard of the fourth cutter disk;
• the fifth cutter disk and the sixth cutter disk each being arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each moves inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening;
• the fifth cutter disk and the sixth cutter disk each carrying thereon a respective one of two second impellers arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each second impeller moves inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening;
• and a second crop converging structure located at least partly in an area behind a zone between the fourth and fifth cutter disks and tending to move the crop inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening.

A crop harvesting header comprising:

• a header frame arranged to be transported across ground on which there is a standing crop for harvesting;
• a cutter bar mounted on the header frame across a width of the header for movement across the ground for harvesting the standing crop;
• a plurality of generally horizontal cutter disks mounted on the cutter bar at positions spaced transversely of the header with the disks being mounted on the cutter bar for driven rotation about respective generally upright axes spaced along the cutter bar;
• each disk having mounted thereon at a position spaced outwardly from the respective axis thereof at least one cutter blade such that rotation of the disk about the respective axis causes a standing crop to be cut by the blade as the blade rotates around the axis on the disk;
• the header frame defining a discharge opening through which the cut crop is discharged for forming a swath behind the header;
• in front of the discharge opening there being located a plurality of the cutter disks;
• at a first end of the cutter bar outboard of a first end of the discharge opening there being provided first, second and third cutter disks with the axis of the first cutter disk being located outboard of the first end of the discharge opening and the second and third cutter disks being located outboard of the first cutter disk;
• the second cutter disk and the third cutter disk each being arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each moves inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• the second cutter disk and the third cutter disk each carrying thereon a respective one of two first impellers arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each first impeller moves inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• and a first crop converging structure located at least partly in an area behind a zone between the first and second cutter disks and tending to move the crop inwardly toward the first end of the discharge opening;
• at a second end of the cutter bar outboard of a second end of the discharge opening there being provided fourth, fifth and sixth cutter disks with the axis of the fourth cutter disk being located outboard of the second end of the discharge opening and the fifth and sixth cutter disks being located outboard of the fourth cutter disk;
• the fifth cutter disk and the sixth cutter disk each being arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each moves inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening;
• the fifth cutter disk and the sixth cutter disk each carrying thereon a respective one of two second impellers arranged to rotate in a direction so that a front of each second impeller moves inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening;
• and a second crop converging structure located at least partly in an area behind a zone between the fourth and fifth cutter disks and tending to move the crop inwardly toward the second end of the discharge opening;
• wherein the first disk rotates in a direction such that a front of the first disk moves outwardly of the first end of the discharge opening and the fourth second disk rotates in a direction such that a front of the fourth disk moves outwardly of the second end of the discharge opening.