Forage harvester

Abstract

A forage harvester connectable to a vehicle such as a tractor for being towed by the tractor. The forage harvester includes a transmission having a horizontal rotatable input shaft and a horizontal output shaft separated by an angle of 100.degree. such that the input shaft can be positioned at an angle of approximately 10.degree. relative to the direction of motion of the forage harvester and generally co-axial or positioned at a small horizontal angle relative to the rotatable drive shaft extending from the tractor power take-off shaft to the input shaft. The forage harvester also includes a rotatable cutting cylinder and a blower for blowing out forage into a forage wagon towed by the forage harvester, the rotatable cutting cylinder and the blower being laterally spaced apart. The cutting cylinder and the blower are connected by a chute which functions to permit conveyance of the cut crop material to the blower, and a driven rotatable spinner is provided for propelling cut crop material from the cutting cylinder into the chute and toward the blower. The rotatable spinner is comprised of a circular disc, rotatably supported on a rotating drive shaft in closely spaced parallel relationship with respect to the bottom wall of the cut crop receiving housing. The upper surface of the circular disc supports a plurality of generally vertically projecting paddles which rotate with the disc and function as impellers to throw the cut crop material into the chute.