Rock guard for a row crop harvesting machine

Abstract

A row crop harvesting header has a main frame with a plurality of forwardly extending, independently vertically adjustable row units mounted on the frame, each row unit including a frame attached to the header frame at its rearward end and a ground engaging skid at its forward end. A pair of endless flexible conveyors are mounted on the row unit frame and have opposite, rearwardly moving, upwardly and rearwardly inclined inner runs adapted to engage the stalks of row planted crops as the machine advances and convey it rearwardly, a cutting apparatus below the forward inlet ends of the belts severing the crop material from the field as it is engaged by the conveyor. The row unit frame includes a pair of forwardly diverging members extending forwardly of the front of the conveyors to form a crop receiving throat in front of the inlet to the conveyors, and a pair of rock deflectors are attached to the opposite frame elements and include a plurality of generally fore and aft fingers disposed in the throat area, the opposite sets of fingers being laterally spaced to provide a fore and aft passage that is wide enough to permit the passage of the crop material to the conveyors but deflects larger rocks and foreign objects downwardly or causes the row unit to ride up over said objects to prevent damage to the cutting apparatus or ingestion of the objects into the conveyors.