Gatherer sheet arrangement for a row crop harvesting header

Abstract

A row crop header for mounting on the front of a combine has a transversely elongated main frame and a plurality of forwardly extending transversely spaced row units, each row unit being independently floatably supported by the frame. Each row unit has a forwardly and downwardly inclined frame with a top surface and a central fore-and-aft trough which forms the bottom of a fore-and-aft passageway. A pair of endless, flexible conveyor members are mounted on each row unit frame adjacent the top surface and have rearwardly moving inter-meshing inner runs on opposite sides of the passageway, a rotary cutting device being provided on the underside of the row unit frame adjacent the forward ends of the conveyor members for severing the crop from the field. A transverse conveyor spans the rearward ends of the row units for conveying gathered material to a feeding unit for delivery to a processing unit on the combine. A hood or gatherer sheet assembly in each row unit is composed of left and righthand portions, one on each side of the fore-and-aft passageway respectively, each portion being pivotable about a fore and aft axis and being releasably secured by spring latches.