Harvester machine for stripping seeds from a standing crop

Abstract

A stripper type harvesting machine has a forward harvesting header that carries a plurality of modular independently vertically shiftable stripping units at the front end of the header for engaging the upper seed bearing portions of a standing crop as the machine advances over the field. Each stripping unit comprises an axially transverse rotor having a plurality of disk-like stripping elements mounted side-by-side on the rotor, each stripping element including a hub and a relatively thin annular web portion coaxially mounted on the hub. A plurality of ribs project laterally from the opposite sides of the web portion and extend outwardly from the hub to the periphery of the stripping element. The stripping unit rotors are rotated so that the front side of the stripping element moves upwardly, and the header is positioned so that the heads of the standing grain are normally above the axis of the rotors, so that the lateral surface on the leading side of the ribs impact the grain heads in a generally stemwise direction to propel the grain and other material separated from the crop stems upwardly and rearwardly. The separated material is then directed rearwardly on the machine to a cleaning mechanism which separates the grain from the other crop material.