Movable feeder floor for combines

Abstract

A feederhouse interconnecting a combine base unit and a crop harvesting header to convey gathered crop material to the threshing and separating mechanism mounted in the base unit is disclosed wherein the face plate used to mount the crop harvesting header and movable relative to the feederhouse to change the cutting angle of the header is provided with a movable floor extension member engaged with the feederhouse floor to accommodate movement of the face plate relative to the feeder house. The floor extension member is pivotally mounted within a U-shaped bracket on the face plate and extends rearwardly therefrom to engage with an inclined surface formed in the feederhouse floor. A guide extending beneath the inclined surface of the feederhouse floor prevents the floor extension member from being disengaged from the feederhouse floor and, thereby, permitting a loss of crop material therebetween. An electronic stone detector version of the floor extension member provides for acoustical padding between the floor extension member and the U-shaped bracket and the inclined surface of the feederhouse floor to prevent metal to metal contact therebetween. An oblique portion having an electronic sensing device associated therewith is formed in the floor extension member to contact non-frangible objects within the flow of crop material through the feeder house.