Center-pivot mower-conditioner drive

Abstract

A drive for a center-pivot mower-conditioner includes a power shaft supported within the center-pivot tongue and ending in an equal-angle drive section which intersects the vertical axis of the connection of the tongue with the center of a transverse beam forming part of a main frame of the mower-conditioner when the tongue is in a straight ahead position. A multiple v-belt drive transfers rotation of the tongue-carried drive-line to a substantially horizontal, fore-and-aft extending main header drive shaft located just leftwardly of the transverse beam of the main frame. The main header drive shaft is coupled to a first header drive box containing right-angle gearing for directing power to a downwardly extending through shaft extending through a second header gear box to a left-most cutting unit of a rotary cutterbar extending transversely across a header suspended for floating over undulating terrain during cutting operation. The second header gear box contains gearing for driving a multiple groove, v-belt drive pulley mounted to an output shaft projecting leftwardly from the second header gear box, the drive pulley forming part of a multiple v-belt drive coupled to a third header gear box containing intermeshed spur gears coupled for counter-rotating upper and lower conditioner rolls extending transversely behind the rotary cutterbar. In a second embodiment, the drive pulley is mounted to a shaft projecting rightwardly from the second header gear box and forming part of a multiple v-belt drive coupled for driving a rotary impeller conditioner extending transversely behind the rotary cutterbar. In a third embodiment, the second header gear box is eliminated and the rotary impeller conditioner is driven from the first gear box through a v-belt drive including a v-belt pulley mounted to a shaft projecting rightwardly from the first gear box.