Floor seal for a center knife drive for a sickle of a plant cutting machine

摘要

A floor seal for a forwardly facing opening through a floor of a plant cutting machine through which a knife arm extends for side to side reciprocating movement for driving a sickle of the machine as the machine is moved forwardly for performing a plant cutting operation. The floor seal includes a stationary outer peripheral seal element engaged with a peripheral edge of the floor about the opening and carrying a cover element in covering relation to the opening about the knife arm and defining and bounding a forwardly facing aperture containing the knife arm and an inner peripheral seal element carried in the aperture by the cover element bounding and forming a barrier to entry of loose material or sealed condition about the knife arm and movable side to side therewith relative to the outer seal and cover.

主权项

1. A floor seal for a header of an agricultural equipment comprising:
a floor having a forwardly facing opening through which a knife arm extends for side to side reciprocating movement that drives a sickle of the agricultural equipment during-a plant cutting operation, a stationary outer peripheral seal element that cooperatively engages a peripheral edge of the floor about the opening, to form a substantially sealed condition thereabout, an inner peripheral seal element bounded by the outer peripheral seal element the inner peripheral seal element cooperatively engaging an outer peripheral surface of the knife arm (62A, 62B), to form a barrier to entry of loose material thereabout and movable side to side with the knife arm and an intermediate cover element that provides a forwardly facing enclosure that withholds passage of loose material between the seal elements while allowing for the side to side movements of the inner peripheral seal element with the knife arm relative to the outer peripheral seal element during the plant cutting operation.