AU2013206045A1 - Combine harvesters - Google Patents

Abstract

A header 20 for a combine harvester 10 and an adaptor 17 for mounting the header to the feed housing 13 of the combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening 28 and a main 5 header beam 21 above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to said feeder housing and a header support beam 32 above said feed inlet opening, said 0 main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means 36, 37 adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second 5 pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel.

Description

1 COMBINE HARVESTERS Technical Field This invention relates to combine harvesters and in particular to headers and adaptors for mounting headers of combine harvesters. Background Art Combine harvesters for harvesting standing crop, commonly called combines, typically include a header which is attached to the forward end of the feeder housing of the combine. The header generally incorporates a leading transversely extending sickle knife for cutting the crop with an elongate reel often being provided to pick up the crop and/or move it towards the sickle knife. Typically, spiral conveyors or drapers are mounted rearwardly of the sickle knife to convey the cut crop into the central part of the header where a retractable finger drum or central draper conveys it rearwardly into the combine body through the feeder housing. Usually, the feeder housing has a rectangular feed inlet opening and the header has a complementary rectangular outlet opening. Many types and sizes of headers and combines are available with different headers being more suitable for some crops than others. Consequently, adaptors are generally available for adapting a particular feeder housing to a particular type of header or a number of headers. The adaptor is typically bolted to the feeder housing and the adaptor and attached header is raised and lowered with the feeder housing by hydraulic rams to suit various ground and crop conditions. Rigid mounting of the header to the feeder housing or the adaptor however creates a number of difficulties in that if undulating ground conditions are encountered the header tilts with the combine and can engage the ground at one end or miss crop at the other. The problem is particularly noticeable in areas where brigalow scrub has been cleared leaving melon holes. Attempts have been made at overcoming this problem by mounting the header so as to "float" relative to the adaptor. In one known arrangement, a central portion of the header is supported from the adaptor by means of a central linkage system at its upper end whilst a leaf 2 spring assembly is provided to support the lower portion of the header thereby allowing the header to have a vertical floating action relative to the feed housing. Other arrangements in lieu of leaf springs use coil springs to bias the header upwardly against its weight. In both arrangements the springs are required to be very large to support the weight of the header and return the header to level which makes the flotation system undesirably slow to respond to ground contours. Further, in such arrangements the header is mounted a significant distance forward of the feed housing thereby placing high stresses on the feed housing and causing forward pitching of the combine. Additionally, greater hydraulic power is required to raise the feeder housing and the attached header. Further, visibility of the sickle knife can be restricted by the header. United States patent No. 4253295 to Knepper illustrates another attempt at overcoming the problems associated with rigid mounting of the header to an adaptor. Knepper illustrates an arrangement in which the header is mounted to a pivot pin extending forward from the adaptor above the feed inlet opening for allowing lateral pivoting of the header relative to the adaptor with the outlet opening of the header generally aligned with the inlet opening of the adaptor or feeder housing. The header is supported at its lower edge by plastic bearing blocks mounted on the adaptor. A flexible seal extends between the header and the adaptor to close the gap therebetween to prevent crop loss and to accommodate misalignment of the feed outlet opening and the feed inlet opening from tilting of the header relative to the adaptor. One apparent disadvantage of the Knepper arrangement is that the plastic bearing blocks cause significant frictional resistance to lateral pivoting of the header while a second disadvantage is that misalignment between the feed outlet opening of the header and the feed inlet opening of the adaptor is detrimental to crop flow from the header to the feeder housing while a third disadvantage is that the header cannot be pitched forward to adjust the pitch of the knife. Another 3 disadvantage with the Knepper arrangement is that it is not as easy as desired to mount and dismount headers from the adaptor. A further disadvantage of known combines, particularly when associated with adaptors which incorporate a central draper, is that to enable communication with the feed housing or to accommodate the central draper, the supporting frame of the header is required to have a central cut-out portion. Thus whilst the upper frame member or headboard of the header can extend laterally the full length of the header, the lower portion of the frame is required to be truncated on either side of the central draper or feed housing. Consequently, as all weight is carried by the upper frame member, the frame and sickle knife tend to distort and bend particularly where the combine harvester is of extended width. Therefore the width of this type of header must be limited to keep the amount of bending within an acceptable range. One object of the present invention is to provide a header and adaptor for mounting a header to a combine harvester which overcomes or alleviates one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Another object is to provide an improved header for use in a combine harvester. The present invention in yet a further aspect aims to provide an improved combine harvester. Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent from the following description. Summary of the Invention With the foregoing in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in a header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feed housing of the combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said 4 main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel. Preferably, said complementary mounting means includes a socket provided in said main header beam and a mounting ball on said header support beam, said mounting ball being engaged within said socket to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis. Advantageously, such arrangement provides for easy mounting of the header on the adaptor in that the feeder housing of the combine with the attached adaptor can be lowered to allow the combine to be positioned with the mounting ball immediately below the socket and then raised to engage the ball within the socket. A securing pin can then be fitted to secure the mounting ball within the socket. In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a header adapted to be mounted to an adaptor connected to the feeder housing of a combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening adapted for general alignment with a complementary feed inlet opening in the feeder housing and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said main header beam having a socket provided therein adapted to receive a complementary mounting ball on the adaptor so as allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to the adaptor about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel. In yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in an adaptor for mounting a header to the feed housing of a combine harvester, the header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above the feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass 5 therethrough from the feed outlet opening to the feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said header support beam having a mounting ball thereon adapted to engage within a complementary socket in the main header beam to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of the main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel. In still yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in a combine harvester having an adaptor connected to the feed housing and a header mounted to said adaptor, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam having a socket provided therein and said header support beam having a mounting ball thereon, said mounting ball being engaged within said socket to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel. In still yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in a combine harvester having an adaptor connected to the feed housing and a header mounted to said adaptor, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow 6 limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel, said adaptor having a bottom beam below said feed inlet opening and adjacent the inlet to said feeder housing and said header having a feeder floor member secured thereto at one end and extending through said feed outlet opening into sliding engagement at its free end with said bottom beam, said feeder floor member being adapted to support feed thereon for passage from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing. In still yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in a header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feed housing of the combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel, said adapter having a bottom beam below said feed inlet opening and adjacent the inlet to said feeder housing and said header having a feeder floor member secured thereto at one end and extending through said feed outlet opening and being adapted to slidably engage said bottom beam at its free end, said feeder floor member being adapted to support feed thereon for passage from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing. Preferably, said bottom beam has an upper face which extends forward of the feeder housing to provide a support surface for the free end of said feeder floor member. It is also preferred 7 that the upper face of said bottom beam be slightly inclined to the floor of the feeder housing towards the ground to better accommodate lateral pivoting of the header relative to the adaptor and to form a ramp for ease of mounting the header on the adaptor. Additionally, in such form of the invention, said feeder floor member is a spring steel plate which is secured to the header floor and inclined upwardly thereto so as to be generally aligned with the floor of the feeder housing for engagement with the ramp in a manner which applies a downwardly directed pre-load on the feeder floor member to thereby urge its free end into engagement with the upper face of the bottom beam. Preferably, said header is also secured to said adaptor by linkage means remote from said complementary mounting means, preferably adjacent the bottom of said feed outlet opening and said feed inlet opening on opposite sides of said adaptor to secure the header to the adaptor at floor level. It is also preferred that said linkage means be adjustable to allow said header to be pitched relative to said adaptor, that is to allow said header to pivot about said second pivot axis to adjust the pitch of the sickle knife to suit different crops. In one preferred form said linkage means include length adjustable screw links while in another preferred form they include hydraulic rams which can be operated from the combine operators cabin. A header and adaptor utilizing the complementary mounting means described allows draper assemblies to be used to convey crop to the feeder housing of the combine while at the same time maintaining the structural integrity of the header. Thus, in another aspect the invention resides broadly in a header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feeder housing of the combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening, a frame assembly extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and connected to said main header beam, said frame assembly supporting laterally extending draper assemblies arranged to convey feed towards an intermediate portion 8 of said header and a rearward extending draper assembly mounted in said intermediate portion and arranged to convey feed from said intermediate portion towards said feed outlet opening, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester, said frame assembly supporting a header floor extending substantially continuously along the full width of the header and said main header beam and said frame assembly coacting in a truss-like manner to inhibit bending of said header. Suitably, said frame assembly also includes support members which are fixed rigidly to and depend from the upper frame member, the support members having forward extending generally horizontal lower portions which support the floor thereon and the draper assemblies. Suitably, the floor is welded to the forward portions of the support members to rigidly interconnect at least the lower portions of the leg members along the full length of the header. A header constructed according to the invention will exhibit little bending or distortion and will not cause undesirable distortion of the knife assembly. Further, a frame of the form described will enable headers to be constructed of greater width than presently known headers without increasing the amount of bending. Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the front portion of a combine harvester including a header and adaptor for attaching the header to the combine body according to the invention; 9 Fig. 2 is diagrammatic sectional side elevation of a portion of the feeder housing and the adaptor and header of the combine harvester of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a pictorial representation of the adaptor shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the adaptor shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of the header shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of the adaptor and header shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the front portion of a combine harvester including another header and adaptor for attaching the header to the combine body according to the invention with the header in the normal horizontal position with the header parallel to the ground; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of the front portion of the combine harvester of Fig. 7 showing the header tilted at about four degrees relative to the adaptor; Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the front portion of the combine harvester of Fig. 7 in the normal horizontal position with the header parallel to the ground; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the front portion of the combine harvester of Fig. 7 showing the header tilted at about four degrees relative to the adaptor; Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the adaptor shown in Fig. 7 Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of a portion of the feeder housing and the adaptor and header of the combine harvester of Fig. 7 in line for assembly; Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of a portion of the feeder housing and the adaptor and header of the combine harvester of Fig. 7 assembled and ready for use. Detailed Description of the Embodiments The combine harvester 10 illustrated in part in Figs. 1 and 2, includes a combine body 11(shown in part only) which in 10 conventional manner includes front drive wheels 12 and rear steerable wheels (not shown) and a forward extending feeder housing 13, the feeder housing having a front feed inlet 14 through which harvested crop, or "feed" enters the feeder housing. An endless elevator 15 is mounted in the feed housing for feeding the crop up the inclined floor 16 of the feeder housing into the combine body for threshing in conventional manner. An adaptor 17 for adapting the feed housing to accept a particular header is bolted to the side walls of the feeder housing and a header 20 is mounted to the adaptor as will be described in more detail later. As more clearly shown in Fig. 5, the header has a main header beam 21 which extends generally horizontally and transversely relative to the direction of travel of the combine and is the main structural member of the header. A plurality of spaced apart support members 22 depend from the main header beam and support a main header floor 23 and a rear wall 24 thereon, while a leading reciprocating sickle knife 25 for cutting the crop being harvested is mounted to the support members at the front of the floor. A pair of opposed endless side drapers 26a and 26b are mounted above the floor rearward of the knife for travel about drive rollers (not shown)at each end and are arranged to receive cut crop from the sickle knife and convey it inwards towards an intermediate portion of the header where it feeds onto another draper 27 traveling in the direction opposite to the direction of travel of the combine. The rearward draper 27 is arranged to convey cut crop towards a feed outlet 28 in the rear wall 24 of the header, the feed outlet being aligned generally with the feed inlet 14 of the feeder housing as will be described in more detail later. Advantageously, the main header floor and rear wall extend substantially the full length of the header and cooperate with the main header beam and the support members 22 so that the header is of truss-like configuration and therefore resistant to bending even though a rearward draper is provided. In other headers having a rearward draper, the header floor and rear wall is commonly discontinuous at the location of the rearward draper causing a significant line of 11 weakness in the structure. A transversely extending drum 29 with retractable fingers therein of known type is mounted between the rearward draper and the feed outlet of the header to move cut crop into the feeder housing 13 via the feed inlet opening 14 and a driven rotatable reel assembly 30 of known type shown in dotted outline in Fig. 5 is mounted in the header above the sickle knife in the usual manner. The adaptor 17 shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4 includes a frame assembly 31 which is adapted to extend about the end portion of the feeder housing 13, the frame assembly having an upper transverse header support beam 32 adapted to rest on top of the feeder housing and a bottom beam 33 adapted to be positioned under and slightly forward of the feeder housing, and two spaced apart side members 34a and 34b adapted to be bolted to the side walls of the feeder housing adjacent the front feed inlet opening 14. A mounting ball 36 is rigidly mounted to the header support beam 32 in the centre thereof and the main header beam 21 shown in Fig. 5 has a socket 37 on its underside and intermediate its ends which is adapted to receive therein the mounting ball. A torsion bar 38 is rotatably mounted to the header support beam parallel thereto and has end cranks 39a and 39b adapted to engage with the underside of the main header beam as shown at 40. In order to mount the adaptor and header of the present invention, the side members 34a and 34b are bolted to the respective side walls of the feeder housing. The combine is then moved forward with the feeder housing lowered to position the mounting ball below the complementary socket 37 whereupon the feeder housing is raised to engage the mounting ball within the socket which is then secured in the socket by a tongue (not shown). The header is then free for limited pivoting movement about the mounting ball about a first lateral pivot axis extending generally in the direction of travel and a second pitch axis generally transverse to the direction of travel. Extension arms 41a and 41b extend laterally from the side frame members 34a and 34b respectively and are rigidly connected 12 thereto and the bottom of the header is secured to the adaptor by screw link members 42a and 42b which are pivotally connected at one end to the respective extension arms and at the other end to the respective support members 22 of the header adjacent the feed outlet 28 by ball joint connectors. The screw link members are adjustable in length for the purpose of pivoting the header on the mounting ball about the second pitch axis thereby adjusting the pitch of the sickle knife for different crops. The end cranks 39a and 39b of the torsion bar engage the underside of the main header beam 21 so that lateral pivoting of the header increases torsion in the torsion bar which applies a biasing force resisting the lateral pivoting of the header on the mounting ball about the first pivot axis and tends to return it to a substantially horizontal attitude. A ground engaging gauge wheel 43 (only one of which is shown) is provided near each end of the header to provide support for the header as it travels over the ground. Each wheel is rotatably mounted on a wheel hanger 44 which in turn is mounted to the header for pivotal movement about a vertical axis hown as 45 so that they can swivel to travel around corners as needed. Suitably, suspension springs are mounted between the wheel hangers and the header to cushion the header ride. It will be appreciated that lateral pivoting of the header on the mounting ball 36 about the first pivot axis will result in some mis-alignment of the feed outlet 28 with the feed inlet 14 of the feeder housing. Such mis-alignment is accommodated by a feeder floor member 46 which is connected to the side members 34a and 34b of the adaptor for up and down pivoting movement relative thereto at one end and extends through the feed outlet and terminates in a free end which engages the main header floor 23 under the rearward draper, the feeder floor member being adapted to support feed thereon for passage from the feed outlet of the header to the feed inlet of the feeder housing. The combine harvester 110 shown in Fig. 7 has a different arrangement in that the feeder floor member 146 is secured to the main header floor 123 at one end and extends through the feed outlet 128 and slidably engages the upper face 13 133a of the bottom beam 133. It will be seen that the combine harvester of Fig. 7 is similar to that of Fig. 1 in many respects and accordingly corresponding numbers are used to reference corresponding items where appropriate. The feeder floor member 146 is constructed of spring steel, or stainless steel having high spring characteristics, and can twist sufficiently to maintain contact substantially along the full width of the bottom beam up to about four degrees of lateral pitch of the header. As can be seen in Figs. 11 to 13 the bottom beam extends forward of the feeder housing 113 and its upper face 133a is inclined towards the ground to form a ramp surface. Additionally, the feeder floor member 146 is bolted to an inclined mounting bracket 147 or raised portion of the main floor by bolts 148 and is inclined upwardly away from the main header floor to align generally with the floor of the feeder housing when in use. Advantageously, during mounting of the header on the mounting ball, the feeder floor member engages with the ramp surface when the main header beam is directly above the mounting ball and as the mounting ball is lifted into the socket, the ramp surface applies a pre-load tension to the feeder floor member by lifting its free end relative to the mounting bracket. In use, the pre-load tension then maintains the free end 149 of the feeder floor member in engagement with the ramp surface during lateral pivoting up to about four degrees. As can be seen in Figs. 7, 8 and 13, torsion bar assemblies 151a and 151b are mounted to the main floor 123 adjacent the feeder floor member 146 to hold it in contact with the ramp surface 133a if lateral pivoting becomes greater than four degrees. The torsion bar assemblies apply an increasing downward force on the feeder floor member as the feeder floor member is raised as the header pivots laterally. As can be more clearly seen in Figs. 7 and 8, lateral pivoting of the header on the mounting ball causes some linear movement of the main header floor which is accommodated by the free end of the feeder floor member 146 sliding along the ramp surface of the bottom beam. Rubber flaps 152 and 153 are attached to the side members of the adaptor ll7respectively and are arranged to cover the side gaps 14 between the adaptor at the opposite sides of the feed inlet 114 with their lower ends resting on the feeder floor member. Similarly, flaps 52 and 53 are provided in the adaptor 17 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The mounting arrangement for the header described above allows the header to pivot about the mounting ball relative to the adaptor and the combine body irrespective of the angle of the combine body so as to thereby remain parallel to the ground or to travel over melon holes and contour banks if required. Since the mounting ball is located directly above the feeder housing, the center of gravity of the header is suitably close to the feeder housing and can be more easily raised by the hydraulic rams than in other arrangements with draper headers. The foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, and many modifications and variations which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims (22)

1. A header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feed housing of the combine harvester, said 5 header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to said feeder housing and a header support beam 0 above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine 5 harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel.

2. A header and adaptor according to Claim 1, wherein said complementary mounting means includes a socket provided in said 0 main header beam and a mounting ball on said header support beam, said mounting ball being engaged within said socket to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis. 25

3. A header adapted to be mounted to an adaptor connected to the feeder housing of a combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening adapted for general alignment with a complementary feed inlet opening in the feeder housing and a main 30 header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said main header beam having a socket provided therein adapted to receive a complementary mounting ball on the adaptor so as allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to the adaptor 35 about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction 16 of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel.

4. An adaptor for mounting a header to the feed housing of a 5 combine harvester, the header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above the feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from the feed outlet opening to the feeder housing 0 and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said header support beam having a mounting ball thereon adapted to engage within a complementary socket in the main header beam to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of the main header beam relative to said header support 5 beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel. 0

5. A combine harvester having an adaptor connected to the feed housing and a header mounted to said adaptor, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening 25 adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam having a socket provided therein and said header support beam having a mounting ball thereon, said mounting ball being engaged within said socket 30 to form a ball and socket joint adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of 35 travel. 17

6. A combine harvester having an adaptor connected to the feed housing and a header mounted to said adaptor, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full 5 length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing and a header support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means 0 adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel, said adaptor having a 5 bottom beam below said feed inlet opening and adjacent the inlet to said feeder housing and said header having a feeder floor member secured thereto at one end and extending through said feed outlet opening into sliding engagement at its free end with said bottom beam, said feeder floor member being adapted to support 0 feed thereon for passage from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing.

7. A header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feed housing of the combine harvester, said 25 header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above said feed outlet opening extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing and a header 30 support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the 35 combine harvester and a second pivot axis extending substantially transverse to the direction of travel, said adapter having a 18 bottom beam below said feed inlet opening and adjacent the inlet to said feeder housing and said header having a feeder floor member secured thereto at one end and extending through said feed outlet opening and being adapted to slidably engage said bottom 5 beam at its free end, said feeder floor member being adapted to support feed thereon for passage from said feed outlet opening to the inlet of said feeder housing.

8. A header and adaptor according to Claim 7, wherein said 0 bottom beam has an upper face which extends forward of the feeder housing to provide a support surface for the free end of said feeder floor member.

9. A header and adaptor according to Claim 8, wherein the upper 5 face of said bottom beam is slightly inclined to the floor of the feeder housing towards the ground.

10. A header and adaptor according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein said feeder floor member is a spring steel plate which is o secured to the header floor and inclined upwardly thereto and adapted to engage with said ramp in a manner which applies a downwardly directed pre-load force on the feeder floor member to thereby urge its free end into engagement with the upper face of the bottom beam. 25

11. A header and adaptor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said header is also secured to said adaptor by linkage means remote from said complementary mounting means. 30

12. A header and adaptor according to Claim 11, whereinsaid linkage means are located adjacent the bottom of said feed outlet opening and said feed inlet opening on opposite sides of said adaptor. 19

13. A header and adaptor according to Claim 12, wherein said linkage means are adjustable to allow the header to be pitched relative to said adaptor. 5

14. A header and adaptor according to Claim 13, wherein said linkage means include length adjustable screw links.

15. A header and adaptor according to Claim 13, wherein said linkage means include hydraulic rams adapted to be operated from 0 the combine operators cabin.

16. A header for a combine harvester and an adaptor for mounting the header to the feeder housing of the combine harvester, said header having a feed outlet opening and a main header beam above 5 said feed outlet opening, a frame assembly extending over a substantial part of the full length of the header and connected to said main header beam, said frame assembly supporting laterally extending draper assemblies arranged to convey feed towards an intermediate portion of said header and a forward 0 extending draper assembly mounted in said intermediate portion and arranged to convey feed from said intermediate portion towards said feed outlet opening, said adaptor having a feed inlet opening adapted to allow feed to pass therethrough from said feed outlet opening to the feeder housing and a header 25 support beam above said feed inlet opening, said main header beam and said header support beam having complementary mounting means adapted to allow limited pivotal movement of said main header beam relative to said header support beam about a first pivot axis extending substantially in the direction of travel of the 30 combine harvester, said frame assembly supporting a header floor extending substantially continuously along the full width of the header and said main header beam and said frame assembly coacting in a truss-like manner to inhibit bending of said header. 35

17. A header and adaptor according to Claim 13, wherein said frame assembly also includes support members which are fixed 20 rigidly to and depend from said upper frame member, said support members having forward extending generally horizontal lower portions supporting the header floor and the draper assemblies thereon. 5

18. A header and adaptor as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

19. A header as hereinbefore described with reference to the 0 drawings.

20. An adaptor as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. 5

21. A combine harvester as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

22. A combine harvester having an adaptor and/or a header as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. 0