BR112014017748B1 - SICKLE CUTTER - Google Patents

Description

“FALCIFORM CUTTING APPLIANCE” [001] This invention generally relates to a sickle cell cutting device with improved cutting action that can allow increased travel speed, while maintaining cutting efficiency and / or stubble height at an acceptable level.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [002] The present invention generally relates to a crop cutting device that comprises a frame structure arranged to travel forward over the ground having a crop under harvest conditions thereon; a cutting bar fixed to the frame structure and extending transversely through the front end of said frame structure; a plurality of knife guards mounted in a spaced relation along said cutting bar and projecting forward of it in transverse alignment; each of said protectors having an upwardly protruding surface with opposite side edges thereof arranged to provide the first and second shear edges; a sickle bar mounted in a position that extends transversely and being conducted for reciprocity movement in relation to said knife guards; the sickle bar having a plurality of knife blades mounted thereon for movement with it; each of the knife blades has a cutting surface for passage along the protruding surface of the knife guards and an opposite surface; each of the knife blades having two lateral cutting edges, which are chamfered from the surface opposite the cutting surface that cooperate with said shear edges of said knife guards; the sickle bar being driven to carry the knife blades back and between the knife guards.

[003] It is well known that many cutting knives of this general type include a conventional or pointed protector, where the protector is formed as an element

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2/33 integral which includes a base piece attached to the cutter bar and which defines the protruding surface and a bridge that protrudes forward from the protruding surface at the front of the front edge of the blade, which is generally pointed towards one end front, in order to separate the culture from each side of the protector. This bridge is also at the front of the protruding surface to protect the front edge of the blade, and includes a shelf that extends to the rear over the protruding surface that forms a groove with the protruding surface through which the blade passes. Protectors of this type include separate fasteners between the protectors that apply downward pressure on the cutter bar to press the blades against the protruding surface.

[004] The pointed protectors generally have a point with a cutting groove in which the cutting blades reciprocate in and out. Various types of tightening arrangements are used to apply pressure to the cut to keep its shear surface in close contact with the protective register, as the cut occurs. These are usually located between the protective point or the rear edge of the cuts. Most are made of sheet metal and are easily adjusted using a hammer or a simple adjustment with a single point thread. By keeping the fixings separate from fixing less protectors than the points that can be used to reduce the cost and the number of adjustments needed. The pointed protectors found cutting conditions easier and very favorable due to the ease of adjustment and superior performance.

[005] Another form of protector is known as a non-cutting protector, which is formed by two separate pieces, including a base piece that leads to the protruding surface and an upper part, which extends over the protruding surface. The parts are separated and separately adjustable in relation to the cutter bar, so that the upper part can apply pressure on the blade to press it towards the protruding surface. The pieces end at a front edge, which is

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3/33 just behind the front edge of the slide, so that the front edge of the slide is presented for culture.

[006] In the hard cut, false or unclogged protectors found the most favorable. Fake guards use separate upper and lower protective parts that slightly space more than one blade thickness in addition to creating a groove for the blade to operate. The front edge of the protrusions on the blade protrudes slightly beyond the front edge of the two protectors. This feature is what originally provided false protectors in their self-cleaning, non-clogging action. A major improvement in false guard technology was made when the fully adjustable upper fixture sets were introduced. These arrangements allowed the gap to be controlled much more precisely than before, so that the shear surface of the blade was kept in close contact with the protruding protruding surface. This adjustment allows the upper piece of stubble to act as a much more effective fixation than the fixation found in regular pointed protective systems.

[007] The pointed protector has an advantage of presenting a point for the incoming culture, so that the culture is effectively divided around it. This is especially advantageous when the cutting blade is at or near the end or beginning of each stroke and a front edge of each blade, which is typically a blunt front edge of a width of the order of 0.5 inch, is partially hidden or entirely inside the protector slot. Since the sickle bar speed is lower at or near the end or beginning of each stroke that provides the pointed protector, a considerable advantage over the non-cutting protector for most cultivated materials.

[008] The protectors can be formed as individual elements separately mounted on the protective bar or as double or triple elements connected together, side by side for common assembly and common adjustment in relation to the bar

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Protective 4/33. There is no reason why more elements can be included, but this is not typical.

[009] In some cases, the arrangement is of the double cut type, where each sickle bar is essentially half the length of the cut bar and the cut bars reciprocate in the opposite phase to minimize the mass of vibration and vibrations. Generally, sickle bars are timed so that they move in opposite directions, so that vibrations induced inside the cutter bar assembly are minimized.

[010] The sickle cell cutting system has been widely accepted as the most energy efficient system, due to the shearing action. However, due to speed restrictions of generally less than 5 to 8 mph (miles per hour) travel speed, other systems, such as axis of rotation systems have come into use, as these can be operated at a speed of much greater displacement of up to 14 mph, while maintaining a high cutting efficiency. Such rotating systems, however, have much greater use of energy, are limited in width and provide the difficulties of handling culture to form effective bands for drying the culture.

[011] Therefore, a permanent and highly desirable objective remains to build a cutting knife system, which can cut the crop under harvesting conditions with sufficient cutting efficiency so that the travel speed can be significantly increased. It is believed that the construction of a sickle cutting system that can operate at displacement speeds of more than 5 to 8 mph and up to 14 mph would allow the advantages of the sickle cutting action to bring to the market currently being served by the axle systems .

[012] In cultivated cut materials, such as soybeans, where bean pods can be located adjacent to the soil, typically require low travel speeds of around 4 to 5 mph to ensure that the crop is cut

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5/33 and fed to the combine without much loss of pods. Pods can be lost if the cutting action causes some or many of the lower pods to be left as stubble or broken by the cutting action. It would be highly desirable to increase the cutting speed above the typical range of 4 to 5 mph, in order to increase this to or above 6 mph.

[013] Mowing crops, such as hay or forage, such as alfalfa or grasses, typically allow higher travel speeds of up to 10 mph, as the crop is more resistant to poor or inefficient mowing action. It would be highly desirable to increase the cutting speed above the typical range of up to 10 mph, in order to increase this to or above 12, or even 14 mph.

[014] The term sickle bar, as used here, is intended to refer generally to a structure that supports all of the knife blades in positions spaced along their length and is not intended to be limited to a single continuous element that extends along the entire length of the structure. Thus, the bar can be formed of different elements in different parts of the length and can include the lower and upper parts of the blades.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [015] It is an object of the present invention to provide a protector for a sickle-cell cutting device, which can provide an improvement in cutting efficiency leading to a possible increase in travel speed.

[016] In accordance with the invention, there is provided a sickle-cutting apparatus comprising: a frame structure arranged to travel forward over the soil with a crop under harvest conditions thereon; a cutting bar fixed to the frame structure and extending transversely across the front end of said frame structure to receive a plurality of fixed knife guards mounted along the cutting bar and projecting towards the front thereof; a sickle bar mounted in position that

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6/33 extends transversely and being conducted to the reciprocity movement in relation to said protective fingers; the sickle bar having a plurality of knife blades mounted thereon with the same movement; each of the knife blades having a cutting surface to pass through the knife guards; each of the knife blades having on the first and second sides of the first and second lateral cutting edges to cooperate with the shear edges of said protectors; comprising:

[017] a base portion to mount on the cutter bar;

[018] at least one protective finger mounted on the base portion, so that the fingers are arranged in a row along the cutting bar with a space between each finger and the next allowing the culture to enter the space;

[019] the protective finger which has a raised surface facing upwards with its opposite side edges arranged to provide the first and second shear edges;

[020] a spacing of central lines between each protective finger and the next being less than 3.0 inches;

[021] in which a width of each protector in a cut-back portion of the protruding surface is greater than 1.5 inches.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION [022] It has been found, as described below, in relation to the particularly described modalities, that a significant increase in the travel speed, while maintaining an acceptable level of cutting efficiency, as measured by the average stubble length can be obtained by a combination of one or more of the characteristics, where:

a) the distance between the centerline of the guards which is generally equal to the distance between the centerline of the blades is reduced from the conventional length of 3.0 inches. This distance can be equal to the stroke length,

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7/33 so that a shorter stroke length can allow for a significant increase in the reciprocity rate. However, the stroke length can be a multiple of the distance from the center line. Even when the stroke length is not reduced, so that the increase in the reciprocity rate cannot be achieved, the distance from the reduced center line has been shown to provide a significant advantage.

b) the length of the cutting edge of each knife blade, as measured from the rear end of a cutting action of a front edge of the knife blade, is increased from a conventional length to a length greater than than 2.2 inches.

c) the width of the protruding surface of each protector in a position aligned with the rear edge of the cutting edge of each knife blade is increased from a conventional length to a length greater than 1.0 inch.

d) the front end of the blade is formed with a pointed portion, where the shape of a vertex and the lateral edges of the pointed portion are arranged to protect the culture material surrounding the dot portion while the dot portion is moved forward in the culture to either side of the dot portion to cut and avoid pushing the culture forward by the dot portion.

[023] This combination, surprisingly, provides a crop cutting efficiency, which is high enough that the travel speed can be increased from the conventional, in the order of 5 to 8 mph at 12 to 14 mph. This increase is significant and significantly alters the capacity of the weaving header for forage crops, such as alfalfa greater than 10 mph and up to 14 mph, and for soybean harvest greater than 5 mph and up to 6 or 7 mph .

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8/33 [024] The present invention can be defined as, or related to the cutting method, the header for cutting, protectors and / or knife blades. Thus, each of these components of the present invention, includes aspects of the invention that distinguish that component from the prior art, as defined below.

Blade Length [025] A first improvement can therefore be obtained by providing a knife blade that is narrower than the conventional system, so that generally the width is equal to approximately 2.0 inches from center to center, providing a blade that is longer than the conventional system, so that the length from the trash bar to the tip is greater than 2.0 inches, and typically on the order of or greater than 2, 75 inches.

[026] This can also be combined with an arrangement in which the width of the garbage bar protector is increased, so that the width of each protector in the rear garbage bar is equal to the maximum width that can be obtained by leaving a space in the trash bar between the raised surfaces of the order of 0.5 inch or the necessary distance to avoid pinching of harvesting rods between the raised surfaces.

[027] Typically, each of the knife blades is generally triangular in shape, so that the lateral edges converge to a front edge with an angle of the order of 60 degrees in relation to the direction of the reciprocating movement. The blade has a lower cutting surface for the passage of the entire raised surface of the knife guards and an opposite or upper surface. The two converging side cutting edges are chamfered from the upper surface to the lower cutting surface to cooperate with the shear edges of said knife guard. In addition, the beveled side edges are typically cut with grooves running in a longitudinal direction to the

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9/33 reciprocity direction. In order to maximize the cutting action, the length of the cutting edge is substantially the maximum length that extends from the trash bar at the rear to a position close to the front edge of the blade.

[028] The front-to-back length of a blade has traditionally been on the order of 45 mm (1.75 inches) from the front of the garbage bar, which is the rearmost cutting point or the rear of the cutting action, the section tip, or 55 mm (2.2 inches) from the front edge of the knife back to the section tip. Traditionally, this dimension is generally similar to the length of the cutting edge.

[029] In this new arrangement, the front-to-back length of the blade is increased substantially. Thus, the length of the cutting edge of each cutting blade from the rearmost edge of the cutting action on the trash bar, or to the rear of the shearing action on the protruding surfaces, to a front edge of the blade in the present invention is greater than 1.75 inch. This can be in the range of 2.2 to 3.0 inches.

[030] The term garbage bar, as used here, does not require the provision of a specific bar element that extends through the blade which merely refers to the position of the system component where the crop is interrupted, as it moves backwards between the protective fingers. Thus, at some point in the harvest it is interrupted, so that it remains in the position where it can be surrounded by the lateral edges of the blades and can be cut in the shearing action in relation to the lateral edges of the protruding surface. This element that interrupts the culture movement is here called the garbage bar.

[031] This also reduces the angle of inclination into the cutting edge from the typical 30 degrees to an angle less than 20 degrees and typically in the order of 15 degrees and in the range of 15 to 30 degrees.

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10/33 [032] So, in one example, the blade has a width of 2.0 inches at the base and a length from the front of the trash bar to the tip of 2.5 inches.

Point of the Pointed Blade [033] It is a common practice for cutting sections, of the current type having the side edges chamfered and cut, to have a front edge in the order of 15 mm (0.6 inch) wide. When used with a pointed protector, this is not so much of an issue as this edge is sometimes in the shade of the protector. However, even with the pointed protectors and, certainly, when used with false protectors, the wide tip has the potential for the culture to run down or push the culture forward with the forward movement of the cutter bar, thus leaving the longer uncut stems larger in length than the minimum nominal value above, thus significantly increasing the average length that is measured here for cutting efficiency. In the present invention, the blade is designed with a pointed tip, thus eliminating the problem when used with false protectors.

[034] In some growing conditions, for example, forage with a mat of wet leaves close to the ground, pointed protectors tend to bind due to mouse nesting at the protective point. It is therefore important that a cutting system works well with the false protectors.

[035] The intention is, therefore, to provide a cutting blade, which is as pointed as reasonably practical. A sharp point is difficult to obtain, so the front edge is normally smoothly curved with a radius of curvature less than 0.5 inch, thus defining a frontal apex that is sufficiently narrow to protect the harvest stems on each side. That is, each knife blade has a frontal point portion on the front of the cutting edges, which has the lateral edges converging towards the frontal apex, where the apex and

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11/33 the side edges are formed and arranged in such a way that the culture material surrounds the dot portion, while the dot portion is moved forward in the culture, it is guarded to either side of the dot portion for the cut, and is not pushed forward by the stitch portion. In the present arrangement, the front vertex is not a point like this can be damaged, but it is a curved front edge with a radius of curvature less than 0.5 inch and preferably less than 0.25 inch. From this curvature, the sides of the pointed portion diverge backward at an angle approximately equal to or slightly greater than the angle of the cutting edges.

[036] On a blade, which has a center-to-center spacing of the order of 2.0 inches and an apex length for the trash bar greater than 2.0 inches, the angle of the side edges of the blade is less than than 20 degrees, and can be as low as 15 degrees.

[037] The angle of the lateral edges of the front stitch portion may be greater and is typically in the range of 30 to 45 degrees and, preferably, in the order of 35 degrees.

[038] This curvature at the vertex and the angle of divergence of the curved vertices act to protect the crop sideways and to avoid traps and push the crop forward.

[039] Although this is the ideal arrangement, a practical construction can have a straight line through the vertex with a transverse width that is much smaller than the conventional 0.6 inch and is typically less than 0.25 inch.

[040] Thus, each knife blade has a front point portion on the front of the cut and chamfered side cutting edges, where the front point portion has the lateral edges converging to the frontal apex, where the apex and the lateral edges of the frontal point portion are formed and arranged, in such a way that the culture material surrounds the frontal point portion, while the point portion is moved forward in the culture, it is guarded to either side of the

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12/33 front stitch portion to cut through the side cutting edges, and is not pushed forward through the front stitch portion.

[041] Preferably, the chamfered side edges are cut in a direction perpendicular to the forward direction.

[042] Preferably, the pointed portion has a thickness at the vertex equal to that of the blade.

[043] Preferably, the chamfered edges are reduced in width as they approach the pointed portion leaving a strip of the upper surface between the chamfered edges with a thickness equal to that of the blade with the lateral edges of the strip being parallel to the line blade center.

[044] Preferably, on this strip, the beveled edges become narrower, as the beveled edge approaches the pointed front portion of the blade.

[045] Preferably, the chamfered edges and toothed cutouts in them end in a spaced position from the apex of the pointed portion, such that the pointed front portion forms an arrowhead shape at the front of a front of the toothed cutouts with the width of the frontal pointed portion being substantially equal to the width of the lateral edges in a front of the toothed cutouts.

[046] Preferably, a centerline spacing between each knife blade and the next is less than 3.0 inches, preferably less than 2.5 inches, and more preferably on the order of or equal to 2.0 inches.

[047] Preferably, a length of each knife blade from the trash bar to a leading edge of the knife blade is greater than 2.0 inches, preferably greater than 2.5 inches and more, than preferably larger than 2.75 inches.

[048] Preferably, the front point portion has side edges that are not sharp.

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13/33 [049] Preferably, the radius of curvature of the pointed front portion at the apex is less than 0.5 inch and more, preferably less than 0.25 inch.

Blade Shape [050] The blade characteristics defined above, which are much narrower than conventional ones, 2.0 inches as opposed to 3.0 inches, and significantly larger, 2.5 to 2.75 inches, in as opposed to 2.2 inches place considerable limitations on the shape and arrangement of the beveled and cut edges.

[051] In order to form the pointed portion on the front edge at the front of the chamfered edges, the chamfered edges are reduced in width as they approach the front edge leaving a strip of the upper surface between the chamfered edges with the edges sides of the strip parallel to a center line of the blade. Thus, in this strip, the beveled edge becomes narrower and the grooves in the edge become shorter, as the beveled edge approaches the front apex of the blade. The chamfered edges and toothed cutouts in them end in a spaced position from the front apex to define a pointed arrowhead portion at the front of the chamfered edges, which transmits sufficient strength for the construction to allow formation toothed cutouts. The thickness of the blade through the main body of the blade excluding the chamfered edges is constant, so that the pointed portion and the apex are the same thickness as the rest of the main body of the blade and the chamfer that reduces the thickness is not extensible to the vertex.

Protective Cutting Edge Width [052] The cutting efficiency and therefore the length of the stubble are also affected by the width of the knife guard's cutting edge. Generally, the width at the rear of the cutting edge on the protector is in the order of 25 mm (1.0

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14/33 inch). In the arrangement of the present invention, that width is substantially increased. Thus, the width of each protector in a position in line with the rear edge of the cutting edge of each blade is greater than 1.0 inch. The maximum width of the protector is slightly less than the center-to-center spacing of the blades, as it is necessary to leave a gap between the protectors at the back to prevent it from compressing the culture and to allow the culture to reach the back for the rearmost cutting action. Thus, with a blade center for 2.0 inch center spacing, the width of the guard is slightly less than the width of the blade or about 1.9 inches. Thus, with a blade of this width, the width of the protectors can be as much as 1.9 inches, and preferably, lies in the range of 1.2 to 1.9 inches. However, when the blade is greater than 2.0 inches in width, the guard has a width that varies between 0.5 and 0.1 inches less than the width of the blade.

[053] Thus, the arrangement provided here provides centerline spacing between each protective finger and the next one that is less than 3.0 inches and more, preferably 2.0 inches, where a width of each protector on the bar rear trash is larger than 1.5 inch and preferably 1.75 inch.

[054] Thus, a width of each protector on the rear trash bar is equal to the maximum width that can be obtained by leaving a space in the trash bar between the raised surfaces of the order of 0.5 inch or the distance necessary to avoid pinching the harvesting stems between the protruding surfaces.

[055] Preferably, the stroke length is equal to the centerline spacing between the knife blades.

[056] Preferably, in the stroke position, where the center line of the knife blades is aligned with the center line of the protective fingers, the side cutting edges of the knife blades overlap substantially directly with the side edges of the protruding surface.

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15/33 [057] Preferably, each knife blade has a front point portion on the front of the side cutting edges, which the front point portion has the lateral edges converging to the front vertex, where the apex and edges sides of the front stitch portion are shaped and arranged in such a way that the culture material surrounds the front stitch portion, while the stitch portion is shifted forward in the culture, it is guarded to either side of the stitch portion front for cutting through the side cutting edges, and is not pushed forward through the front point portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [058] Figure 1 is a top plan view of a header part, showing a portion of the cutting knife, according to a first embodiment of the present invention using a non-cutting protector.

[059] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

[060] Figure 3 is a top plan view of a knife blade for use in the cutting knife in Figure 1.

[061] Figure 4 is a side elevation view along the knife blade in Figure 3.

[062] Figure 5 is a top plan view of a knife blade from Figure 3 on an enlarged scale that shows the angles of the side edges for different length blades.

[063] Figure 6 is a top plan view of a knife blade of the type in Figure 3, showing a blade of different width.

[064] Figure 7 is a top plan view of a header part showing a blade of a cutting knife, according to a second embodiment of the present invention using a pointed protector.

[065] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along lines 8-8 of the

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16/33

Figure 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [066] Figures 1 and 2 show a first modality of a crop cutting device in general, indicated by 10. Only a part of the complete machine is shown, since the rest of the machine can vary widely, depending on requirements and since construction is, of course, well known to a person skilled in the art. In this embodiment, as shown, there is a structure generally indicated by 11, which constitutes only a part of the total frame structure which is the part of the structure that is relevant to the present invention.

[067] The cutting device 10 further includes a cutting bar 12 connected to the frame structure 11. Thus, the frame structure 11 in the part as shown comprises a protective bar 13 to which a plurality of knife guards 14 are attached. The protective bar 13 is connected to the frame structure which supports the protective bar in a fixed position through the front edge of the structure during a cutting action of the crop cutting device on the crop under harvest conditions.

[068] Each knife guard 14 includes one or more protective fingers 14A, so that the guards can be arranged with a single finger, pair of fingers or triples. As shown, the protective bar forms a three-finger triple protector construction, where a series of such protectors are mounted on the protective bar 13 in positions spaced along the length of the protective bar. In the modality, as shown, only one of the guards is shown, but it should be noted that additional guards are available as needed to provide a culture cutting device of the required width.

[069] The knife guards shown in Figures 1 and 2 are basically of a conventional construction of a non-cutting protector, in which each finger

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17/33 protector 14A includes a lower portion 15 and an upper portion 16. These two portions are mounted on the protective bar 13 by a mounting arrangement 17, including screws 18. The mounting arrangement thus fixes a rear end 19 of the lower part 15 rigidly on the lower side of the bar 13, so that the protective fingers protrude forward from the bar to a front nose 20. Likewise, the upper portion 16 is mounted on the protective bar 13 by an adjustment plate 21 fixed on the same screws 18. The upper portion 16 has the fingers extending forward to a nose 22.

[070] In the modality shown, the guards are non-cutting guards, so that the noses 20, 22 of the upper and lower portions overlap substantially with each other and confine between them, the blades 23 of the sickle bar or posterior knife 24 .

[071] Each pair of protectors therefore includes two protective elements, each defined by an upper portion and a lower portion, and the protective elements are shown in FIG. 1 in 15 and 16. A front culture guide bar or trash bar 28 is also provided. Between the mounting bar 21 and the front guide bar 28, a channel 25 is provided within which the sickle bar or posterior knife 24 is mounted for reciprocating movement.

[072] The garbage bar can form a continuous bar element that extends along the lower protective portion 15 at the front of the bar 24 to prevent any crop from reaching that area. However, the garbage bar can be formed by any part of the system, which prevents the crop from moving backwards beyond the rear edge of the cutting edges of the blades.

[073] There may be a single sickle bar activated from one end or in some cases, there are two sickle bars activated from the opposite ends and meeting in the middle. The sickle bar or bars are driven by the reciprocity drive motor (not shown, but conventional), in such a way

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18/33 so that the bar alternates back and forth.

[074] In some cases, the bar alternates by a distance S1 equal to the space between the nose of one of the protectors 15, 16 and that of the next along the protective bar 13, so that the blades alternate from one position with the centerline of the knife aligned with the centerline of the first protector to a position aligned with the next and back to the first. In other cases, the reciprocity course can be as shown in S2, a multiple of, typically double, the distance between the protectors, so that the knife moves from a first protective finger through a second to a third and back to the first. This arrangement reduces the rate of reciprocity available due to the increased acceleration forces, but reduces the number of inversions.

[075] The following table shows the stroke rate determined in rpm to be used in the calculation of inefficiency for different speeds and stroke length.

6 MPH Typical RPM 10 MPH Typical RPM 14 MPH Typical RPM 2 ’’ course 735 918 1102 3 ’’ course 600 750 900 4 ’’ course 520 650 779

[076] Each sickle bar comprises the support bar element 24 and the plurality of blades indicated in 23. As shown, the blades are formed in pairs mounted on a common base, as shown in Figure 3, but the individual blades can supplied or, in some cases, the blades may have more than two on the same base.

[077] Each of the blades forms an element generally triangular in shape, which has a rear end or base 23A screwed to the bar and which converges from the rear end to a front end 23B. Each

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19/33 one of the blades has an upper surface 23D and a lower surface 23E. Each of the blades has a side edge 23F and a second side edge 23G. The side edges are chamfered from the top surface to the bottom surface 23E, so that a sharp edge is formed on the bottom surface of each of the side edges. The blades are also cut at each cutting edge with grooves 23L, 23M that extend parallel to the bars 24, which are at right angles to a central line 23H.

[078] The upper element 16 acts to hold the blades in a downward direction for engagement with the upper protruding surface 15A of the lower portion 15. The lower portion 15 has two lateral edges of the protruding surface 15A as best shown in FIG. 2 with those side edges 15B and 15C that act as side edges of the protruding surface 15A. Thus, the cutting action of the blades occurs between register 15A and the bottom surface 23E of the blade, as the blade alternates from its position to one of the protectors to its position in the next adjacent to one of the protectors. In this cutting action, therefore, the lateral edge of the blade moves through the space between the protectors and enters the protruding surface of the next protector in a cutting action between the lower surface of the blade and the upper surface of the protector, which are immediately adjacent and are generally in contact, or at least very adjacent, to provide a shearing action on the culture.

[079] In these protectors, the upper portion 16 acts merely as a fastening element that puts the upper surface of each blade in contact, in order to prevent it from moving away from the raised surface 15A by applying pressure to the upper surface 23D of the blade and holding the blade in contact with or close to the protruding surface 15A of the lower portion, where the cutting action occurs. The upper portion 16, therefore, as shown in Figure 1, has the side surfaces 16B and 16C of the lower surface

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20/33

16A, which are narrower than the raised surface 15A of the lower portion 15.

[080] The mounting and adjustment arrangements for the lower portion 15 and the upper portion 16 may vary according to a number of different designs readily available to one skilled in the art. Suffice it to say that the clamping portion 16 is adjustable, so that the gap between the lower surface of the clamping portion and the raised surface of the lower portion 15 can be adjusted to allow the sliding action of the blades, keeping the blades in position desired.

[081] Descriptions of the following documents from the present Claimants can be referred to for details on construction not provided for here. These show several conventional details of the cutting knife system that can be used in the arrangement here, but are not described as they are known to those skilled in the art.

[082] U.S. Patent 7,328,565 (Snider) issued February 12, 2008;

[083] U.S. Patent 4,894,979 (Lohrentz) issued January 23, 1990;

[084] U.S. Patent 4,909,026 (Molzahn) issued March 20, 1990;

[085] US Patent 6,962,040 (Talbot) issued on November 8, 2005. [086] US Order 13 / 680,557 filed on November 19, 2012 based on Provisional Order 61 / 577,427 filed on December 19, 2011 (Talbot) refers to an adjustable fixture.

[087] In Figure 1, a drive for knife bar 24 is shown schematically at 24A. This can comprise any suitable drive system known to those skilled in the art of a type that can generate a 2 inch S1 stroke at a drive rate of typically 918 rpm. The system can also be arranged in an alternative mode to activate the 4-inch S2 stroke, in which case the reciprocity rate may be lower. O

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21/33 drive system 24A includes an input of a travel speed indicator 24B that allows automatic adjustment of the stroke rate of the drive system 24A depending on the travel speed. As the system here provides cutting efficiency, which is greater than that of previous models and suitable for cutting at speeds of up to 14 mph, which is possible when operating at lower travel speeds, such as lower than 10 mph to reduce the knife thrust rate, since the maximum cutting effect is not necessary at these lower travel speeds. Thus, the system can be arranged to automatically control the knife speed to a lower fixed value when the travel speed is less than a predetermined value or to provide proportional control of the drive speed.

[088] The knife blade 23 is narrower than the conventional system, so that generally the width W is equal to the stroke length, which is about 2.0 inches from center C to center C, providing a blade that has a length L greater than the conventional system, so that the length from the trash bar 28 to the 23K tip is greater than 2.0 inches and typically on the order of or greater than 2.75 inches .

[089] This can also be combined with an arrangement, in which the width W1 of the protruding protruding surface on the garbage bar 28 is increased, so that the width W1 of each protector on the rear garbage bar is equal to the maximum width that it can be obtained by leaving a space S in the trash bar between the raised surfaces in the order of 0.5 inch or the distance necessary to avoid pinching the harvesting rods between the raised surfaces.

[090] Typically, each of the cutting blades is generally in a triangular shape with straight side edges 23F, 23G. However, other forms of lateral edges 23F, 23G, in plane, such as convex or concave can be

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22/33 used. Thus, the lateral edges 23F, 23G converge towards the front vertex 23K at an angle of the order of 60 degrees in relation to the direction of the reciprocating movement. The two converging side cutting edges 23F, 23G are chamfered from the top surface 23D to the bottom cutting surface 23E to cooperate with the shear edges of the knife guards. In addition, the chamfered side edges are cut with the grooves 23L, 23M running in a longitudinal direction to the reciprocity direction. In order to maximize the cutting action, the length of the cutting edge is substantially the maximum length that extends from the garbage bar 28 at the rear to a position close to the front apex 23K of the blade.

[091] In this new arrangement, the conventional front-to-back length of the blade is increased substantially. Thus, the length of the cutting edge of each cutting blade from the rearmost end of the cutting action on the garbage bar 28, or towards the rear of the shearing action on the protruding surfaces 15A, for the frontal apex 23K of the blade in the present invention is greater than 1.75 inches. This can be in the range of 2.2 to 3.0 inches.

[092] Cutting efficiency and therefore stubble length are also affected by the width of the knife guard's cutting edge. In the arrangement of the present invention, that width is substantially increased. Thus, the width W1 of each protector on the garbage bar 28, is greater than 1.0 inch. The maximum width of the protector is slightly less than the center-to-center spacing of the blades, as it is necessary to leave the S gap between the protectors at the back to prevent the culture from pinching and to allow the culture to reach the back for the rearmost cutting action. Thus, with a 2.0 inch center-to-center spacing blade, the width W1 of the guard is slightly less than that of the blade width or about 1.9 inches. So, with a blade of this width, the width of the guards can be as much as 1.9 inches, and preferably

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23/33, is in the range of 1.2 to 1.9 inches. However, when the blade is greater than 2.0 inches wide, the guard has a width that varies between 0.5 and 0.1 inch less than the width of the blade.

[093] In the current position shown in Figure 1, where the center line C of the knife blades is aligned with the center line C1 of the protective fingers, the side cutting edges of the knife blades 23F, 23G substantially directly overlap the edges sides 15B, 15C of the raised surface 15A.

[094] Each knife blade has a front point portion 23X at the front of the side cutting edges 23F, 23G, where the front point portion has side edges 23N, 23P converging to the front apex 23K, where the apex and the side edges of the front stitch portion 23X are shaped and arranged in such a way that the culture material surrounds the front stitch portion, while the stitch portion is moved forward in the culture, it is guarded for one or the other side of the front stitch portion for cutting through the side cutting edges, and is not pushed forward by the front stitch portion 23X.

[095] As shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the arrowhead-shaped front point portion 23X has side edges 23N, 23P that are not sharp. The chamfer angle of the sides 23F and 23G can partially extend into the side edges 23N and 23P, but the side edges 23N and 23P are not chamfered to the bottom surface 23E, so they are not sharp. Also, the last toothed cutout 23Y of the edges of the chamfers 23F and 23G is located at the bottom of the portion 23X, so that the side edges 23N and 23P are not cut out. The pointed portion 23X has a thickness at the vertex 23K equal to that of the blade, so that, as shown in Figure 4B, the thickness along the central line remains constant until the vertex 23K. The arrangement is designed so that the front portion 23X is as thick as possible over its entire length compatible with the requirement for the blade machine to form the

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24/33 chamfered and cut edges 23F, 23G. Thus, the chamfered side edges 23N and 23P are reduced in width in plan view, in which they approach the pointed portion 23X leaving a strip 23R of the upper surface between the chamfered edges with thickness equal to that of the blade with the side edges 23Q of strip being parallel to the 23H center line of the blade. Thus, in this strip 23R, the chamfered side edges 23N and 23P become narrower as the chamfered side edges 23N and 23P address the pointed front portion 23X of the blade.

[096] The chamfered side edges 23N and 23P and the toothed cutouts 23L in them end in the 23Y position spaced from the 23K apex of the pointed portion 23X, such that the front pointed portion 23X forms an arrowhead shape on the part front of a more front 23Y of the toothed cutouts with the width of the front pointed portion 23X being substantially equal to the width of the side edges 23N and 23P in a more forward 23Y of the toothed cutouts.

[097] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a CLS centerline spacing between each knife blade and the next is less than the conventional value of 3.0 inches and, preferably, on the order of or equal to 2, 0 inches. It will be appreciated that a center-to-center spacing measure that is equal to an integral number of inches is preferred for engineering reasons, but in theory, it is not essential to have an integer and in some cases the spacing can be in millimeters . In practice, a spacing in the range of 2.5 to 1.5 inches is adequate. In Figure 6 (not on the scale) a larger spacing of 2.5 inches is shown. In Figure 5, the angles of different blade lengths are shown, where a blade that is at least 2.5 inches long from the trash bar is shown with an A2 angle from the side edges and a shorter blade with a length of the order of 2.0 inches from the trash bar with angles A3. In each case, the angles of the side edges 23N and 23P are turned on. 870190013605, of 10/02/2019, p. 38/51

25/33 higher than those of the cutting edges.

[098] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a length L along the center line 23H of each knife blade from the trash bar which is the rearmost edge 23T of the cutting edge 23F to the front end 23K of the knife blade is substantially equal to or greater than 2.75 inches. The improvement in cutting efficiency is obtained by increasing the length of the blade, so that the selection of a value of at least 2.75 inches is preferred, which provides the improved cutting action, avoiding a blade that has a length larger than can be manufactured in order to remain rigid and direct in the cutting action without danger of bending. The improvement can be achieved at any value greater than conventional blades, so that any value greater than 2.0 inches is within the present invention. A length greater than 2.5 inches will provide a significant improvement.

[099] In order to provide the spill of the crop at the apex, the radius of curvature of the pointed front portion at the apex is less than 0.5 inch and preferably less than 0.25 inch. However, a free front edge is possible as long as it is narrow enough and a value less than 0.25 inch or more, preferably less than 0.125 inch is possible.

[0100] The geometry above provides a construction, in which the lateral edges of the blade are arranged in relation to a central line of the blade at an angle less than 30 degrees and, preferably, less than 25 degrees.

[0101] Similarly, the lateral edges of the front portion, which are typically, but not necessarily at the same angle as the lateral edges of the blade, are arranged with respect to a center line of the blade at an angle less than 30 degrees and preferably less than 25 degrees. In practice, this angle is preferably in the order of 20 degrees.

[0102] Thus, the preferred construction provides line spacing

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26/33 center between each knife blade and the next one is on the order of or equal to 2.0 inches, the radius of curvature of the front pointed portion at the apex is less than 0.25 inch and the side edges of the front portion are arranged in relation to a central line of the blade with an angle of the order of 20 degrees.

[0103] As shown in Figure 1, the width between the centers of the guards is indicated in D. This can be the same as the length of the cutting stroke, so that the blades move from a position aligned with the line center of a protective finger of the next. However, in some embodiments, the stroke may be a multiple of distance D, typically twice, so that the blades move from the first protective finger to the third through the second. The reversal of the reciprocity action on the protective center line ensures that the blades are fixed and, therefore, make no cuts when they are covered with the protector and not in an intermediate location. Increasing the stroke length to a multiple of the finger reduces the number of times the blades are attached, but requires a reduced stroke rate due to the increased forces on the drive system.

[0104] This distance D is less than 3.0 inches and is preferably more than 2.0 inches. Typically, the stroke can be in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 inches, as it provides a stroke length that allows an increase in the reciprocity rate of cutting the sickle bar by a percentage of the order of 22%. This allows a typical speed of 600 cycles per minute, suitable for a 40 foot sickle bar, to be increased at a rate greater than 750. For shorter bars this rate can be greater than 900. The length of the stroke and the speeds are determined by the selected geometry of the drive system.

[0105] Typically, each of the knife blades 23, as shown in Figure 2, is generally in a triangular shape. In the example shown, blades 23

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27/33 form a double blade connected by a base 23A. The base has holes 23J for mounting on the blade actuation bar 24. The blade 23 has two side edges 23F, 23G, which converge at an angle A for the direction of the reciprocating movement. At the front of the blade, a 23K frontal apex of a 23X front arrowhead portion is provided.

[0106] The blade has a lower cutting surface 23E to pass across the raised surface 15A of the lower knife guards 15 and an opposite or upper surface 23D. The two converging side cutting edges 23F, 23G are chamfered from the top surface 23D to the bottom cutting surface 23E to cooperate with the shear edges of the knife guards. In addition, the chamfered side edges 23F, 23G are typically cut with grooves 23L, 23M executed in a longitudinal direction for the reciprocity direction. In order to maximize the cutting action, the length of the cutting edge is substantially the maximum length extending from the trash bar 28 or the rear edge 23T at the rear to a position on the front edge or tip 23K of the blade.

[0107] The front-to-back length of a blade has traditionally been on the order of 1.75 inches from the front of the garbage bar to the tip of the section, or 2.2 inches from the front edge of the part from the back of the knife to the tip of the section.

[0108] In this new arrangement, the length L front-to-back of the blade is increased substantially. Thus, the length of the cutting edges of each cutting blade or blade is greater than 2.2 inches. This can be as much as 2.6 inches and can be in the range of 2.2 to 3.0 inches.

[0109] This also reduces the angle A of inclination into the cutting edge from the typical 30 degrees in relation to the center line (an equilateral triangle) to an angle less than 30 degrees and typically in the order of 15 degrees and in the range of

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28/33 to 30 degrees.

[0110] It is common practice for cutting blades to have the front edge as a straight transverse edge of the order of 0.6 inches wide. The wide tip has the potential for low culture, thus leaving the stems uncut for a long time. In the present invention, the blade is designed with a pointed tip or 23K frontal apex, thus eliminating the problem.

[0111] The intention is therefore to provide a cutting blade that is as pointed at the 23K frontal apex as far as practicable. A sharp point is difficult to obtain, so that generally the front apex 23K is gently curved with a radius of curvature R of a curved circle C less than 0.5 inch, thus defining the front apex 23K which is narrow enough to guard the harvest stems on each side.

[0112] Consequently, each knife blade has a front point portion on the front of the cutting edges, which has the side edges 23N, 23P converging to the front vertex, where the vertex and side edges are formed and arranged in such that the culture material surrounds the dot portion while the dot portion is moved forward in the culture is guarded to either side of the dot portion for cutting, and is not pushed forward by the dot portion.

[0113] Although this is the ideal arrangement, a practical construction can have a cross-sectional width of a straight line through the 23K vertex that is much smaller than the conventional 0.7 inch and is typically less than 0.25 inch. This narrow front edge is selected to be narrow enough, so that the crop is guarded on both sides and does not push forward when the blade moves forward.

[0114] The side edges 23N and 23P are angled out and away from the vertex at an angle A1 with respect to the central line 23H of the order of 35

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29/33 degrees, and certainly less than 45 degrees from the 23H axis.

[0115] The characteristics of the blade defined above, where they are much narrower than conventional ones and significantly larger, which place limitations on the shape and arrangement of the chamfered and cut edges 23F, 23G.

[0116] Thus, the chamfered edges 23F, 23G are reduced in width by 23Q, as they approach the pointed front edge portion 3K at the vertex 23X leaving a strip 23R of the upper surface between the chamfered edges with the parallel side edges of the strip 23R. Thus, in this strip 23R, the chamfered edge 23F, 23G becomes narrower and the grooves 23L, 23M on the edge become shorter, as the chamfered edge approaches the pointed front portion 23X of the blade. The chamfered edges 23F, 23G and the grooves 23L, 23M still terminate in a spaced position from the front apex 23K to define the arrowhead-shaped portion 23X on the front of the chamfered edges, which transmits sufficient force to the construction to allow the formation of toothed cutouts.

[0117] Cutting efficiency and therefore stubble length are also affected by the width of the cutting edge 15B, 15C of the protruding surface 15A of knife guard 14. Generally, the width W1 between the edges 15B and 15C on the the rear edge of the cutting edge on the protector in the arrangement of the present invention is substantially increased, from the conventional width of the order of 1.0 inch. Thus, the width W1 of each protector in a position therein aligned with the rear edge of the cutting edge of each blade is greater than 1.0 inch. The maximum width with a blade of 2.0 inches in width is slightly less than the width of the blade or about 1.9 inches. Thus, with a blade of this width, the width of the protectors can be as much as 1.9 inches, and preferably, lies in the range of 1.2 to 1.9 inches. However, when the blade is

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30/33 greater than 2.0 inches wide, the protector has a width that is between 0.5 and 0.1 inch less than the width of the blade. The lower guard is also reduced, so that its edges 15B and 15C remain close to the edges of the blade, when the blade and guard are in the aligned position at the end of a stroke. Thus, the angle of convergence of the edges 15A and 15B resembles the angle A. This leaves a space S at the rear of the protectors 15 on the garbage bar 28 to avoid pinching the crop at this location. This space S should generally be greater than 0.4 inches and is typically on the order of 0.5 inches.

[0118] Thus, the cutting system is carried out in such a way that it moves through or near the ground, in contact with the ground, as shown or at a determined cutting height. In both cases, it determines a cutting height or the nominal cutting distance from the ground, which is the length of any harvesting stem, if you cut efficiently and directly, once it reaches the location between the blade and the raised surface. In Figure 2, the cutting bar rests on the ground in a skid plate 80, which maintains the raised surface 15A at the height ND from the ground. Typically, this is on the order of 1.5 inches, but this can be slightly varied by changing the angle of the cutter bar on a transverse axis, changing the header angle.

[0119] Now returning to Figures 7 and 8, the shape of the pointed protector for use in the present invention in conjunction with the pointed blade is shown and described in more detail as follows.

[0120] The knife guard 30 for use in a sickle cell cutting apparatus 10 includes the frame structure 11, the protective bar 13, the sickle bar 24 and the knife blades 23 as previously described. Each of the knife blades 23 has a cutting surface 23D to pass through the raised surface 15A of the knife guards 151. Each of the knife blades has on the first and second sides the first and second side cutting edges, as described above 870190013605, of 02/10/2019, p. 44/51

31/33 orally, to cooperate with the shear edges 152 of the guards 151.

[0121] Knife guard 151 includes a base portion 154 for mounting on the cutting bar 13, a rear trash bar 28 at the front of the base portion 154 and at least one protective finger 153. In this embodiment , three fingers 153 are arranged in a row, where the finger or fingers 153 are mounted on the base portion 154, so that the fingers are arranged in a row along the cutting bar with a space 155 between each finger and the next cultur allowing to enter the space to a position of engagement with the rear trash bar 28.

[0122] The protective fingers have turned upward to the raised surface 15A with the opposite side edges arranged to provide the first and second shear edges. The protective fingers have a downwardly facing soil engaging surface 156 and are willing to provide protection for the stone wrap as the fingers slide over the ground. That is, each finger is strong enough to prevent rupture in the event of an impact of stones and obstacles causing the cutting bar to rise, if the impact is sufficient and extends along the sufficient number of protective fingers to provide the action of elevation. This shape of the ground engaging surface is well known to those skilled in the art and includes a longitudinal rib, which is generally triangular in cross-section over the bottom of the upper part containing the protruding surface. The base of the rib thus forms a vertex that runs over the ground to prevent upward forces from taking the protective finger off the protruding surface.

[0123] A vertical transverse shoulder 157 is provided to a front edge of the protruding surface 15A and extends upward to an upper surface 158 of the finger where the shoulder ends. Thus, there is no conventional drag, in which no protective portion extends backwards along the protruding surface 15A from the projection 158. Above the protruding surface, for example,

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Therefore, the knife blades are free of confinement by conventional drag, as used in a conventional pointed protector or by a cooperation of the upper protective finger of the type used in a non-cutting protector, as described above.

[0124] A portion of the tip 159 at the front of the protruding surface extends forward from the projection 158 and defines a generally forward pointed tip 160 to envelop the cultures at the front of the protruding surface 15A.

[0125] A length L1 of the raised surface 15A from the garbage bar 28 to the shoulder 157 is greater than 2.0 inches or more, preferably greater than 2.5 inches; and a length L2 of the tip portion 159 from the shoulder to the tip is less than 1.0 inch or more, preferably less than or equal to 0.75 inch.

[0126] As previously defined, a centerline spacing between each knife-protective finger and the next is less than 3.0 inches and, preferably, about 2.0 inches.

[0127] As previously defined, a width of each protective finger on the rear trash bar is greater than 1.0 inch and more preferably is greater than 1.5 inch or equal to the maximum width that can be obtained by leaving a space in the trash bar between the raised surfaces in the range of 0.25 to 0.5 inch or the distance needed to avoid pinching the harvesting rods between the raised surfaces.

[0128] The lateral edges of the raised surface 15A converge from the garbage bar 28 to the ledge 15 at an A4 angle greater than 10 degrees and, preferably, on the order of 12 degrees for an LR line perpendicular to the trash bar or parallel to the CL axis. The angle A5 of the lateral edges on the shoulder increases, so that the tip portion is shorter than would be the case, if the angle

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33/33 lo A4 was continued to the tip. However, in general, it will be appreciated that a line joining the rear end 161 of the side edge of the protruding surface 15A and the tip 160 converges at an angle greater than 10 degrees from the side edge to a line perpendicular to the trash bar.

[0129] As the side edges converge at a relatively quick angle from the base to the tip, the protruding surface has a width W3 in the projection 157 of less than 0.75 inch and, preferably, of the order of 0.5 inch .

[0130] A plurality of separate fasteners 162 arranged so as to enclose the blades at each third finger space are also provided. This has a base portion 163 mounted to the cutter bar 13 and a finger portion 164 that extends along the protruding surface of one of the fingers 14A.

Claims (10)

1. Sickle cell cutting apparatus, comprising: a frame structure (11) mounted on a transport device carrying the frame structure (11) running forward over the soil having a crop under harvest conditions thereon; a cutting bar (12) attached to the frame structure (11) and extending transversely across the front end of said frame structure to receive a plurality of stationary knife guards (14) mounted along the cutting bar (12 ) and projecting to the front of it; a sickle bar (24) mounted in a position that extends transversely and being conducted for reciprocity movement in relation to the protective fingers (153); the sickle bar (24) having a plurality of knife blades (23) mounted thereon; each of the knife blades (23) having a cutting surface (23E) engaging the knife guards; each of the knife blades (23) having on the first and second sides of the first and second lateral cutting edges to cooperate with the first and second the shear edges (23F, 23G) of the protectors (14); each knife guard (14) comprising: a base portion (154) mounted on the cutter bar (12); at least one protective finger (153) mounted on the base portion (154), so that the fingers (153) are arranged in a row along the cutting bar (12) with a space between each finger (153) and the close allowing culture to enter space; the protective finger (153) which has a raised surface (15A) facing upwards with its opposite side edges arranged to provide said Petition 870190013605, of 10/02/2019, p. 48/51 2/3 first and second shear edges (23F, 23G); the spacing of central lines between each protective finger (153) and the next being in the range between 2 and 3 inches, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the width of each finger protector (153) in a further cut portion of said protruding surface (15A) is greater than 1.5 inches while leaving a space in the further cut portion of said surface protruding (15A) between the protruding surface (15A) and a finger protector (153) and the protruding surface (15A) of an adjacent finger protector (153) that is greater than 0.25 inch. 2. Sickle-cutting apparatus according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that a width of each protector (153) in the rearmost cutting portion of said protruding surface (15A) is greater than 1.75 inches. 3. Sickle cell apparatus according to either of claims 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the spacing of central lines between each protective finger (153) and the next is equal to 2.5 inches. 4. Sickle cell apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the spacing of central lines between each protective finger (153) and the next is equal to 2.0 inches. 5. Sickle cell apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the length of the reciprocal movement stroke is equal to the spacing of central lines between the protective fingers (153). 6. Sickle-shaped apparatus according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that in the position in a reciprocal movement course, where the central line of the knife blades (23) is aligned with the central line of the Petition 870190013605, of 10/02/2019, p. 49/51 3/3 protective fingers (153), the lateral cutting edges of the knife blades (23) overlap the lateral edges of the protruding surfaces (23E). Sickle cell cutting device according to either of claims 1 or 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that each knife blade (23) has a front point portion (23X) on the front of the lateral cutting edges (23F, 23G), where the frontal point portion (23X) has the lateral edges (23N, 23P) converging to the frontal apex (23K), where the apex and lateral edges (23N, 23P) of the frontal point portion (23X) are shaped and arranged in such a way that the culture material surrounds the front stitch portion (23X), while the stitch portion is moved forward in the culture, it is guarded to either side of the front stitch portion (23X ) to cut through the side cutting edges (23F, 23G) and is not pushed forward by the front point portion. 8. Sickle-cutting apparatus according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the front point portion (23X) has side edges that are not sharp (23N, 23P). Sickle-cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that a plurality of elements held down (162) separated, arranged to engage the blades (23) on the fingers (153), is provided. 10. Sickle-cutting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that each knife guard (14) comprises a non-cutting guard with a lower element (15) defining the finger (153) and a upper element (16) that overlaps the finger (153) with the knife blade (23) having a length, in order to project forward from a front end (20, 22) of the upper elements (16) and bottom (15).