Rotating reel type forage harvester

Claim 1

A CROP-CHOPPING MACHINE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A MOBILE FRAME ADAPTED TO ADVANCE OVER A FIELD HAVING CROPS BORNE BY THE FIELD IN SUCH MANNER THAT THE TOPS OF THE CROPS ARE SPACED ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL; ELONGATED ROTARY CHOPPING MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND OUTER ENDS AND DISPOSED WITH ITS LENGTH GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AND DIAGONAL TO THE LINE OF ADVANCE AND HAVING A SINGLE CONTINUOUS AXIS OF ROTATION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO ITS LENGTH AND SPACED ABOVE THE GROUND TO SPAN A CROP SWATH OF PREDETERMINED WIDTH MEASURED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LINE OF ADVANCE OF THE MACHINE; MEANS JOURNALLING THE ROTARY MEANS ON THE FRAME ON SAID AXIS, INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND COAXIAL BEARINGS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME RESPECTIVELY CLOSELY ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND ENDS AND A THIRD BEARING ON SAID AXIS AND FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND SUPPORTING THE ROTARY MEANS AT A PORTION THEREOF INTERMEDIATE SAID ENDS; PERIPHERALLY ARRANGED CHOPPING ELEMENTS CARRIED BY AND FOR ROTATION WITH SAID ROTARY MEANS AND INCLUDING A FIRST SET OF ELEMENTS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND THIRD BEARINGS AND A SECOND SET OF ELEMENTS