A harvesting machine includes a harvesting header (40) with a header frame (42), a cutterbar assembly (48) attached to the header frame along the length thereof and configured to cut a crop, and a draper assembly (50) positioned behind the cutterbar assembly and operable to receive severed crop material from the cutterbar assembly. The draper assembly includes a center fore-and-aft draper (54) that delivers crop material rewardly to a feeder house of the harvesting machine and oppositely spaced side drapers (52) that deliver crop material laterally to the center draper. The cutter bar assembly (48) and draper assembly (50) are operable to flex and thereby follow an uneven terrain. The fore-and-aft draper includes a draper frame (244,252,256) swingably supported on the header frame (42) at a pivot (254) to project forwardly therefrom and having a draper belt (250) supported on the draper frame to present a rearwardly moving run for conveying the crop rearwardly. The draper frame presents a forward margin (256,258) which is coupled to the cutterbar assembly (48) adjacent the forward margin such that the draper frame (244,252,256) is caused to swing relative to the header frame as the cutter bar assembly flexes up and down. The cutterbar assembly (48) is relatively inflexible along a section (282) defined between laterally outer margins of the fore-and-aft draper, wherein the forward margin (256,258) of the draper frame and generally the entire cutterbar assembly section move together as the draper frame swings (244,252,256) relative to the header frame (42).
