A crop harvesting header includes a reel rotatable about a reel axis. The reelhas a reel bat supported at a spaced distance from the reel axis. The reel batcan pivot about a bat axis radially spaced from the reel axis. The reel bathas acrop collection member that extends generally away from the bat axis. The reelbat can move in a cyclical path around the reel axis during rotation of thereel.The reel bat can vary the angle of the crop collection member about the bataxis as the reel rotates about the reel axis. A sun gear is provided that maybepositioned in axial alignment with the reel axis. A planetary gear system isrotatable about the sun gear. The planetary gear system interacts with the sungear, and causes said planetary gear system to effect pivotal movement of thereel bat about its bat axis.
