A crop header having a frame mounted on a vehicle has a sickle cutterbar and a draper. The draper is guided at its front edge by a longitudinallyextendingrail mounted on the frame. The cutter bar is mounted at spaced positions byspringblades attached to a fixed beam at the rear which allow up and down flexingmovement of the cutter bar relative to the draper rail. At the centerdischarge thecutter bar is carried on shorter blades which are carried on a beam in frontof thefront draper roller. A locking device is provided for commonly andautomaticallymoving the beam in a direction to lift the cutter bar into a raised positionin which thecutter bar is locked against flexing movement with the locking device beingoperablein response to the cutter bar being raised off the ground.
