The disclosure describes a cutting system for a harvesting header, whichincludes atransversely extending cutter bar, a transversely extending knife back, aknife sectionmounted to the knife back having a knife edge extending generally in a forwarddirection, aknife guard component having a front guard portion and a rear portioninterconnected by amedial portion having a recess, the medial portion for receiving a lengthwiseportion of theknife back with the knife section being received into, the knife sectionoperable to movetransversely into and out of a cutting slot in the front guard portion, a holddown componentlocated between an upper surface of the rear portion of the knife guardcomponent and anunderneath surface of the cutter bar, and an attachment mechanism operable tosecure theknife guard component and the hold down component to the underneath surface ofthe cutterbar.
