Folding line divider for a harvesting platform

1 . A cutting and harvesting assembly of an agricultural machine, the cutting and harvesting assembly comprising:

a structural frame;

a feed roller operably coupled with the structural frame;

a deflector assembly operably coupled with the structural frame, the deflector assembly including a deflector plate at least partially laterally outward of the feed roller, wherein the deflector plate is rotatable between a first position and a second position relative to the structural frame, wherein a second segment of the deflector plate is positioned laterally outward of the structural frame in the first position and laterally inward of the structural frame in the second position; and

a deflector hinge operably coupling a first segment of the deflector plate to the structural frame, the deflector hinge defining a deflector axis.

2 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the deflector assembly further comprises:

a biasing element including a first end portion operably coupled with an interior portion of the deflector plate and a second end portion operably coupled with the structural frame.

3 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 2 , wherein the biasing element includes at least one of a spring, a fluid damper, a magnetic assembly, an electric actuator, or a combination thereof.

4 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 2 , wherein the biasing element defines a first length from the first end portion to the second end portion when the deflector plate is in the first position and a second length from the first end portion to the second end portion when the deflector plate is in the second position, and

wherein the first length is within ten percent of a second length.

5 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 2 , further comprising:

a link operably coupled with the first end portion of the biasing element and the structural frame.

6 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 5 , wherein the link enables rotation about a link axis, and

wherein a first portion of the biasing element is aft of the link axis when the deflector plate is in the first position and fore of the link axis when the deflector plate is in the second position.

7 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the feed roller is operably coupled with a pivoting frame, and

wherein the feed roller enables rotation in a fore direction when moved from a first operating position to a second storage position.

8 . A cutting and harvesting assembly of an agricultural machine, the cutting and harvesting assembly comprising:

a structural frame;

a line divider set operably coupled with the structural frame, the line divider set comprising a pivoting frame and one or more feed rollers operably coupled with the pivoting frame, wherein the one or more feed rollers is rotatable in a first direction when moved from a first operating position to a second storage position;

a deflector assembly operably coupled with the structural frame, the deflector assembly rotatable between a first position and a second position relative to the structural frame;

a biasing element comprising a first end portion operably coupled with an interior portion of a deflector plate, wherein the deflector plate is rotatable in a second opposing direction when moved from the first operating position to the second storage position; and

a link operably coupled with the structural frame and the first end portion of the biasing element.

9 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 8 , further comprising:

a deflector hinge operably coupling the deflector plate of the deflector assembly to the structural frame, the hinge defining a rotational axis of the deflector plate.

10 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 8 , wherein the biasing element comprises a second end portion operably coupled with the structural frame.

11 . The cutting and harvesting assembly of claim 8 , wherein the structural frame extends laterally outward of the line divider set when the line divider set is rotated to the second storage position and laterally outward of the deflector plate when the deflector plate is rotated to the second storage position.

12 . A method of operating a cutting and harvesting assembly of an agricultural machine, the method comprising:

disengaging a fastener operably coupling a link to a structural frame;

at least one from among moving the link from a first position to a second position causing a deflector plate operably coupled with the link to move from the first position to the second position and moving the link from the second position to the first position causing the deflector plate operably coupled with the link to move laterally outward of the structural frame; and

engaging the fastener operably coupling the link to the structural frame to retain the link in the respective second position or the first position;

wherein the deflector plate is operably coupled with the link by a biasing element, and

wherein the biasing element is extended during the moving of the deflector plate from the first position to the second position.

13 . The method of claim 12 ,

wherein a first end portion of the biasing element is operably coupled with the link and a second end portion of the biasing element is operably coupled with the deflector plate.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the deflector plate is positioned laterally inward of the structural frame in the second position.