An anchoring assembly on a footwear body includes a stationary member, a pivotable member, a pivot unit and a releasable fastener unit. The stationary member is fixed on the footwear body. The pivotable member is provided with a footwear lace stringing part that is formed with at least one eyelet. The pivot unit is provided on the stationary and pivotable members to permit pivoting movement of the pivotable member relative to the stationary member about a pivot axis between a footwear tightening position and a footwear loosening position. The releasable fastener unit is provided on the stationary and pivotable members and releasably retains the pivotable member at the footwear tightening position.

A header includes a generally C-shaped cutter bar supporting the sickle knife assembly across a front edge of the header. A draper assembly is carried behind the cutter bar and includes a pair of rollers at right angles to the beam carrying a continuous draper canvas band around the rollers with the front edge of the canvas underneath the cutter bar. The rollers and a support plate between the rollers for the upper run of the canvas are both recessed relative to the front edge of the canvas to leave a cantilever portion at the front edge of the canvas which projects under the cutter bar to form a seal. The position of the draper canvas on the rollers is guided by a pair of longitudinally extending ribs one adjacent but spaced rearwardly from the front edge and abutting the trailing edge of the cutter bar and the other adjacent but spaced forwardly from the rear edge and abutting a front edge of a rear plate. The ribs are formed integrally with transverse slats. The front rib forms a damming effect reducing the possibility of material sliding over the front edge of the draper. An upper surface of the front rib can be castelated to provide an increased aggressive action tending to pull the crop along the draper.

Reinforcement element made of a composite material constituted of a layer of inextensible textile material and a layer of polymeric material assembled to the layer of textile material during a molding or vulcanizing step. The textile material is a woven or mesh material, and the textile material is a polyester, polyamide, polypropylene or glass fiber based material. The polymeric material can be a thermosetting material, such as rubber or silicone, or an injected thermoplastic, such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or polypropylene. Advantageously, the polymeric material is at least partially transparent. The composite material can be incorporated in a boot or a binding using tightening straps. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such reinforcement element.

Reinforcement element made of a composite material constituted of a layer of inextensible textile material and a layer of polymeric material assembled to the layer of textile material during a molding or vulcanizing step. The textile material is a woven or mesh material, and the textile material is a polyester, polyamide, polypropylene or glass fiber based material. The polymeric material can be a thermosetting material, such as rubber or silicone, or an injected thermoplastic, such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or polypropylene. Advantageously, the polymeric material is at least partially transparent. The composite material can be incorporated in a boot or a binding, such as a snowboard binding, in the form of a tightening strap. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such reinforcement element.

A boot adapted to the practice of skating and a method of manufacturing such boot, the boot including a shell base equipped with a rigid sole adapted to be attached on the frame of a skate and a heel reinforcement part, and a flexible liner that is positioned inside the shell base including of a padded upper part surrounding the foot and at least one outer pocket portion. The shell base according to the invention has a rigid collar portion that extends the heel reinforcement and the pocket portion at least partially covers the collar portion so as to ensure at least partially the retention of the flexible liner in the shell base. The invention relates to a boot structure encompassing the essential functions of foot retention and controlled flexibility, and whose assembly is made easier.