Abstract: A fan assembly for a cleaning system of a combine harvester includes a housing having a plurality of interconnected walls, the interconnected walls defining least one inlet opening through which air is delivered into the housing, and at least one outlet opening through which air is exhausted from the housing. A deflector is positioned either at or adjacent the outlet opening, the deflector being configured to affect a flow of air across a width dimension W of the outlet opening. The deflector may be a single, unitary body or the deflector may include a plurality of independently rotatably panels.

Abstract: A sensor for measuring a thickness of a layer of a grain/residue mixture as the layer is transported through a cleaning arrangement of a combine harvester. The sensor is mounted on a support surface of a grain pan or a sieve of the cleaning arrangement and comprises a tower-shaped support structure with sensor elements attached to the structure and forming a vertical stack of sensor elements, so that a number of sensor elements is submerged in the layer and a number of sensor elements extends above the layer. The sensor elements are configured to measure an electrical property that changes as a function of immediate surroundings of the sensor elements. The sensor elements are configured to be read out independently from each other.

Abstract: A combine harvester is provided with a threshing system, a preparation arrangement and cleaning arrangement. The preparation arrangement comprises multiple preparation stages, each of said stages being configured to transport said mixture over a given distance between a front edge and a rear edge of the stage, with an air gap being present between each pair of consecutive stages. The preparation arrangement further comprises a blower, separate from the main blower, said blower configured to direct air towards at least one of said air gaps, to thereby blow at least a portion of said mixture towards the rear of the combine harvester. The preparation arrangement comprises a plate provided with fins mounted transversally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the harvester, each fin representing one of said preparation stages, the plate further comprising one or more openings between at least one pair of consecutive fins.

Abstract: A sensor for measuring a thickness of a layer of a grain/residue mixture as the layer is transported through a cleaning arrangement of a combine harvester. The sensor is mounted on a support surface of a grain pan or a sieve of the cleaning arrangement and comprises a tower-shaped support structure with sensor elements attached to the structure and forming a vertical stack of sensor elements, so that a number of sensor elements is submerged in the layer and a number of sensor elements extends above the layer. The sensor elements are configured to measure an electrical property that changes as a function of immediate surroundings of the sensor elements. The sensor elements are configured to be read out independently from each other.

Abstract: A cleaning section of an agricultural harvester including a sieve and at least one variable stroke sieve drive wherein the sieve is positioned in the harvester to receive crop material from a threshing section and the at least one variable stroke sieve drive is coupled to the sieve wherein the variable stroke sieve drive has a first shaft and a second shaft concentric with the first shaft and the relative angular position between the first shaft and the second shaft establishes an amount of eccentricity of the variable stroke sieve drive.

Abstract: A combine harvester having a sieve that is moveable by a sieve drive assembly to perform a reciprocating sieve movement having a sieving stroke and a sieve throwing angle, wherein the sieve drive assembly has: a rotary drive, having a rotatable output shaft, a transmission between the rotatable output shaft of the rotary drive and the sieve, which transmission comprises an eccentric device, at least one transmission element, a plurality of linkage pivots, a first non-adjustable transmission element which is pivotably connected to the eccentric device, wherein the first non-adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the adjustable transmission element, which adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the combine harvester chassis, and wherein the first non-adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the sieve through at least one further non-adjustable transmission elements.

Abstract: A corn ear harvester which comprises two deck plates and two gathering chain devices. The gathering chain devices each comprise an endless chain which forms a chain loop which comprises a straight operational part; a corn ear paddle and paddle connector which connects the corn ear paddle to the chain. The device further comprises a corn stalk channel having a deck plate channel section extends between the deck plates and a gathering chain channel section between the gathering chain devices. The deck plate channel section is too narrow for a corn ear to pass through. The corn ear paddles are arranged adjacent to a deck plate on the side of the ear blocking surface of said first deck plate and the endless chains of the gathering chain devices are arranged adjacent to the deck plates on the opposite side.

Abstract: A sieve for a combine harvester that is moveable by a sieve drive assembly to perform a reciprocating sieve movement having a sieving stroke and a sieve throwing angle, wherein the sieve drive assembly has a rotary drive, having a rotatable output shaft, a transmission between the rotatable output shaft of the rotary drive and the sieve, an eccentric device, at least one transmission element, and a plurality of linkage pivots, wherein the eccentric device is an adjustable eccentric device in which the eccentricity is adjustable in order to adjust at least one of the sieving stroke and sieve throwing angle, the eccentric device comprising an input shaft, a flange, a gear, an output shaft, an annular gear, and an adjustment gear.

Abstract: A combine harvester is provided with a threshing system, a preparation arrangement and cleaning arrangement. The preparation arrangement comprises multiple preparation stages, each of said stages being configured to transport said mixture over a given distance between a front edge and a rear edge of the stage, with an air gap being present between each pair of consecutive stages. The preparation arrangement further comprises a blower, separate from the main blower, said blower configured to direct air towards at least one of said air gaps, to thereby blow at least a portion of said mixture towards the rear of the combine harvester. The preparation arrangement comprises a plate provided with fins mounted transversally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the harvester, each fin representing one of said preparation stages, the plate further comprising one or more openings between at least one pair of consecutive fins.

Abstract: A sieve for a combine harvester that is moveable by a sieve drive assembly to perform a reciprocating sieve movement having a sieving stroke and a sieve throwing angle, wherein the sieve drive assembly has a rotary drive, having a rotatable output shaft, a transmission between the rotatable output shaft of the rotary drive and the sieve, an eccentric device, at least one transmission element, and a plurality of linkage pivots, wherein the eccentric device is an adjustable eccentric device in which the eccentricity is adjustable in order to adjust at least one of the sieving stroke and sieve throwing angle, the eccentric device comprising an input shaft, a flange, a gear, an output shaft, an annular gear, and an adjustment gear.

Abstract: A combine harvester having a sieve that is moveable by a sieve drive assembly to perform a reciprocating sieve movement having a sieving stroke and a sieve throwing angle, wherein the sieve drive assembly has: a rotary drive, having a rotatable output shaft, a transmission between the rotatable output shaft of the rotary drive and the sieve, which transmission comprises an eccentric device, at least one transmission element, a plurality of linkage pivots, a first non-adjustable transmission element which is pivotably connected to the eccentric device, wherein the first non-adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the adjustable transmission element, which adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the combine harvester chassis, and wherein the first non-adjustable transmission element is further pivotably connected to the sieve through at least one further non-adjustable transmission elements.

Abstract: A cleaning section of an agricultural harvester including a sieve and at least one variable stroke sieve drive wherein the sieve is positioned in the harvester to receive crop material from a threshing section and the at least one variable stroke sieve drive is coupled to the sieve wherein the variable stroke sieve drive has a first shaft and a second shaft concentric with the first shaft and the relative angular position between the first shaft and the second shaft establishes an amount of eccentricity of the variable stroke sieve drive.

Abstract: An header of the extendable type comprises a main frame and an extendable cutterbar table, which is mounted to the main frame by means of telescopic assemblies comprising an inner member mounted for sliding movement inside an outer member. One of the inner and outer members has longitudinal, inclined side walls that are engaged by inclined slide surfaces of guide means connected to a wall of the other of said outer and inner members, opposite said inclined side wall.

Abstract: A header for a harvesting machine having a frame, a cutterbar mounted on the frame operable to cut standing crop, the cutterbar being adjustable relative to the frame in a fore-and-aft direction, and a reel rotatably supported between a pair of reel arms pivotally mounted on the frame and operable to sweep crop material towards and over the cutterbar, a hydraulic cylinder extending between each reel arm and a corresponding side wall of the header frame to effect a generally vertical movement of the reel, comprising an interlock mechanism operably interconnecting the cutterbar and the hydraulic cylinder at each side of the header for adjusting the vertical position of the reel in response to a fore-and-aft movement of the cutterbar to maintain substantially constant the spacing and avoiding interference between the reel and the cutterbar.

Abstract: A header for a harvesting machine having a frame, a cutterbar mounted on the frame operable to cut standing crop, the cutterbar being adjustable relative to the frame in a fore-and-aft direction, and a reel rotatably supported between a pair of reel arms pivotally mounted on the frame and operable to sweep crop material towards and over the cutterbar, a hydraulic cylinder extending between each reel arm and a corresponding side wall of said header frame to effect a generally vertical movement of said reel, comprising an interlock mechanism operably interconnecting the cutterbar and the hydraulic cylinder at each side of the header for adjusting the vertical position of the reel in response to a fore-and-aft movement of the cutterbar to maintain substantially constant the spacing and avoiding interference between the reel and the cutterbar.

Abstract: An header of the extendable type comprises a main frame and an extendable cutterbar table, which is mounted to the main frame by means of telescopic assemblies comprising an inner member mounted for sliding movement inside an outer member. One of the inner and outer members has longitudinal, inclined side walls that are engaged by inclined slide surfaces of guide means connected to a wall of the other of said outer and inner members, opposite said inclined side wall.