Abstract: A combine harvester has at least one rotor oriented in the longitudinal direction of the harvester and configured to separate grains and light chaff from a stream of residue material transported to the distal end of the rotor, where said stream is ejected downwards into a chopper housing. The chopper housing has a pair of chopper wheels configured so that the stream of residue material is ejected directly into the area between said chopper wheels, with essentially no residue being allowed to enter the space between the circumference of the wheels and the sidewalls of the chopper housing. The harvester also has a spreader with a pair of laterally placed spreader openings in the chopper housing, preferably with a pair of spreader snouts mounted on said openings.

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: An agricultural harvester includes a chassis, with a separating system and a residue handling system each carried by the chassis. The separating system receives a flow of crop material producing a chaff flow and a residue flow. The residue handling system receives the chaff flow and the residue flow from the separating system, and the residue handling system includes a residue chopper operationally positioned immediately above a residue spreader. The residue spreader is oriented to receive the chaff flow and the residue flow chopped by the residue chopper.

Abstract: An agricultural harvester includes a chassis; at least one ground engaging traction member connected to the chassis; a cleaning system held by the chassis and configured to clean crop material; and an elevator supplied with the crop material cleaned by the cleaning system. The elevator includes a housing having a crop material inlet that receives the crop material, a boot portion that forms a bottom of the housing, an air inlet and an air outlet; a plurality of paddles configured to convey the crop material through the housing and away from the boot portion in a generally vertical direction; and a blower configured to produce a pressurized air stream through the air inlet that expels loose crop material into the air outlet as the crop material is conveyed away from the boot portion.

Abstract: A grain conveyor for a combine harvester capable of increasing capacity and reducing component wear is disclosed. The grain conveyor includes a grain elevator, a transition chamber and an auger assembly. The grain elevator has an inlet for receiving a flow of grain. The transition chamber includes an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet and the grain elevator inlet. The transition chamber outlet has an asymmetric non-circular opening larger than the non-circular opening of the transition chamber inlet. The auger assembly is operatively connected to the transition chamber and includes an inlet for receiving a flow of grain and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet.

Abstract: An agricultural harvester includes a chassis; at least one ground engaging traction member connected to the chassis; a cleaning system held by the chassis and configured to clean crop material; and an elevator supplied with the crop material cleaned by the cleaning system. The elevator includes a housing having a crop material inlet that receives the crop material, a boot portion that forms a bottom of the housing, an air inlet and an air outlet; a plurality of paddles configured to convey the crop material through the housing and away from the boot portion in a generally vertical direction; and a blower configured to produce a pressurized air stream through the air inlet that expels loose crop material into the air outlet as the crop material is conveyed away from the boot portion.

Abstract: A combine harvester has a driving shoe arrangement. The driving shoe includes a preparation pan and one or more sieves, coupled to a drive mechanism for driving a reciprocating movement of the pan and sieves. The stroke of the reciprocating movement of the pan and/or sieves is adjustable, through the application of a drive mechanism including one or more pivotably mounted support arms for supporting the pan or sieve, and a drive arm connected to one of said support arms through an adjustable connection means. The adjustable connection means can be a variable length actuator whose length determines the stroke of the pan or sieve. The stroke of said pan or sieve can be adjusted during a harvesting run, thereby allowing a fast adjustment to changing external conditions such as the slope of the terrain.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rotor housing assembly for a harvester, having at least one cover plate forming part of a generally cylindrical shaped rotor housing, a central longitudinal axis, and comprising an inner surface, which, when mounted, faces the central longitudinal axis and has a first radius, and one or more rotatable vanes which each are rotatably mounted on an inner surface of the cover plate facing the central longitudinal axis at a rotation point, the one or more rotatable vanes comprising a contact surface with the inner surface, the contact surface having a second radius being larger than the first radius of the cover plate, wherein the inner surface of the top cover plate, per rotatable vane, comprises a symmetrically curved shape such that, during a rotation of the respective vane, the contact surface of the vane with the inner surface of the cover plate substantially follows the shape of the inner surface.

Abstract: A combine harvester has an inclination module coupled to the straw walker control system. The inclination module provides information on the inclination of the combine harvester. The straw walker control system is further configured to control the controllable frequency of the oscillating movement in function of the information on the inclination of the combine harvester.

Abstract: A combine harvester having a cleaning system for separating seeds from by-products, that includes a transmission having an annular member, that extends around a circular element of an eccentric device and is pivotable around said circular element, a second arm having a first end fixedly connected to the annular member, and a second end connected with a reciprocatable cleaner device of a second cleaner assembly, a first arm having a first end fixedly connected to the annular member, a first cleaner drive linkage has a first end pivotably connected to the second end of the first arm and a second end connected to a reciprocatable cleaner device of a first cleaner assembly, wherein the reciprocatable cleaner device of the second cleaner assembly and the reciprocatable cleaner device of the first cleaner assembly are reciprocatingly drivable by the cleaning system drive assembly in generally opposite directions.

Abstract: A cleaning system for a harvester has a sieve that is moveable by a drive assembly that includes a rotary drive, an eccentric device, a transmission connected to the eccentric device and to the sieve, which transmission cyclically varies the distance between the driving point of the eccentric device and the sieve coupling during each full rotation of the rotatable output shaft of the rotary drive, wherein, due to the cyclic variation of the distance between the driving point of the eccentric device and the sieve coupling, during each reciprocating sieve movement at least one of the accelerating portion of the throw stroke, the decelerating portion of the throw stroke, the accelerating portion of the return stroke and the decelerating portion of the return stroke has a duration that is different from the duration of at least one other of said portions of the reciprocating sieve movement.

Abstract: An intake feeder system having a stone separator mounted between a crop elevator and the mouth of a threshing mechanism disposed longitudinally in a combine harvester. The stone separator includes a rotary feed beater and a sump disposed beneath the feed beater. The feed beater serves to advance crop raised by the elevator along a crop flow path towards the mouth of the threshing mechanism and to propel stones in the crop into the sump. A duct is provided in parallel with the crop flow path for connecting a space above the rotary feed beater to the mouth of the threshing mechanism.

Abstract: A grain conveyor for a combine harvester capable of increasing capacity and reducing component wear is disclosed. The grain conveyor includes a grain elevator, a transition chamber and an auger assembly. The grain elevator has an inlet for receiving a flow of grain. The transition chamber includes an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet and the grain elevator inlet. The transition chamber outlet has an asymmetric non-circular opening larger than the non-cylindrical opening of the transition chamber inlet. The auger assembly is operatively connected to the transition chamber and includes an inlet for receiving a flow of grain and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet.

Abstract: A grain conveyor for a combine harvester capable of increasing capacity and reducing component wear is disclosed. The grain conveyor includes a grain elevator, a transition chamber and an auger assembly. The grain elevator has an inlet for receiving a flow of grain. The transition chamber includes an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet and the grain elevator inlet. The transition chamber outlet has an asymmetric non-circular opening larger than the non-cylindrical opening of the transition chamber inlet. The auger assembly is operatively connected to the transition chamber and includes an inlet for receiving a flow of grain and an outlet in fluid communication with the transition chamber inlet.

Abstract: A clean grain evacuation device for a grain harvester having a threshing system configured to separate grain harvested by the harvester from crop residue and direct a flow of the grain to a cleaning system disposed within the harvester including at least two sieves disposed and configured to sequentially clean the grain. The evacuation device is disposed for receiving a portion of the flow of the clean grain from a first of the sieves, and is configured to evacuate the received clean grain away from the cleaning system. The evacuation device can include a conveyor disposed for directing the evacuated grain directly to a desired location such as a clean grain receiving system on the harvester. The evacuation device can also be located in an air flow path to the sieves for improving operation and MOG removal.

Abstract: A stone separator is described for mounting between a crop elevator and the mouth of a threshing mechanism disposed longitudinally in a combine harvester. The stone separator includes a rotary feed beater and a sump disposed beneath the feed beater. The feed beater serves to advance crop raised by the elevator along a crop flow path towards the mouth of the threshing mechanism and to propel stones in the crop into the sump. A duct is provided in parallel with the crop flow path for connecting a space above the rotary feed beater to the mouth of the threshing mechanism.

Abstract: An active crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine including two horizontal rotor impellers for guiding and uniformly distributing the crop residue on a field, a triangular nose divider with a pyramidal shape which is wider at the base and an extension near or into the chopper. The spreader further comprises a straw guiding plate provided with specially shaped rakes on each side of the guiding plate.

Abstract: An active crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine including two horizontal rotor impellers for guiding and uniformly distributing the crop residue on a field, a triangular nose divider with a pyramidal shape which is wider at the base and an extension near or into the chopper. The spreader further comprises a straw guiding plate provided with specially shaped rakes on each side of the guiding plate.

Abstract: A grain cleaning system for a combine harvester, comprises a frame supporting a grain pan and a sieve. The grain pan receives grain and chaff separated from the crop by a threshing mechanism and is reciprocable relative to the frame in order to separate the grain from the chaff and to propel the grain and chaff towards the sieve. The sieve is reciprocable relative to the frame and is connected to the frame by front and rear support arms and that are pivotably secured to the frame and to the sieve. In the invention, the front support arms have different geometries from the rear support arms such that when the sieve is reciprocated relative to the frame, the vertical component of oscillation is greater at the front end than at the rear end of the sieve.

Abstract: A grain cleaning system for a combine harvester, comprises a frame supporting a grain pan and a sieve. The grain pan receives grain and chaff separated from the crop by a threshing mechanism and is reciprocable relative to the frame in order to separate the grain from the chaff and to propel the grain and chaff towards the sieve. The sieve is reciprocable relative to the frame and is connected to the frame by front and rear support arms and that are pivotably secured to the frame and to the sieve. In the invention, the front support arms have different geometries from the rear support arms such that when the sieve is reciprocated relative to the frame, the vertical component of oscillation is greater at the front end than at the rear end of the sieve.