Abstract: An agricultural harvester includes a straw hood having a hollow interior space for receiving material other than grain (MOG) from a threshing and separating system of the harvester and chaff from a sieve of a cleaning system of the harvester. A weed seed mill is mounted to the straw hood. An access door is moveably mounted to the straw hood between a lowered operational position and a raised service position. In the lowered operational position, the access door is positioned to direct the stream of chaff either into or towards the inlet of the weed seed mill. In the raised service position, a user-accessible passageway is formed from an exterior of the agricultural harvester to the sieve such that a user can access the sieve from an exterior of the harvester.

Abstract: A crop residue spreader for an agricultural harvester having a spreader frame with counter-rotating impellers for discharging crop residue and a distribution deflector mounted in close proximity to the impellers for deflecting crop residue discharged by the impellers. A common structural member independently supports both the spreader frame and the distribution deflector, such that the distribution deflector does not contact the spreader frame and connects to the spreader frame only indirectly through the common structural member, forming a gap between the spreader frame and the distribution deflector across the discharge area to provide clearance for discharged crop residue to exit the spreader.

Abstract: A feeder housing shaft sprocket segment comprising: a sprocket segment body (300) extending in a circumferential direction around a center axis (A) from a leading edge (304) to a trailing edge (306), wherein the leading edge (304) and trailing edge (306) subtend a segment angle about the center axis (A), the segment angle being a first unit fraction of 360°; an outer sprocket perimeter (308) comprising a plurality of teeth (310) evenly arranged in the circumferential direction about the center axis (A) with each tooth (310) spaced by a tooth angle from each adjacent tooth (310), the tooth angle being a second unit fraction of 360°; and a plurality of engagement surfaces (312) extending towards the center axis (A) and facing in the circumferential direction (C), the plurality of engagement surfaces (312) being asymmetrical relative to a plane (P) defined by the center axis (A) and a radial projection from the center axis (A) that bisects the sprocket segment body (300) midway between the leading edge (304) and

Abstract: A feederhouse for an agricultural vehicle includes an assembled driveshaft having a shaft and at least one sprocket that is rotationally fixed to the shaft. A shield assembly is positioned adjacent the sprocket, wherein the shield assembly includes two components including a top component and a bottom component. The top component includes a first mating surface and a first wall. The bottom component includes a second mating surface and a second wall. When the two components are connected together by joining the first mating surface to the second mating surface, the two components form a first opening through which the shaft is positioned. A bearing component is configured to bear on both the first wall and the second wall for urging the first mating surface toward the second mating surface in order to limit the top component from separating from the bottom component.

Abstract: A feederhouse for an agricultural vehicle includes a frame including opposing side walls, openings disposed in each of the side walls, and an assembled driveshaft including a shaft and a plurality of sprockets that are rotationally fixed to the shaft. The assembled driveshaft is positioned within an interior region of the frame. At least one opening of said openings is sized such that the driveshaft can pass in a transverse direction through the at least one opening.

Abstract: A residue chopper comprising a housing forming a cutting chamber, a shaft, knives extending from the shaft, a counterknife support, a counterknife, and a fin. The counterknife and fin are attached to the counterknife support, with the fin behind the counterknife. the fin has a blunt side facing against the operating direction. The counterknife support is movable between a first position in which the counterknife extends a minimum predetermined distance into the cutting chamber and the fin is not within the cutting chamber, a second position in which the counterknife extends an intermediate predetermined distance into the cutting chamber and within the cutting volume and the fin is not within the cutting chamber, and a third position in which the counterknife extends a maximum predetermined distance into the cutting chamber and into the cutting volume and the fin extends into the cutting chamber.

Abstract: A knife holder for a knife bank of an agricultural vehicle. The knife holder includes a body having opposing legs separated by a channel, wherein the channel is sized for receiving a shaft to which the knife holder is mounted; a mount for mounting the body to a knife element; and an opening for receiving a fastener for mounting the body to the shaft such that fastening the body to the shaft causes the legs to deform and compressively contact the shaft and thereby either prevent or limit inadvertent movement of the body relative to the shaft in a direction that is normal to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A combine harvester including a feeder housing for receiving harvested crop, a separating system for threshing the harvested crop to produce grain and residue, a residue spreader, a continuously oscillating residue deflector for deflecting the expelled residue, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a combine harvester ground speed, a spreader impeller speed, and/or a combine throughput heading of the combine, and to vary the deflector oscillating frequency according to at least one of combine harvester ground speed, spreader impeller speed, and combine throughput, for a more even distribution of expelled residue. Oscillation frequency of the deflector may also be varied according to feedback from sensors detecting residue distribution by the spreader or according to combine operator input.

Abstract: A residue processing system for an agricultural harvester includes a chaff mill for processing a stream of chaff containing weed seeds, and a drive system for powering the chaff mill. The drive system includes a gearbox having (i) an input shaft that either directly or indirectly receives power from an engine or other power source of the agricultural harvester, and (ii) an output shaft that is either directly or indirectly connected to a rotor of the chaff mill for rotating the rotor. The gearbox is configured to selectively rotate the output shaft at at least two different speeds such that the rotor of the chaff mill can be rotated at at least two different speeds.

Abstract: An agricultural harvester including a rotor and a hydraulic motor configured to rotationally drive the rotor. Furthermore, the harvester includes a supply conduit through which hydraulic fluid is supplied to the hydraulic motor and a return conduit into which the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic motor is discharged. Additionally, the harvester includes first and second pressure sensors configured to generate data indicative of the pressures of the hydraulic fluid within the supply and return conduits, respectively. A computing system configured to determine the pressures of the hydraulic fluid within the supply and return conduits based on the data generated by the first and second pressure sensors, respectively. Moreover, the computing system is configured to determine when the rotor is slugged based on the determined pressures of the hydraulic fluid within the supply and return conduits.

Abstract: An agricultural harvester includes a straw hood having a hollow interior space for receiving material other than grain (MOG) from a threshing and separating system of the harvester and chaff from a sieve of a cleaning system of the harvester. A weed seed mill is mounted to the straw hood. An access door is moveably mounted to the straw hood between a lowered operational position and a raised service position. In the lowered operational position, the access door is positioned to direct the stream of chaff either into or towards the inlet of the weed seed mill. In the raised service position, a user-accessible passageway is formed from an exterior of the agricultural harvester to the sieve such that a user can access the sieve from an exterior of the harvester.

Abstract: An embodiment includes a combine having a header with a motor driving a blade for harvesting crop, a power receiving connector connected to the motor, where the power receiving connector supplies power to drive the motor, and a mechanical connector. The combine also includes a feeder housing with an opening for receiving the harvested crop from the header, a power supplying connector connected to a power plant of the combine, and a mechanical actuator. A controller controls the combine by attaching the header to the feeder housing by lifting the header such that the power receiving connector and the power supplying connector are automatically mated, and such that the mechanical actuator and the mechanical connector are mated, and controlling the power plant to generate and supply electrical power or hydraulic power to the power supply connector, which is supplied to the motor of the header via the power receiving connector.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system for monitoring the operational status of passive lift supports includes an actuatable component configured to be moved across a range of movement between a first position and a second position, and an actuator coupled to the component and being configured to actuate the component across the range of movement. The system also includes a passive lift support coupled to the component and being configured to provide a supplemental actuation force as the actuator is being used to actuate the component across the range of movement. In addition, the system includes a computing system configured to monitor a load-related parameter indicative of a load being carried by the actuator. The computing system is further configured to determine an operational status of the passive lift support based at least in part on the monitored load-related parameter.

Abstract: An agricultural vehicle feeder assembly having: a feeder housing, a shaft mounted to rotate relative to the feeder housing, first and second rotary drives mounted to rotate with the shaft at a first and second axial positions along the shaft, and an anti-wrap cover assembly extending an entire distance from the first rotary drive to the second rotary drive and at least partially surrounding the first rotary drive, the second rotary drive, and the shaft between the first rotary drive and the second rotary drive. The anti-wrap cover assembly is rotatably mounted the first rotary drive, the second rotary drive and/or the shaft. A connector joins the feeder housing to the anti-wrap cover assembly. The connector is configured to allow the anti-wrap cover assembly to move through a predetermined limited range of motion relative to the feeder housing.

Abstract: An agricultural residue chopper assembly comprising: a cutting chamber housing with cutting knives rotatable along a cutting direction within the cutting chamber, and a rotatable counterknife shaft unit. The shaft unit is mounted at a rotation axis near an outer surface of the cutting chamber housing, and has an outer face and one or more counterknives extending outward from the outer face. The shaft unit is rotatable to move the counterknives closer and further from the cutting knives' rotation axis. The outer face and the outer surface of the cutting chamber housing define a trailing area in which a gap distance between the outer face and the outer surface of the cutting chamber housing remains constant or increases in size as the counterknife shaft unit is rotated to move the counterknives closer to the cutting blade axis. An agricultural harvester machine having a residue chopper assembly is also provided.

Abstract: An agricultural harvester residue counterknife assembly having: a first blade extending in a first blade plane; and a knife holder. The knife holder includes a first blade mount configured to secure to the first blade, a first arm extending from the blade mount and having a first passage extending therethrough, and a second arm extending from the blade mount and having a second passage extending therethrough. The first arm and the second arm define an opening between the first arm and second arm, the opening extends along a blade shaft direction that is generally orthogonal to the first blade plane, and the first passage and the second passage are collinear along an axis that passes through the opening. Also provided are an agricultural harvester having a residue counterknife assembly, and a method of servicing a residue counterknife assembly.

Abstract: A residue counterknife assembly comprising: a blade mount configured to secure to a blade shaft having a rotation axis; one or more blades secured to the blade mount and extending away from the rotation axis; and at least one blocking surface comprising an at least semicircular outer face located concentric to and at least partially surrounding the rotation axis.

Abstract: A feeder for an agricultural vehicle includes a feeder body defining a hollow interior space for receiving crop material from a header of the agricultural vehicle, a faceplate that is movably mounted to the feeder body, and a scissor jack assembly that is configured for rotating the faceplate with respect to the feeder body to adjust a fore-aft angle of the faceplate relative to the feeder body. The faceplate is configured to be removably coupled to the header of the agricultural vehicle.

Abstract: A crop residue spreader for an agricultural harvester having a spreader frame with counter-rotating impellers for discharging crop residue and a distribution hood mounted in close proximity to the impellers for deflecting crop residue discharged by the impellers. A common structural member independently supports both the spreader frame and the distribution hood. The distribution hood is movably connected to the common structural member, such that the distribution hood may be moved away from the spreader discharge to provide additional clearance for discharged crop residue to exit the spreader.

Abstract: A crop residue spreader for an agricultural harvester having a spreader frame with counter-rotating impellers for discharging crop residue and a distribution deflector mounted in close proximity to the impellers for deflecting crop residue discharged by the impellers. A common structural member independently supports both the spreader frame and the distribution deflector, such that the distribution deflector does not contact the spreader frame and connects to the spreader frame only indirectly through the common structural member, forming a gap between the spreader frame and the distribution deflector across the discharge area to provide clearance for discharged crop residue to exit the spreader.