Mounting arrangement for a straw chopper and chaff spreader in a combine harvester residue management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9743586-B2
Application number	US-201615289368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2016
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A combine harvester includes a residue management system having a chaff spreader mounted to a straw chopper. The chaff spreader is positioned in front of the straw chopper and is configured to collect and spread chaff from a cleaning shoe when in a spreading position. A mechanical linkage is provided between the straw chopper and chaff spreader so that movement of the straw chopper from an operating position to a non-operating position is translated into pivoting of the chaff spreader from a spreading position to a non-spreading position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combine harvester comprising:
a frame;
a residue management system mounted to the frame in a rear region of the combine harvester, wherein the rear region includes a cleaning shoe ejection zone and a straw ejection zone; wherein the residue management system comprises:
a straw chopper mounted to the frame in the vicinity of the straw ejection zone, and a chaff spreader supported by the straw chopper, wherein in a spreading position, the chaff spreader is configured to collect chaff ejected by a cleaning shoe and is positioned in front of the straw chopper with respect to a normal forward direction of the combine harvester;
wherein the straw chopper comprises an inlet and said chopper is configured to be movable to either an operating position in which straw falls into the inlet from the straw ejection zone, or a non-operating position in which straw ejected from the straw ejection zone bypasses the inlet.

2. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the chaff spreader is mounted to the straw chopper by a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced, telescopic members, and wherein the chaff spreader is moveable between a fore position and an aft position with respect to the straw chopper by the telescopic members.

3. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein each telescopic member comprises an outer tube secured to the straw chopper and an inner tube secured to the chaff spreader and being received in the outer tube.

4. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , further comprising an actuator mounted between the straw chopper and the chaff spreader, the actuator being configured to control the fore and aft movement of the chaff spreader with respect to the straw chopper.

5. The combine harvester according to claim 2 , wherein the residue management system is configured to permit the chaff spreader to be positioned in the spreading position when the straw chopper is in the non-operating position, in which configuration the straw chopper is disposed behind the straw ejection zone, and the chaff spreader is disposed in front of the straw ejection zone.

6. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the chaff spreader is pivotally mounted to the straw chopper so as to be pivotable about a transverse pivot axis to either the spreading position or a non-spreading position.

7. The combine harvester according to claim 6 , wherein the residue management system further comprises a mechanical linkage connecting the chaff spreader and the straw chopper, wherein movement of the straw chopper from the operating position to the non-operating position is translated into pivoting of the chaff spreader from the spreading position to the non-spreading position.

8. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the chaff spreader comprises at least one fan module comprising a rotating impeller within a housing, the housing having an inlet for receiving chaff ejected by a cleaning shoe, and an outlet for ejecting the received chaff.

9. The combine harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the straw chopper is mounted to a frame member of the combine harvester by a sliding mechanism configured to permit the straw chopper to move in a generally fore and aft direction along the sliding mechanism to either the operating position or non-operating position, the sliding mechanism comprising a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced, rails upon which the straw chopper is slideably mounted.

10. The combine harvester according to claim 9 , wherein the chaff spreader is slideably mounted to the straw chopper by a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced, telescopic members, and wherein the chaff spreader is slideably moveable by said telescopic members to fore and aft positions with respect to the straw chopper.

11. The combine harvester according to claim 10 , wherein, in one configuration, the straw chopper is disposed behind the straw ejection zone in the non-operation position, and the chaff spreader is disposed in front of the straw ejection zone in the spreading position.

12. A combine harvester comprising:
a residue management system having a straw chopper mounted to a frame in the vicinity of a straw ejection zone, said straw chopper mounted to the frame by a sliding mechanism comprising a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced, rails; and
a chaff spreader pivotally mounted to the straw chopper proximate to a cleaning shoe ejection zone, the chaff spreader being pivotable about a transverse pivot axis to either a spreading position or a non-spreading position, the straw chopper comprising an inlet, and said straw chopper being slideably moveable along the sliding mechanism with respect to the frame to either an operating position in which straw falls into the inlet from the straw ejection zone, or a non-operating position in which straw ejected from the straw ejection zone bypasses the inlet; and
a mechanical linkage connecting the chaff spreader and straw chopper, wherein movement of the straw chopper from the operating position to the non-operating position is translated into pivoting of the chaff spreader from the spreading position to the non-spreading position.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Biggerstaff Joseph Mark

Classifications

• A01F12/40

  Arrangements of straw crushers or cutters · CPC title

• A01D41/1243 Primary

  Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw · CPC title