Cnh America LLC

Cnh Industrial America LLC

Bradley J Wagner

Jonathan Eugene Ricketts

Herbert Max Farley

Nathan Edward Isaac

Jason Marion Benes

Andrew Victor Lauwers

Herb Farley

Todd Cannegieter

Wayne Thomas Flickinger

Kevin Ward

Jason L Shonk

John Donald Watt

Daniel J Klein

Christopher R Aurand

A spreader system of an agricultural vehicle for spreading crop residue including a spreader device and a fan. The spreader device includes a plurality of paddles configured to rotate about a first axis, with the rotation of the paddles producing a stream of crop residue. The fan includes a plurality of impellers configured to rotate about a second axis, with the rotation of the impellers producing a stream of air. The stream of air is directed to exit the spreader system beneath the stream of crop residue as the crop residue leaves the spreader device.

Crop residue spreader for a combine harvester

A harvester including, a spreader system configured to distribute an agricultural material onto a field, wherein the spreader system is configured to receive the agricultural material from a chopper, wherein the spreader system comprises a first panel or vane positioned on a first lateral side of the spreader system, and a second panel or vane positioned on a second lateral side of the spreader system, opposite the first lateral side, and wherein the spreader system is configured to detect a first force applied to the first panel or vane and a second force applied to the second panel or vane, and to adjust a position of the spreader system with respect to the chopper based on the first force, the second force, or a combination thereof.

System and method for controlling spreader output from a harvester

A system and method for controlling spreader output from a harvester includes a distribution chamber for receiving an agricultural material removed from a field. The harvester includes a spreader system configured to distribute the agricultural material onto the field, and an opening configured to receive the agricultural material from the distribution chamber. Moreover, the distribution chamber includes a first panel rotatably coupled to a first side of the distribution chamber, and a second panel rotatably coupled to a second side of the distribution chamber. The first and second panels are configured to direct the agricultural material toward the opening of the spreader system. An angle of the first panel is independently adjustable to control a first amount of agricultural material directed toward a first inlet portion. An angle of the second panel is independently adjustable to control a second amount of agricultural material directed toward a second inlet portion.

A safety stand is provided for minimizing the effect of hydraulic failure in an agricultural harvester. The safety stand has a series of notches along a longitudinal edge of the safety stand which are designed to accept and received a protrusion affixed to a cylinder of a hydraulic cylinder which raises and lowers a feeder arm. When the feeder arm is raised, the hydraulic cylinder is in the full upright position, the safety stand can be lowered such that the protrusion enters and is held within a notch to prevent accidental downward movement of the feeder arm. If the notch fails, or the safety stand is not properly engaged, the longitudinal edge of the safety arm is allowed to follow the protrusion, until a subsequent notch is reached, which then engages the protrusion, safely stopping the downward path of the feeder arm.

Feeder arm safety stand

A rotor chopper assembly including a chopper rotor having a mounting lug. A knife blade includes a body having an opening arrangement configured to receive a retention device securing the body to a member that is rotatably connected to the mounting lug of the chopper rotor. During unobstructed operation of the rotor chopper assembly, the body is centrifugally urged radially outward from the mounting lug. In response to the body striking an obstruction during operation of the rotor chopper assembly, the body is urged into rotational movement until the retention device abuts a stop formed in the mounting lug. An angle subtended between axes defining unobstructed operation and stop abutment is different for at least two openings of the arrangement of openings formed in the body.

Knives for rotary chopper assembly of a combine harvester

An insertion tool for installing rotary chopper elements in integral chopper assemblies in combine harvesters, which insertion tool includes an elongated open-ended trough-like bed portion of a length, breadth, and depth to sufficiently accommodate the rotary chopper element therewithin, with lift brackets along the sides thereof configured to accommodate the prongs of lifting forks of a forklift. The rotary chopper element may be positioned to rest within the bed portion of the insertion tool for transport to adjacent to the access and installation window of a harvester and for slidable insertion by the insertion tool through such window for installation within the harvester.

Insertion tool for a rotary chopper element of an integral chopper assembly of a combine harvester

A concave pan portion of an integral chopper assembly that includes a concave pan shell portion with a separate grate portion that may be easily installed into and removed from an intermediate opening in such concave pan portion for replacement in the event of undesirable wear thereto, and a separate interruption plate installable downstream from the slots in the grate portion for the purpose of effecting a lower mean length of chop (LOC) as the integral chopper assembly operates. The separate grate portion is configured to be installable to fill the intermediate opening in the concave pan shell portion, with a plurality of slots therethrough positioned side by side in the crossways direction to accommodate knife elements that are part of the counter knife assembly.

Concave pan portion of an integral chopper assembly of a combine harvester

A knife bank assembly of a counter knife assembly of an integral chopper assembly of a combine harvester that includes an elongated bracket member that extends between opposed knife bank end plates and has a plurality of spaced retainment mounts securable therealong, with at least one, and preferably two, knife blades being removably connectable to each retainment mount in a side by side arrangement. The knife elements are removably connectable to the retainment mounts at first and second space mounting points, preferably in such a way that the knife elements are maintained in an extended position by application of a biasing force at the second mounting point but are rotatable about the first mounting point to a displaced or relaxed position if a sufficient force is applied to the leading edge of the knife element to overcome the biasing force.

Knife bank assembly of a counter knife assembly of an integral chopper assembly of a combine harvester

A foreign object detection and removal system for an agricultural combine is provided. The system includes a controller operatively connected to a feederhouse and a chopper assembly. The feederhouse includes an acoustic element for detecting foreign objects and an actuator for opening and closing a door of the feederhouse to remove foreign objection. The chopper assembly includes an actuator to retract a knife bank to allow for the passage of foreign objects through the chopper assembly without causing damage to the chopper assembly.

Foreign object detection and removal system for a combine harvester

A method for controlling distribution of crop material to a cleaning sieve of an agricultural combine, for reducing grain loss, including while the combine is tilted sidewardly relative to horizontal, involving controlling the angular orientation of a distributor disposed between a threshing system of the combine and the sieve, for distributing a mat of the crop material onto the sieve evenly across an extent thereof. The angular orientation of the distributor can be set in advance of tilting of the combine, to adjust for a variety of conditions, including uneven outputting of the crop material from the threshing system, and the set orientation can be automatically maintained or actively adjusted to control a desired operating parameter such as grain loss, even as the combine is variously tilted and the angular orientation of the sieve relative to the combine is independently adjusted to maintain the sieve horizontal.

Distribution leveling for an agricultural combine

A rigid rotor discharge deflector apparatus for a combine has a body member that is attachable to the side wall of a discharge passage at the downstream end of the rotor. The body has a face portion with at least one ridge portion thereon extending generally laterally across at least a portion of the face portion. The body also has an upper body portion above the level of the ridge portion, an upper ramp portion sloped and extending outwardly from the upper body portion to the ridge portion, and a bracing associated with the upper ramp portion maintaining the ridge portion essentially fixed relative to the side wall. The body member may also include a lower body portion below the level of the ridge portion, and the upper and lower body portions may both be attachable to the side wall.

Rigid rotor discharge deflector

A method and system for controlling distribution of crop material to a cleaning sieve of an agricultural combine, for reducing grain loss, including while the combine is tilted sidewardly relative to horizontal, involving controlling the angular orientation of a distributor disposed between a threshing system of the combine and the sieve, for distributing a mat of the crop material onto the sieve evenly across an extent thereof. The angular orientation of the distributor can be set in advance of tilting of the combine, to adjust for a variety of conditions, including uneven outputting of the crop material from the threshing system, and the set orientation can be automatically maintained or actively adjusted to control a desired operating parameter such as grain loss, even as the combine is variously tilted and the angular orientation of the sieve relative to the combine is independently adjusted to maintain the sieve horizontal.

Growing community of inventors

Orrtanna, PA, United States of America

Bradley J Wagner