Case Corporation

Cnh America LLC

Joshua J Wolters

Robert A Matousek

Jason M Benes

Dohn W Pfeiffer

Orlin Wayne Johnson

Jason Marion Benes

Dennis P Silver

Jonathon E Ricketts

James R Lucas

Daniel J Reints

John Bradley Lukac

Xitian Fang

Jason Hull

A system for chopping and spreading crop residue produced by an agricultural combine wherein the spreader is advantageously disposed directly rearwardly of a cleaning system of the combine for receiving chaff and other crop residue directly therefrom, without aid of a mechanism to convey the chaff to the spreader, and wherein the chopper is disposed just above and/or rearwardly of the spreader and is configured for discharging crop residue from the threshing system of the combine into the spreader for spreading thereby with the chaff.

Crop residue chopping and spreading system for an agricultural combine

An agricultural combine including an unloading system wherein an unloading conduit assembly is, in an operational set-up, rotatable or swivelable through an arc of 360&#xb0; to permit grain unloading into a grain truck located at any point around the combine, whether the combine is stationary or moving. For road travel or storage the unloading conduit assembly, or some portion of it, is pivoted into a set-up wherein the longitudinal conduit is retracted into nesting relationship against the side of the combine and below the top of the grain tank.

Unloading system for an agricultural combine

A multiple finger flow guide for a crop residue spreader including an element disposed in a housing and rotatable in a predetermined direction about an axis for driving a flow of crop residue through a discharge opening or outlet of the housing located at a predetermined angular position around the axis. The flow guide includes at least two elongate fingers, the fingers having proximal ends located adjacent to an upstream end of the discharge opening and the fingers extending from the proximal ends generally circumferentially to an arcuate or circular path of the flow to distal ends located spaced outwardly from the housing and the discharge opening, adjacent ones of the fingers defining spaces therebetween such that a desired portion of the flow will pass through the spaces so as to be spread onto an area of an agricultural field adjacent to the spreader and the remaining portions of the flow will be guided along the fingers so as to be spread over portions of the field a desired distance away from the spreader, such that the crop residue will be distributed evenly over a desired portion of the swath of a combine on which the spreader is used.

Crop residue flow guide with flow-through capability for a rotary crop residue spreader of an agricultural combine

A side swing hitch for a rear end of an agricultural combine. The hitch includes a hitch support bracket having opposite end portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, a first of the end portions including at least one element for mounting to a rear chassis member of the combine with the other end portion suspended in a position rearward of the rear axle assembly connected to the chassis member. A draw bar is pivotally mounted to the second end portion of the hitch support bracket for pivotal movement between a rearwardly extending towing position generally perpendicular to the rear axle assembly and at least one generally transversely extending stored position at least generally perpendicular to the towing position and beside the rear axle assembly, the draw bar having an opposite end including a hitch element connectable to a tongue of a vehicle such as a trailer or cart to be towed by the combine.

Side swing hitch for an agricultural combine

A crop residue spreader for an agricultural harvesting machine, including a housing at least partially containing a rotor rotatable about an rotational axis, the housing including at least one inlet opening for receiving a flow of crop residue from the harvesting machine and a discharge opening through which the flow will be propelled by the rotor when rotated, and a linkage arrangement movably connecting the housing containing the rotor to the agricultural machine for allowing the housing and rotor to be moved between at least one position in relation to the harvesting machine for receiving a flow of crop residue from a threshing mechanism of the machine and a flow of crop residue from a cleaning mechanism of the machine through the at least one inlet opening, at least one position for receiving a flow of crop residue from the cleaning mechanism of the harvesting machine through the at least one inlet opening while preventing a flow of crop residue from the threshing mechanism from entering the at least one inlet opening, and at least one position spaced from the cleaning mechanism to allow an operator access thereto through the space. Additionally, a convenient and easy to use locking mechanism which allows the spreader to be securely locked in any of the positions thereof.

Multi-position linkage and locking mechanism for a crop residue spreader and/or chopper

A crop residue chopper for an agricultural combine including a spaced array of stationary knives. A rotor of the chopper is rotatable about an axis therethrough and includes mounting elements in axially spaced relation, and a plurality of offset knives, each of the offset knives including a mounting end portion fixedly mountable on one of the mounting elements and a an opposite free end portion disposed so as to extend radially outwardly in axially offset relation to the mounting end portion when mounted on the mounting element. The offset knives are mountable in pairs on the mounting elements in a fine chopping configuration wherein the free end portions of the knives of each of the pairs are offset in a predetermined first relation to the mounting ends thereof, respectively, and define a space between the free end portions having a predetermined first axial extent for passage of the offset knives of each of the pairs on opposite sides of one of the stationary knives when the rotor is rotated for performing a fine cutting function. Alternatively, selected ones of the offset knives are mountable singly on the mounting elements in a predetermined coarse chopping configuration with the free end portions of the selected ones of the knives offset in an opposite direction from when in the fine chopping configuration so as to define axial spaces between adjacent ones of the free end portions having a predetermined second axial extent greater than the first axial extent for passage in proximity to at least one of the stationary knives when the rotor is rotated, for performing a coarse cutting function.

Crop residue chopper with reconfigurable fixed offset blades

An agricultural harvesting machine includes a tailings conveyor housing. The agricultural harvesting machine provides a cleaning device for cleaning threshed and separated grain. The tailings conveyor housing collects tailings from the cleaning device and propels the tailings with a first impeller against a first rethreshing member and radially to a second impeller. The second impeller propels the tailings against a second rethreshing member and radially to a conduit in the tailings conveyer housing, where the tailings are redirected back to the cleaning device and spread out over the cleaning device.

Tailings conveyor housing

A crop residue chopper and spreader for an agricultural combine. The chopper and spreader includes a disk mounted for rotation in a predetermined rotational direction about an axis oriented horizontally or at a small acute angle to horizontal, the disk including at least one radially outwardly extending impeller having a radial outermost periphery. The chopper and spreader includes a housing at least partially containing the disk and including an upwardly facing inlet opening located generally above the disk for receiving a flow of crop residue from a threshing mechanism of the combine, and a radially facing discharge opening located generally below the disk for discharging the flow of crop residue. The chopper and spreader additionally includes cutting elements mounted on the housing and on the radially outermost periphery of the at least one impeller cooperable for cutting the crop residue when passing through the housing from the inlet opening to the discharge opening.

Vertical crop residue chopper and spreader

A mult-tier crop residue flow guide for a rotary crop residue spreader of an agricultural combine including an element disposed in a housing and rotatable in a predetermined direction about an axis which is oriented horizontally or at a small acute angle to horizontal for driving a flow of crop residue through a discharge opening of the housing located at a predetermined angular position around the axis, the flow guide including at least two guide surfaces or tiers having inlet ends disposed in at least generally axially side by side relation adjacent to the discharge opening in position for directing portions of the flow of crop residue in generally the predetermined direction radially outwardly.

Multi-tier crop residue flow guide for an agricultural combine

A crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine including a unique support element which is an elongate tube, including a center portion and a pair of legs extending outwardly in opposite directions from the center portion, each of the legs including an end portion opposite the center portion and an intermediate portion. The end portions include pivot elements coaxially aligned about a pivotal axis for pivotal connection to a rear end of the combine for movement between spreading and non-spreading positions. The intermediate portions include mounting elements for supporting rotatable crop accelerators in side-by-side relation, and the center portion includes at least one mount for mounting a pair of crop residue deflectors in cantilever relation to the tube and extending partially around the crop residue accelerators, respectively. The tube can also include mounts or supports for holding a shield in desired relation to the crop residue accelerators.

Crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine

A variably positionable chaff pan for attachment to an oscillating element of a cleaning apparatus or system of an agricultural combine for oscillation therewith for conveying chaff from the oscillating element to a non-oscillating chopper or spreader mounted to a fixed frame of the combine. The chaff pan is also sidewardly tiltable with the cleaning apparatus or system, if so capable. The chaff pan has a surface for receiving the chaff positionable in at least one operational or first position adjacent to the oscillating element of the cleaning apparatus which can be, for instance, a chaffer, a sieve, a frame or rails supporting the same, or the like, for receiving the chaff therefrom, a pivoting element for connecting the pan to the oscillating element for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal axis through a range of positions angularly related to the oscillating element including positions oriented relative thereto for receiving the chaff therefrom, and a linkage arrangement connecting the pan to the fixed frame for supporting the pan in selected ones of the positions within the range of positions while allowing the pan to oscillate with the oscillating element relative to the linkage arrangement.

Variably positionable oscillating chaff pan for an agricultural combine

A foldable chaff pan for attachment to an oscillating element of a cleaning apparatus or system of an agricultural combine for oscillation therewith for conveying chaff from the oscillating element to a non-oscillating chopper or spreader mounted to a fixed frame of the combine. The chaff pan is also sidewardly tiltable with the cleaning apparatus or system, if so capable.

Foldable oscillating chaff pan for an agricultural combine

A drive system for the sieves in an agricultural combine that includes a flywheel for improving the fatigue life of the sieves. The flywheel minimizes damaging accelerations in the sieves that result from speed variations in the drive shaft. A hydraulic motor is also provided for directly driving the sieves without the use of belts.

Growing community of inventors

Geneseo, IL, United States of America

Joshua J Wolters