Ford New Holland, Inc.

New Holland North America, Inc.

Willy C Hollevoet

Marc R Jonckheere

Wilfried E Gunst

Gilbert J Strubbe

Francois Van Herpe

Jose A Carnewal

Dirk Georges Leupe

Dirk J Desnijder

An adjustable sieve mechanism for an agricultural harvesting machine comprising louvres positioned behind one another and being movable through a range of positions between a fully closed and a fully opened position. Consecutive louvres define an opening when in an opened position. An adjustment mechanism is provided for changing the opening. Also provided is an opening indicator including a movable part which is unitarily moved with one of the louvres when the opening is adjusted. The indicator permits verification of the sieve opening even when the louvres are not accessible for measurement with gauges, and a direct link between the louvres and the movable part avoids the inaccuracies which are conceivable when the indicator is sensing the movement of further, intermediate components of the adjustment mechanism.

Harvester sieve opening indicator

A combine harvester stone trap having its upwardly facing inlet generally in the proximity of the transition between the discharge end of the crop elevator and the forward end of the combine threshing concave. The stone trap includes a front wall in the form of a door which can be opened into a retracted position for emptying the stone trap and a rear wall which, in an operative position, effectively closes the gap between the forward end of the threshing concave and the forward end of the combine grain pan located below the concave in a conventional manner. The rear wall is movable into an inoperative position providing access to the gap between the forward ends of the threshing concave and the grain pan, and includes agitator means operatively associated therewith.

Stone trap agitator for a combine harvester

A combine harvester having a threshing and separating mechanism and a grain cleaning mechanism disposed beneath the threshing and separating mechanism and including a grain pan fitted with a movable divider apparatus and operable to receive grain from the threshing and separating mechanism, sieve mechanism operable to receive grain from the grain pan, and a fan operable to blow air through the sieve mechanism, is disclosed wherein an inclination sensing mechanism for sensing the lateral inclination of the combine harvester is operatively associated with an actuator operatively coupled to the grain pan divider apparatus for positionally adjusting the grain pan divider apparatus in response to the output of the inclination sensing mechanism to compensate for any given lateral inclination of the harvester. The sieve mechanism includes sieve sections pivotally mounted for lateral movement about respective fore-and-aft extending axes and operatively coupled to the actuator for positional adjustment thereof to effect a transverse leveling of the sieve mechanism when the combine harvester is laterally inclined.

Combine harvester cleaning apparatus

A combine harvester, having threshing and separating means for threshing and separating crop material and a cleaning apparatus disposed to receive threshed and separated grain from said treshing and separating means and being operable to clean unwanted residue from the threshed and separated grain is disclosed wherein the cleaning apparatus, including at least a pair of cleaning sieves arranged to be oscillated generally back-and-forth for moving threshed and separated grain therealong while permitting the passage of cleaned grain therethrough, and further including a cleaning fan operable to direct a cleaning air blast to the cleaning sieves for urging unwanted residue to the threshed and separated grain into an airborne state for discharge from the combine harvester, is provided with an agitator positioned between the cleaning sieves. During operation, the cleaning sieves are moved relative to the agitator for removing straw particles that otherwise might tend to stick to one or both sieves in a generally upright orientation.

Growing community of inventors

Torhout, Belgium

Willy C Hollevoet