Fixed blade concentric knife holder for agricultural harvesters

An agricultural harvester machine comprising:

• a chassis configured for movement on a surface;
• and
• a residue chopper comprising:
• a housing defining a cutting chamber;
• a shaft rotatably mounted within the cutting chamber;
• a plurality of cutting knives extending radially from the shaft;
• a counterknife blade shaft mounted relative to the housing outside the cutting chamber and extending along a blade shaft direction;
• and
• a plurality of residue counterknife assemblies releasably secured to the counterknife blade shaft, wherein each residue counterknife assembly comprises:
• a first blade extending in a first blade plane that is generally orthogonal to the blade shaft direction,
• a second blade extending in a second blade plane that is generally orthogonal to the blade shaft direction, and
• a knife holder comprising:
• a first blade mount configured to secure to the first blade,
• a second blade configured to secure to the second blade,
• a first arm extending from the first blade mount and having a first passage extending therethrough, and
• a second arm extending from the first blade mount and having a second passage extending therethrough,
• wherein:
• the first arm and the second arm define an opening between the first arm and second arm,
• the opening extends along to the blade shaft direction, and
• the first passage and the second passage are collinear and intersect to the blade shaft direction.

A method for servicing a counterknife system in an agricultural harvester, the counterknife system comprising:

• a blade shaft extending along a blade shaft direction, and at least one counterknife assembly comprising at least one blade, a knife holder having a blade mount configured to secure to the at least one 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, wherein the first arm and the second arm define an opening between the first arm and second arm, wherein the opening is configured to surround at least two sides of the blade shaft, and wherein the first passage and the second passage are collinear with a shaft passage extending through the blade shaft, wherein the method comprises:
• releasing a single fastener securing a counterknife assembly to the blade shaft;
• rotating the counterknife assembly to reverse the relative positions of the first blade and the second blade on the blade shaft and along the blade shaft direction;
• and
• securing the single fastener to secure the counterknife assembly to the blade shaft in the rotated position.