Lateral leveling mechanism for combine cleaning apparatus

In a combine harvester having a mobile frame;

• threshing and separating means supported by said main frame to thresh crop material fed thereto for separating threshed grain from trash residue, said threshing and separating means being operable to convey threshed grain for further harvesting treatment and to discharge the crop residue along a path separate from said threshed grain;
• cleaning means supported by said main frame in flow communication with said threshing and separating means to receive threshed grain therefrom and to clean debris from said threshed grain, said cleaning means having first sieve means to permit the passage of cleaned grain therethrough, a fan operable to blow air through said first sieve means to facilitate the removal of debris from said threshed grain, a grain pan for receiving threshed grain from said threshing and separating means, and conveying means to convey said threshed grain from said grain pan to said first sieve means;
• and drive means for powering the operation of said threshing and separating means and said cleaning means, the improvement comprising:
• a subframe supported on said main frame for movement about a generally fore-and-aft extending axis such that said subframe can be tilted in a transverse direction relative to said main frame, said subframe mounting said grain pan and said first sieve means for lateral pivotal movement relative to said main frame without affecting movement of said fan relative to said main frame;
• an actuator operably associated with said subframe for selectively controlling the pivotal movement of said subframe to permit said grain pan and said first sieve means to be maintained in a transversely level attitude relative to the ground irrespective of the transverse attitude of said main frame;
• and
• control means operable to sense the transverse inclination of said main frame and control the subsequent operation of said actuator to maintain a transversely level attitude of said actuator to maintain a transversely level attitude of said subframe, said control means including an inclinometer mounted on a transversely extending portion of said main frame and having a first contact member movable in response to gravitational forces when said main frame is laterally inclined and a second contact member movable in response to movements of said subframe.