Separating grate for a grain harvester

In a crop material separator in which a rotor having an axis of rotation is at least partially wrapped by a concave having a generally arcuate internal surface so as to define a crop material processing zone between the concave and the rotor, the concave comprising:

• an array of circumferentially spaced, axially extending finger bar assemblies each including an axially extending finger support bar, and a plurality of generally circumferentially downstream extending fingers each having a tip and supported cantilever fashion by the support bar and all fingers of a given assembly extending in the same general direction, the finger bar assemblies collectively defining the arcuate concave internal surface and each finger support bar and finger laying approximately within that arcuate surface and the tip of each finger being spaced from the support bar immediately downstream of the respective finger.

An axial flow rotary separator having a generally cylindrical housing within which an axially extending rotor rotates and propels crop material spirally downstream as an annular mat generally in contact with the housing, the housing including at least one separating grate at least in part axially overlapping the rotor, characterized in that:

• the grate comprises a plurality of axially extending finger bar assemblies in each of which a plurality of side by side fingers is supported cantilever fashion and extending rationally downstream, and the finger bar assemblies are disposed so that between the downstream tips of the fingers and the immediately adjacent downstream finger bar assembly, there is a gap of significant circumferential extent and so that all fingers of a given finger bar assembly are substantially coplanar and extend in the downstream direction.

A threshing and separating combination including a threshing cylinder rotatable about an axis of rotation and an arcuate concave spaced from and at least partially wrapping the cylinder so as to define a threshing and separating zone between them, characterized in that:

• the concave comprises an array of axially extending circumferentially spaced finger bar assemblies, defining collectively an internal arcuate surface of the concave and each finger bar assembly including a plurality of circumferentially extending side by side fingers, having in terms of rotor rotation, upstream and downstream ends, and at least one axial support member having an internal surface and lying substantially within the arcuate surface for supporting the fingers, and wherein there is a generally radially extending gap of significant circumferential extent between the downstream end of each finger and the upstream portion of the immediately adjacent finger bar assembly and wherein in all said finger bar assemblies all fingers are substantially coplanar and extend in the downstream direction.

In a crop material separator comprising a rotor and an arcuate grate of the cell type, partially wrapping the rotor so as to define a separating zone between rotor and grate, each of the cells of the grate having a rotationally downstream end and being defined by members of a plurality of respectively axially and circumferentially extending grate elements, said elements having radially inward surfaces, said surfaces together defining an arcuate separating surface, characterized in that:

• in a plurality of side-by-side cells of the grate all said cells have a pair of opposite laterally directed exits adjacent their downstream ends so that, in operation, crop material may migrate across at least two cells.

A threshing and separating combination including a threshing cylinder rotatable about an axis of rotation and an arcuate concave spaced from and at least partially wrapping the cylinder so as to define a threshing and separating zone between them, characterized in that:

• the concave comprises an array of axially extending circumferentially spaced concave bars defining collectively an internal arcuate surface of the concave, each concave bar including an axially extending support member having radially inward surface laying substantially within the arcuate surface and a plurality of circumferentially extending side-by-side teeth carried by and extending rotationally downstream from the support bar, each tooth having a radially inward surface and a downstream tip and wherein there is a generally radially extending gap of significant circumferential extent between the downstream tip of each tooth and the rotationally succeeding support member and wherein the downstream tip of each tooth is offset radially outwards with respect to the inward surface of the rotationally succeeding support member.