Primary extractor apparatus for sugar cane harvester

A sugar cane harvester having a chassis, a chopper means for cutting cane stalks into billets, conveying means for conveying cane stalks, and a primary extractor apparatus for separating cane crop leafy trash from a harvested stream of conveyed cane billets comprising:

• a) an extractor housing having an outer wall and a hollow housing interior that defines a cleaning chamber with front and rear portions;
• b) cane billet feed means for continuously feeding cane billets into the front portion of the cleaning chamber and along an arcuate trajectory through the housing interior;
• c) a powered extractor fan positioned in the upper portion of the housing and above the cane billet feed means;
• d) a rear air intake opening in the housing for introducing air into the cleaning chamber opposite the billet feed means;
• e) left and right vertically extending side air intake openings through the outer wall for introducing air into the cleaning chamber on the sides thereof;
• f) each side air intake opening having a corresponding vertically extended adjustable louver plate angled inwardly of the housing outer wall in an adjustable fashion so that the louver plate can be opened and closed with respect to its side air intake opening to vary the amount of incoming air that enters the housing interior therethrough, the side openings and louver plates being spaced along the housing wall beginning at a first position adjacent the cane billet feed means and extending rearwardly therefrom;
• g) each side opening defining a plane and each plate forming an acute angle with the plane of its opening;
• and
• h) outlet means above the fan for directing the discharging air and leafy trash exiting the cleaning chamber.

A sugar cane harvester having a chassis, a chopper means for cutting cane stalks into billets, conveying means for conveying cane stalks, and a primary extractor apparatus for separating cane crop leafy trash from a harvested stream of conveyed cane billets comprising:

• a) an extractor housing having an outer wall and a hollow housing interior that defines a cleaning chamber with front and rear portions;
• b) cane billet feed means for continuously feeding cane billets into the front portion of the cleaning chamber and along an arcuate trajectory through the housing interior;
• c) a powered extractor fan positioned in the upper portion of the housing and above the cane billet feed means;
• d) a rear air intake opening in the housing for introducing air into the cleaning chamber opposite the billet feed means;
• e) left and right vertically extending generally rectangular side air intake openings through the outer wall for introducing air into the cleaning chamber on the sides thereof, each side, opening having front and rear parallel edges;
• f) each side air intake opening having a corresponding vertically extended adjustable louver plate angled inwardly of the housing outer wall in an adjustable fashion so that the louver plate can be opened and closed with respect to its side air intake opening to vary the amount of incoming air that enters the housing interior therethrough, the side openings and louver plates being spaced along the housing wall beginning at a first position adjacent the cane billet feed means and extending rearwardly therefrom, each louver plate being hingedly attached to the housing outer wall and sized and shaped to fit the side opening;
• g) each side opening defining a plane and each plate forming an acute angle with the plane of its opening;
• and
• h) outlet means above the fan for directing the discharging air and leafy trash exiting the cleaning chamber.