US 6,598,812 B1Granted

Crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine

AssigneeCase Corporation

InventorsRobert A. Matousek, Joshua J. Wolters, Jason M. Benes

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Abstract

A crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine including a unique support element which is an elongate tube, including a center portion and a pair of legs extending outwardly in opposite directions from the center portion, each of the legs including an end portion opposite the center portion and an intermediate portion. The end portions include pivot elements coaxially aligned about a pivotal axis for pivotal connection to a rear end of the combine for movement between spreading and non-spreading positions. The intermediate portions include mounting elements for supporting rotatable crop accelerators in side-by-side relation, and the center portion includes at least one mount for mounting a pair of crop residue deflectors in cantilever relation to the tube and extending partially around the crop residue accelerators, respectively. The tube can also include mounts or supports for holding a shield in desired relation to the crop residue accelerators.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine, the combine having a rear frame portion supporting crop cleaning apparatus operable for separating crop residue from the crop and discharging the residue through a rearwardly facing opening located rearwardly of the cleaning apparatus, the rear frame portion including first and second side portions located adjacent to opposite sides of the rear opening, the crop residue spreader comprising:

an elongate tubular support element having a first longitudinal end portion, a second longitudinal end portion opposite the first longitudinal end portion, and a generally V-shape intermediate portion having a center portion disposed about equidistant from the first and second longitudinal end portions and angularly related leg portions extending between the center portion and the first and second longitudinal end portions;
first and second pivots on the first and second longitudinal end portions for pivotally mounting the support element to the first and second side portions of the rear frame portion, respectively, for pivotal movement of the support element relative thereto about a generally horizontal pivotal axis extending through the pivots;
a first rotary crop residue accelerator mounted to the first leg portion of the support element intermediate the center portion and the first longitudinal end portion, including a first rotatable element for rotation relative to the support element about a first rotational axis;
a second crop residue accelerating unit mounted to the second leg portion of the support element intermediate the center portion and the second longitudinal end portion, including a second rotatable element for rotation relative to the support element about a second rotational axis;
a first arcuate crop residue deflector having a first end mounted to the center portion of the support element supporting the first deflector in cantilever relation thereto around a portion of an outer radial periphery of the first rotatable element;
and
a second arcuate crop residue deflector having a first end mounted to the center of the support element supporting the second deflector in cantilever relation thereto around a portion of an outer radial periphery of the second rotatable element.

4 more elements

In a crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine, the spreader including a structural element supporting at least one rotary crop residue accelerator rotatable in a predetermined direction about a rotational axis for receiving a flow of the crop residue and accelerating and discharging the flow of residue in a predetermined direction from the spreader, the improvement comprising a crop residue deflector having a first end connected to the structural element adjacent to a radial periphery of the crop residue accelerator at a predetermined first angular position about the rotational axis, a second end spaced radially outwardly of the crop residue accelerator at a predetermined second angular position about the rotational axis spaced in the predetermined direction from the first angular position, and a smooth, curved surface extending between the first and second ends and facing the radial periphery of the crop residue accelerator, the connection of the first end to the structural element being the only attachment of the deflector to the spreader such that the deflector is supported by the first end in cantilever relation to the structural element.

In a crop residue spreader for an agricultural combine, the combine having a rear frame portion supporting crop cleaning apparatus operable for separating crop residue from the crop and discharging the residue through a rearwardly facing opening located rearwardly of the cleaning apparatus, the rear frame portion including first and second side portions located adjacent to opposite sides of the rear opening, and the crop residue spreader including at least one rotary crop residue accelerator rotatable about a rotational axis for receiving a flow of the crop residue discharged through the opening and accelerating the residue and discharging the residue outwardly from the rear end of the combine, the improvement comprising:

mounting apparatus for the spreader including pivots for attachment of the spreader to the first and second side portions of the rear frame of the combine, respectively, for pivotal movement of the spreader, about a generally horizontal axis between at least one spreading position wherein the spreader is located rearwardly of the rearwardly facing opening for receiving at least a substantial portion of the crop residue discharged therethrough, the rotational axis of the at least one rotary crop accelerator is oriented generally vertically or at a small acute angle to vertical and at least one second position wherein the rotational axis is oriented generally horizontally or at a small acute angle to horizontal and the spreader is located beneath the rearwardly facing opening.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.