Patent ID: 9686915
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: A01D,A01F,A23K,A23L,B02C

Claim:
1. A processor apparatus for processing crop materials into feed for livestock, the processor apparatus being positionable in a forage harvester defining a path for moving crop materials cut from a field, the processor apparatus comprising: a housing extending at least partially about the path of the crop materials; at least two generally cylindrical rolls mounted on the housing, the rolls being rotatable to move the crop materials through the housing, the rolls arranged to have a gap between them through which the path of the crop materials pass, at least one of the rolls having a plurality of alternating longitudinal ridges and longitudinal grooves and at least one circumferential groove having a depth of less than about 0.5 inches that crosses the longitudinal ridges to form tooth segments between ends of the rolls, the tooth segments extending in a longitudinal direction of the roll and the tooth segments have lengths of less than about 1 inch, the tooth segments having smaller outer edges forming sharp cutting teeth for easier penetration and effective tearing of a plant stalk; and a rotating assembly configured to rotate the rolls with respect to the housing, the rotating assembly being configured to rotate the pair of rolls at different rotational speeds, wherein the gap between the rolls is about 0.01 inches to about 0.24 inches and the different rotational speeds have a speed differential of at least 10 percent.