Patent ID: 6840854
Filing Date: 2005-01-11
Classification: A01F

Abstract:
1. A chopper and discharge apparatus for use with a combine harvester having a combine harvester body, means for discharging separated straw from a rear discharge area of the combine harvester body, and means mounting the apparatus on the combine harvester body at a position adjacent the rear discharge area for receiving straw therefrom, the apparatus comprising: a housing having a feed opening and a discharge opening, a plurality of stationary blades mounted in the housing in axially spaced positions therealong, the stationary blades lying in parallel radial planes; a chopping assembly mounted in the housing and comprising a hub member mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the hub member and a plurality of blade members mounted on the hub member for rotation therewith about said axis, each blade member projecting generally radially outwardly from the hub member substantially in a radial plane of said axis; the blade members being arranged at spaced positions along the length of the hub member such that rotation of the hub member causes radially extending side edges of at least some of the blade members to pass adjacent radially extending side edges of respective ones of the stationary blades in a cutting action; the feed opening being arranged to deposit the material onto the chopping assembly in a direction generally inwardly toward the axis and the discharge opening being arranged to allow discharge of the material generally radially outwardly from the chopping assembly; the chopping assembly comprising a center chopping section and two end fan sections; the blade members in the two end fan sections being shaped and arranged such that an air flow is generated thereby from air drawn radially inwardly which is driven radially outwardly by the blade members so as to exit from the housing radially outwardly from the blade members through the discharge opening; the blade members in the center chopping section being substantially all flat blade members each of which is defined substantially by a planar cutting portion lying in a radial plane of the hub axis; the blade members in each of the fan sections being substantially all fan blade members each of which includes a fan blade portion arranged to extend outwardly to at least one axial side of the radial plane so as to generate an increased air flow relative to said flat blade members; the blade members of the fan sections being axially spaced from the blade members of the center chopping section such that the fan sections are axially separate from the center section.