Patent ID: 7306513

Claim:
A combine having a cleaning shoe for separating grain from chaff in a cut crop material, the cleaning shoe comprising: a frame for attaching the cleaning shoe to the combine; a chaffer for receiving a cut crop containing grain from a separator, the chaffer being movably secured in the cleaning shoe frame, the chaffer having edges along the length of the chaffer on the outside and a bottom surface having openings therethrough of a size that partially cleaned grain can fall through the chaffer onto the sieve below, the chaffer capable of oscillation so as to move the cut crop laterally along the top of the bottom surface of the chaffer; a sieve located at least in part below the chaffer for receiving partially cleaned grain from the chaffer; the sieve being movably secured in the cleaning shoe frame, the sieve having edges along the length of the sieve on the outside and a bottom surface having openings therethrough of a size that cleaned grain can fall through the sieve, the sieve capable of oscillation so as to move the grain laterally along the top of the bottom surface of the sieve; at least one of the chaffer and the sieve having a pivoting mechanism attached thereto, the pivoting mechanism having a detecting mechanism for detecting the angle from horizontal at which the bottom surface of the chaffer or sieve is positioned; a motor capable of pivoting the bottom surface of the chaffer or sieve laterally about a longitudinal axis thereof; and a control system capable of receiving input from at least the detecting mechanism and calculating an angle of operation for the bottom surface that increases grain yield, the angle being greater than an angle necessary to position the bottom surface horizontally level, the control system capable of sending a command to the motor to pivot the bottom surface of the chaffer or sieve to the angle of operation; wherein the control system is capable of receiving input from at least one other device than the detecting mechanism and using the input received from the at least one other device in calculating a preferred angle of operation.