Patent ID: 7331855

Claim:
In a combine for harvesting grain having a harvesting head attached thereto, an apparatus for conveying crop residue from a chopper in a wide-distribution path behind a rear of the combine, the apparatus comprising: an impeller-type spreader mechanism having a frame for attaching the spreader mechanism to the rear of the combine by means of securing struts, the spreader mechanism having a housing secured to the frame, and having at least two rotating impellers secured beneath the housing, each impeller having at least one impeller blade secured to a bottom thereof, the impellers capable of counter-rotating within the frame to disperse the crop residue propelled into the spreader mechanism out the side and rear of the spreader by means of the rotating impeller blades; and an angled discharge mechanism disposed at an angle of approximately 55 to 65 degrees relative to vertically-oriented rotational axes of the spreader mechanism, the angled discharge mechanism arranged for receiving crop residue from an outlet of the combine chopper and propelling the crop residue upward into the impellers of the spreader at an angle.