Patent ID: 8375826

Claim:
A rotary element of a combine harvester comprising: a rotary member, wherein the rotary member is generally cylindrical and elongated and rotates during operation; one or more blade mount assemblies mounted to a surface about a circumference of the rotary member, wherein the one or more blade mount assemblies comprise: a lug attached to the surface of the rotary member; and one or more blades, wherein each of the one or more blades are attached by one or more nut and bolt assemblies from a base of the blade to the lug and wherein one or more edges of the blade extend up from the base of the blade and away from the lug to meet at a tip of the blade; one or more auto-balance assemblies mounted to the rotary member to compensate for a mass offset on the rotary element due to the one or more blade mount assemblies being dislodged or broken, wherein the one or more auto-balance assemblies comprise: one or more tracks running parallel in circumference to an attachment of the one or more auto-balance assemblies with the rotary member, wherein the track is located at a particular radial distance from the attachment of the balance assembly with the rotary member and wherein each track comprises: a first bearing race edge attached to the rotary member; a second bearing race edge attached to the rotary member; and one or more spheres located inside the one or more tracks and in contact with the first bearing race edge and the second bearing race edge and wherein loads are transferred from at least one of the first bearing race edge and the second bearing race edge, when the rotary member rotates, to the one or more spheres and wherein the one or more spheres self-align within the track to compensate for the mass offset on the rotary element.