Patent ID: 8157629

Claim:
An agricultural harvesting machine, comprising: a frame; and a threshing section supported by said frame, said threshing section including: a rotating member; at least one concave movable in directions toward and away from said rotating member; a hydraulic concave support system positioning said at least one concave proximate to said rotating member, said hydraulic concave support system including at least one hydraulically driven element movable substantially parallel to said directions toward and away from said rotating member; at least one hydraulic actuator including a first hydraulic actuator having an end portion, said end portion being said hydraulically driven element; a support bar connected to said end portion, said support bar engaging an end of said concave, said support bar having a first end and a second end; a plurality of guides including a first guide and a second guide, said first end of said support bar sliding along said first guide, said second end of said support bar sliding along said second guide when said hydraulically driven element moves said support bar along a substantially linear path; and a controller operatively connected to said at least one hydraulic actuator, said controller being configured to maintain a substantially constant pressure on crop material passing between said concave and said rotating member based on a user input related to a selected pressure on the crop.