Patent ID: 7297053

Claim:
A crop residue chopper for an agricultural combine, comprising: a chopper housing supported adjacent to a rear opening or the combine, the chopper housing including an inlet opening positioned for receiving a flow of crop residue from a threshing mechanism of the combine, and a discharge opening; a rotor supported in the housing between the inlet and discharge openings for rotation in a rotational direction about a rotational axis; and a plurality of elongate chopper knives disposed at angularly spaced locations around the rotor, respectively, each of the knives including a mounting end portion pivotally mounted to the rotor for pivotal movement in the rotational direction, a free end portion opposite the mounting end portion, a longitudinally extending edge facing in the rotational direction adjacent to the free end portion, and a side surface extending longitudinally between the free end portion and the mounting end portion and facing sidewardly relative to the rotational direction, the side surface including at least one elongate bulbous shaped stiffener portion extending sidewardly therefrom for generating an air flow through the inlet opening into the chopper housing when the rotor is rotated in the rotational direction therein, wherein the stiffener portion terminates at a spaced distance from an endmost edge portion of the free end portion.