Patent ID: 6939221

Claim:
A chopper and discharge apparatus arranged to be mounted at the hood of a combine harvester for receiving the straw and/or chaff from the combine harvester and for discharging the materials from the combine harvester, the apparatus comprising: a housing having a feed opening into which straw and/or chaff can be fed from the combine harvester; a chopper assembly mounted in the housing and comprising a hub member mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the hub member and a plurality of blade members mounted on the hub member for rotation therewith about said axis for chopping the fed materials and accelerating the chopped materials for discharge; the housing having a discharge opening through which the chopped materials are discharged; the housing having and the chopping assembly being arranged such that the straw and/or chaff enters into the feed opening as a single stream extending substantially across the width of the housing and chopping assembly and discharges as a single stream extending substantially across the width of the housing and chopping assembly; a tailboard construction arranged relative to the housing so as to receive the single stream of chopped materials from the discharge opening to engage onto a guide surface of the tailboard construction for spreading of the chopped materials; the tailboard construction extending from the housing and being adjustable so as to raise and lower the tailboard construction to vary the spreading effect on the single stream of chopped materials engaging the tailboard construction; wherein the tailboard construction is divided into separate tailboard portions arranged side by side across the single stream of chopped materials, each arranged to receive a portion of the single stream of chopped materials and each being adjustable independently of the other or others so as to provide a different spreading effect on the portion received thereon.