Patent ID: 7896732

Claim:
A crop residue chopping and spreading system for an agricultural combine, comprising: a rotary crop residue chopper disposed within a rear end portion of a cavity of the combine enclosed by a wall and roof structure, the chopper including a chopper housing including an upper portion having an intake opening positioned for receiving a stream of crop residue from a threshing system of the combine, and a lower portion including a forwardly facing discharge opening configured to direct the flow of crop residue forwardly, the chopper including a rotary driver carrying a plurality of knives and being rotatable for propelling the crop residue from the chopper housing through the discharge opening; a rotary crop residue spreader disposed in the cavity adjacent to a rear edge of a sieve of a cleaning system of the combine and forwardly of the discharge opening of the chopper, the spreader including a spreader housing having a forwardly facing and upwardly facing inlet opening disposed for receiving an airborne flow of crop residue from the cleaning system, a rearwardly facing and upwardly facing inlet opening disposed adjacent to the forwardly facing discharge opening of the chopper for directly receiving the crop residue propelled from the forwardly facing discharge opening of the chopper, and at least one sidewardly facing outlet opening, the spreader including at least one rotary impeller disposed in the spreader housing, the rotary impeller being configured and rotatable for propelling the crop residue received through the inlet openings sidewardly outwardly through the outlet opening.