US 12,477,979 B2
Moveable panel for bypassing chopper of agricultural vehicle
Tim Passchyn, Sint-Michiels (BE); Gilles Mommerency, Oostnieuwkerke (BE); and Nathan Isaac, Lancaster, PA (US)
Assigned to CNH Industrial America LLC, New Holland, PA (US)
Filed by CNH Industrial America LLC, New Holland, PA (US)
Filed on Apr. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/731,716.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/180,847, filed on Apr. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0346313 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. A01D 41/12 (2006.01); A01F 12/40 (2006.01)
CPC A01D 41/1243 (2013.01) [A01F 12/40 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An agricultural harvester comprising:
a chassis defining a chaff and residue flow passageway that is at least partially delimited by a top wall and a bottom wall;
a discharge beater that (i) receives a residue flow from a threshing and separating system of the agricultural harvester and (ii) directs the residue flow in a downstream direction towards a chopper, wherein the top wall is positioned at least partially above the discharge beater in order to retain the directed residue flow within the chaff and residue flow passageway;
a residue handling system at least partially carried by said chassis for receiving a chaff flow and the residue flow into the flow passageway from the threshing and separating system of the harvester, said residue handling system including the chopper, a shroud at least partially surrounding the chopper, a spreader, and a moveable door panel assembly that is configured to be moved between a chopping mode position and a bypass mode position, wherein the moveable door panel assembly comprises at least one top door panel that is pivotably connected to and forms part of the top wall, and a bottom door panel that is moveably mounted to the shroud,
wherein, in the chopping mode position, (i) the top and bottom door panels of the moveable door assembly are positioned to permit the entrance of residue flow into the chopper, and (ii) the top door panel is maintained in a raised position with respect to a remainder of the top wall, and,
wherein, in the bypass mode position, (a) the top and bottom door panels of the moveable door assembly are positioned to (i) either limit or substantially prevent the entrance of residue flow into the chopper and (ii) direct the residue flow directly into the spreader, and (b) the top door panel is maintained in a lowered position with respect to the remainder of the top wall; and
a windrow door that is mounted either directly or indirectly to the top wall of the chassis and forms part of the top wall, wherein the windrow door is positioned downstream in the flow passageway relative to the top door panel, wherein the windrow door is configured to be moved between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein in the retracted position, the windrow door is configured to conceal a windrow outlet of the flow passageway, and in the extended position corresponding to a windrow mode, the windrow door is configured to reveal the windrow outlet of the flow passageway such that the residue can be distributed through the windrow outlet.