Moveable panel for bypassing chopper of agricultural vehicle
An agricultural harvester includes a chassis, and a residue handling system that receives a chaff flow and a residue flow into a flow passageway of the chassis. The residue handling system includes a 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. The moveable door panel assembly includes a top door panel that is movably mounted to the top wall of the chassis, and a bottom door panel that is moveably mounted to the shroud. In the chopping mode position, the top and bottom door panels are positioned to permit the entrance of residue flow into the chopper. In the bypass mode position, the top and bottom door panels are positioned to either limit or substantially prevent the entrance of residue flow into the chopper.
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.
2 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein the at least one top door panel comprises two top door panels, wherein one of the two top door panels is pivotably connected to the top wall about a fixed pivot axis, and the other of the two top door panels is pivotably connected to said one of the two top door panels about a moveable pivot axis.
3 . The agricultural harvester of claim 2 , further comprising a handle for moving the two top door panels between the chopping mode position and the bypass mode position, wherein the handle is configured to rotate about a fixed axis, and is connected to said other of the two top door panels by a link.
4 . The agricultural harvester of claim 2 , wherein, in the bypass mode position, the bottom door panel is positioned to contact said other of the two top door panels, and wherein, in the chopping mode position, the bottom door panel is not positioned to contact said other of the two top door panels.
5 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , further comprising a handle for moving the bottom door panel between the chopping mode position and the bypass mode position, wherein the handle is configured to rotate about a fixed axis.
6 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein, in the bypass mode position, the bottom door panel is positioned to contact the top door panel, and wherein, in the chopping mode position, the bottom door panel is not positioned to contact the top door panel.
7 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein the windrow door is configured to be moved to the retracted position when the top door panel is moved to the chopping mode position.
8 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein the shroud partially encircles one side of the chopper.
9 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein the door panels of the moveable door panel assembly are either flat or curved sheets.
10 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein the spreader is positioned at an elevation beneath the chopper.
11 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein, in the chopping mode position, the top door panel is maintained substantially flush with the remainder of the top wall, and, wherein, in the bypass mode position the top door panel is not maintained substantially flush with the remainder of the top wall.
12 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein, in the chopping mode position, the top door panel is contiguous with the windrow door.
13 . In an agricultural vehicle including (a) a chassis defining a chaff and residue flow passageway that is at least partially delimited by a top wall and a bottom wall, (b) 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, and (c) a residue handling system at least partially carried by said chassis for receiving a chaff flow and the residue flow 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, a moveable door panel assembly comprising (i) at least one top door panel that is pivotably connected to and forms part of the top wall and (ii) a bottom door panel that is moveably mounted to the shroud, 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, a method of operating the residue handling system comprises:
moving the top and bottom door panels of the moveable door assembly to a chopping mode position whereupon (i) the top and bottom door panels 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,
moving the windrow door to the extended position corresponding to the windrow mode for windrowing,
moving the windrow door to the retracted position; and
moving the top and bottom door panels of the moveable door assembly to a bypass mode position whereupon (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.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein in the bypass position, the top and bottom door panels are positioned in contact, and, in the chopping position, the top and bottom door panels are separated.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one top door panel comprises two top door panels, wherein one of the two top door panels is pivotably connected to the top wall about a fixed pivot axis, and the other of the two top door panels is pivotably connected to said one of the two top door panels about a moveable pivot axis.
16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein, in the chopping mode position, the top door panel is maintained substantially flush with the remainder of the top wall, and, wherein, in the bypass mode position the top door panel is not maintained substantially flush with the remainder of the top wall.