Deflector door for accessing a sieve of a combine harvester having a seed mill
An agricultural harvester includes a straw hood having a hollow interior space for receiving material other than grain (MOG) from a threshing and separating system of the harvester and chaff from a sieve of a cleaning system of the harvester. A weed seed mill is mounted to the straw hood. An access door is moveably mounted to the straw hood between a lowered operational position and a raised service position. In the lowered operational position, the access door is positioned to direct the stream of chaff either into or towards the inlet of the weed seed mill. In the raised service position, a user-accessible passageway is formed from an exterior of the agricultural harvester to the sieve such that a user can access the sieve from an exterior of the harvester.
1 . An agricultural harvester comprising:
a straw hood having a hollow interior space that receives material other than grain (MOG) from a threshing and separating system of the harvester and chaff from a sieve of a cleaning system of the harvester;
a weed seed mill mounted to a frame of the harvester or the straw hood, the weed seed mill comprising a stator defining a partially-enclosed interior region and an inlet through which a stream of the chaff from the sieve is delivered into the interior region, and a rotor positioned at least partially within the interior region of the stator, the weed seed mill devitalizing weed seeds contained within the chaff; and
an access door that is moveably mounted within the straw hood, the access door being moveable between a lowered operational position and a raised service position,
wherein, in the lowered operational position, the access door encloses the rotor and constitutes a portion of the stator of the weed seed mill and is arranged to direct the stream of chaff either into or towards the inlet of the weed seed mill, and
wherein, in the raised service position, a user-accessible passageway is formed from an exterior of the agricultural harvester, through the interior region of the stator and to the sieve such that a user can access the sieve from the exterior of the agricultural harvester.
2 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , further comprising the sieve of the cleaning system of the harvester.
3 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , further comprising a straw chopper positioned within the straw hood, the straw chopper receiving the MOG from the threshing and separating system of the harvester, chopping the MOG, and outputting the chopped MOG, wherein the rotor of the weed seed mill rotates at a higher speed than a rotor of the chopper.
4 . The agricultural harvester of claim 3 , wherein the user-accessible passageway is defined between the straw chopper and the stator of the weed seed mill.
5 . The agricultural harvester of claim 3 , further comprising a spreader that receives and then discharges the chopped MOG, wherein the user-accessible passageway is disposed between the weed seed mill and the spreader.
6 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , further comprising a linkage that moves the access door between the lowered operational position and the raised service position.
7 . The agricultural harvester of claim 6 , wherein the linkage comprises a handle that is graspable by a user, one or more links connected to the handle, and a shaft connected to the one or more links as well as the access door.
8 . The agricultural harvester of claim 7 , wherein the shaft is fixed to the access door enabling movement of the handle that causes movement of the one or more links, resulting in rotation of the shaft and movement of the access door between the lowered operational position and the raised service position.
9 . The agricultural harvester of claim 7 , wherein the linkage further comprises a biasing device having one end that is connected either directly or indirectly to the handle, and another end that is connected to a stationary point on the straw hood, wherein the biasing device is assists with movement of the access door.
10 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein, in the lowered operational position, the access door either limits or prevents user access to the sieve via the user-accessible passageway.
11 . The agricultural harvester of claim 1 , wherein a fixed end of the access door constitutes a portion of the inlet of the stator.
12 . The agricultural harvester of claim 11 , wherein the access door is pivotable about the fixed end of the access door.
13 . A weed seed mill for an agricultural harvester, the weed seed mill comprising:
a stator defining a partially-enclosed interior region and an inlet through which a stream of chaff from a sieve of a cleaning system of the agricultural harvester is delivered into the interior region;
a rotor positioned at least partially within the interior region of the stator, the rotor and stator together devitalizing weed seeds contained within the chaff; and
an access door that is moveable relative to the rotor between a lowered operational position and a raised service position,
wherein, in the lowered operational position, the access door encloses the rotor and constitutes a portion of the stator of the weed seed mill and is positioned to direct the stream of chaff either into or towards the inlet of the stator, and
wherein, in the raised service position, a user-accessible passageway is formed from an exterior of the agricultural harvester, through the interior region of the stator and to the sieve such that a user can access the sieve from the exterior of the agricultural harvester.
14 . The weed seed mill of claim 13 , further comprising a linkage that moves the access door between the lowered operational position and the raised service position.
15 . The weed seed mill of claim 14 , wherein the linkage comprises a handle that is graspable by a user, one or more links connected to the handle, and a shaft connected to the one or more links as well as the access door.
16 . The weed seed mill of claim 15 , wherein the shaft is fixed to the access door enabling movement of the handle that causes movement of the one or more links, resulting in rotation of the shaft and movement of the access door between the lowered operational position and the raised service position.
17 . The weed seed mill of claim 15 , wherein the linkage further comprises a biasing device having one end that is connected either directly or indirectly to the handle, and another end that is connected to a stationary point on the straw hood,
wherein the biasing device assists with movement of the access door.
18 . The weed seed mill of claim 15 , wherein a fixed end of the access door constitutes a portion of the inlet of the stator.
19 . The weed seed mill of claim 18 , wherein the access door is pivotable about the fixed end of the access door.