Crop residue spreader arrangement with independently pivoting shaped residue deflectors
A crop residue spreader arrangement, and an agricultural vehicle fitted with such a crop residue spreader arrangement, are disclosed. The crop residue spreader arrangement comprises a frame, a pair of counter rotating residue spreader wheels carried from the frame, a common frame element, the common frame element being pivotally connected to the frame, the common frame element supporting first and second shaped residue deflectors, each residue deflector being associated with an adjacent residue spreader wheel and each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors being pivotally mounted to the common frame element about coincident horizontal axes.
1 . A crop residue spreader arrangement comprising a frame, a pair of residue spreader wheels carried from the frame, each residue spreader wheel of the pair of residue spreader wheels rotatable about a vertical axis so as to counter rotate with respect to the other residue spreader wheel of the pair of residue spreader wheels, a common frame element, the common frame element being pivotally connected to the frame, the common frame element supporting first and second shaped residue deflectors, each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors being associated with an adjacent residue spreader wheel of the pair of residue spreader wheels and each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors being pivotally mounted to the common frame element about coincident horizontal axes parallel to a line connecting the vertical axes of the pair of residue spreader wheels, wherein the common frame element is pivotally connected to the frame about a horizontal axis parallel to the line connecting the vertical axes of the pair of residue spreader wheels, and wherein a cam arrangement is provided between each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors and the common frame element configured to independently pivot the first and second shaped residue deflectors.
2 . A crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the common frame element can be pivoted about the horizontal axis by a crank, hydraulic or pneumatic actuation or by linear actuation.
3 . A crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein each shaped residue deflector comprises a carrying arm and a material deflector.
4 . A crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the material deflector is curved about an outer circular profile of the adjacent residue spreader wheel of the pair of residue spreader wheels.
5 . A crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the material deflector a shape having a relatively broader portion at a first end tapering to a relatively narrower portion at a second end.
6 . A crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the material deflector comprises a sheet material having an upper linear edge having first and second ends, a first longer edge depending from the first end of the upper edge, a second shorter edge depending from the second end of the upper edge and a fourth edge connecting the distal ends of the first and second edges.
7 . An agricultural harvester comprising a chassis and a crop residue spreader arrangement according to claim 1 carried by said chassis at a rear of the agricultural harvester.