An agricultural combine has a cleaning shoe including an upper sieve or chaffer over a lower sieve. The lower sieve is over a clean gain chute. A return chute open to a return opening is under the clean grain chute. The clean grain chute receives clean grain from the chaffer and the lower sieve. The return chute receives unclean grain and tailings from the cleaning shoe through the return opening. The chaffer's rear extremity extends beyond the lower sieve's rear extremity configured with a sieve chute. The sieve chute is spaced under the chaffer's rear extremity and extends rearward and angularly upward above the return opening toward the chaffer's rear extremity from the lower sieve's rear extremity, allowing the sieve chute to intercept grain from the chaffer and divert it forward to the lower sieve and away from the return opening.

An agricultural combine has a cleaning shoe including an upper sieve or chaffer over a lower sieve. The lower sieve is over a clean gain chute. A return chute open to a return opening is under the clean grain chute. The clean grain chute receives clean grain from the chaffer and the lower sieve. The return chute receives unclean grain and tailings from the cleaning shoe through the return opening. The chaffer's rear extremity extends beyond the lower sieve's rear extremity configured with a sieve chute. The sieve chute is spaced under the chaffer's rear extremity and extends rearward and angularly upward above the return opening toward the chaffer's rear extremity from the lower sieve's rear extremity, allowing the sieve chute to intercept grain from the chaffer and divert it forward to the lower sieve and away from the return opening.

A sensor signal is received, and is indicative of a sensed parameter. A metric is generated that indicates a likelihood of a tailings elevator plug, based upon the sensed parameter. A controller determines whether adjustments to controllable mechanisms are to be made, based upon the metric, in order to avoid a tailings elevator plug and, if so, automatically makes the adjustments.

A sensor signal is received, and is indicative of a sensed parameter. A metric is generated that indicates a likelihood of a tailings elevator plug, based upon the sensed parameter. A controller determines whether adjustments to controllable mechanisms are to be made, based upon the metric, in order to avoid a tailings elevator plug and, if so, automatically makes the adjustments.

The combine harvester includes a cleaning system including a sieve assembly coupled to a drive mechanism for actuating a fore-aft shaking movement of one or more components of the sieve assembly. The combine further includes a tailings return system including a transversal tailings return auger and an inclined tailings elevating auger. The combine includes a power transmission for driving the tailings return augers. The transmission includes a first belt transmission and a first and second gear transmission, configured to transmit power from a transversal drive shaft of the harvester to the two tailings return augers. The first gear transmission is a planar gear transmission. The output axle of the first gear transmission also drives a belt transmission configured to drive the fore-aft shaking movement of the sieve assembly and the rotation of a clean grain auger of the harvester.

The combine harvester includes a cleaning system including a sieve assembly coupled to a drive mechanism for actuating a fore-aft shaking movement of one or more components of the sieve assembly. The combine further includes a tailings return system including a transversal tailings return auger and an inclined tailings elevating auger. The combine includes a power transmission for driving the tailings return augers. The transmission includes a first belt transmission and a first and second gear transmission, configured to transmit power from a transversal drive shaft of the harvester to the two tailings return augers. The first gear transmission is a planar gear transmission. The output axle of the first gear transmission also drives a belt transmission configured to drive the fore-aft shaking movement of the sieve assembly and the rotation of a clean grain auger of the harvester.

A crop processing system in a combine harvester for directing grain and MOG on a return pan, having a crop processor arranged to thresh and separate grain from a crop stream, a return pan located below a rear portion of the crop processor to collect separated material falling from the crop processor and convey the material forward with respect to the normal forward direction of travel of the combine harvester, a plurality of paddles on the return pan, an inclinometer which measures the angle of the slope of the combine to the horizontal, and an ECU coupled to the paddles and able to command one or more actuators coupled to the paddles and adjust them to a preferred position according to the slope of the combine.

A crop processing system in a combine harvester for directing grain and MOG on a return pan, having a crop processor arranged to thresh and separate grain from a crop stream, a return pan located below a rear portion of the crop processor to collect separated material falling from the crop processor and convey the material forward with respect to the normal forward direction of travel of the combine harvester, a plurality of paddles on the return pan, an inclinometer which measures the angle of the slope of the combine to the horizontal, and an ECU coupled to the paddles and able to command one or more actuators coupled to the paddles and adjust them to a preferred position according to the slope of the combine.