A material processing system having a barrel also referred to hereinafter having a milling or impact surface and a central axis. The impact surface is impervious, in that material cannot pass through the surface, but rather is contained by the surface. An impact mechanism is located within barrel and is rotates about the central axis. The system has inlet openings and formed in the barrel at axially spaced locations along the axis. At least one outlet opening is formed in the barrel at a location intermediate of the inlets. The impact mechanism includes a plurality of hammers mounted on shaft which rotates about the axis.

An apparatus for separating plant material from a stem of a harvested plant includes a frame and a planar sheet attached to the frame having a thickness thereof and an aperture therethrough that has a length defining a longitudinal axis and a width equal to or greater than the thickness of the planar sheet, the width being operable to receive the stem when the stem is pushed through the aperture but to sever the plant material extending from the stem; and a motor-driven blade defining a cutting edge dimensioned for sweeping adjacent to one side of the planar sheet, the cutting edge being aligned with the longitudinal axis when adjacent to the aperture and operable to disintegrate a portion of the stem that protrudes through the aperture to the one side as the stem is pushed through the aperture.

An apparatus for separating plant material from a stem of a harvested plant includes a frame and a planar sheet attached to the frame having a thickness thereof and an aperture therethrough that has a length defining a longitudinal axis and a width equal to or greater than the thickness of the planar sheet, the width being operable to receive the stem when the stem is pushed through the aperture but to sever the plant material extending from the stem; and a motor-driven blade defining a cutting edge dimensioned for sweeping adjacent to one side of the planar sheet, the cutting edge being aligned with the longitudinal axis when adjacent to the aperture and operable to disintegrate a portion of the stem that protrudes through the aperture to the one side as the stem is pushed through the aperture.

A threshing and separating system including a non-stationary rotor cage including a perforated cylindrical body extending in a longitudinal direction from a first open end portion to a second open end portion. The first open end portion supported by a first rotatable coupling point, and the second open end portion supported by a second rotatable coupling point. The threshing and separating system also includes a rotor configured to rotate within the non-stationary rotor cage to thresh harvested crop. The non-stationary rotor cage is configured to rotate about an axis extending between the first rotatable coupling point and the second rotatable coupling point, and to be rotationally driven by the rotor via the threshed harvested crop.

A monitoring system for a combine harvester. The monitoring system includes a sensor configured to provide a measurement wave to a flow of crop residue on the harvester and to receive a response wave from the flow of crop residue. The monitoring system further includes a processor having an input terminal for receiving a response signal of the sensor representative of the response wave. The processor is configured to determine a crop parameter associated with the density of the flow of crop based on the response signal of the sensor. The processor further has an output terminal for outputting a density signal representing the crop parameter.

A monitoring system for a combine harvester. The monitoring system includes a sensor configured to provide a measurement wave to a flow of crop residue on the harvester and to receive a response wave from the flow of crop residue. The monitoring system further includes a processor having an input terminal for receiving a response signal of the sensor representative of the response wave. The processor is configured to determine a crop parameter associated with the density of the flow of crop based on the response signal of the sensor. The processor further has an output terminal for outputting a density signal representing the crop parameter.

A combine including an engine for propelling the combine, a feeder housing for receiving cut crop, a separating system for threshing the cut crop to produce grain and residue, a residue chopper for chopping the residue, and a controller. The controller is configured to estimate risk factors that correlate to a risk of fire in the engine due to airborne particles created by at least one of the cut crop, the separating system or the residue chopper, estimate a fire risk based on the risk factors, and implement corrective action based on the estimated fire risk.

A grain processing apparatus for a combine harvester has a return pan with a release passage for releasing the harvested crop material before it reaches a grain cleaning system, and a controllable closure for opening and closing the release passage. Thus, the amount of MOG to be processed by the grain cleaning system can be controlled.

A crop residue spreader arrangement comprises a frame, a pair of counter rotating residue spreader wheels carried from the frame, the frame element supporting first and second shaped residue deflectors wherein each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors comprises a plurality of vertically displaceable elements.

A crop residue spreader arrangement comprises a frame, a pair of counter rotating residue spreader wheels carried from the frame, the frame element supporting first and second shaped residue deflectors wherein each of the first and second shaped residue deflectors comprises a plurality of vertically displaceable elements.