An image capture device captures an image of crop after it has been processed by a kernel processing unit on a forage harvester. A size distribution indicative of the distribution of kernel fragment sizes in the harvested crop is identified from the image captured by the image capture device. A control system generates control signals to control a speed differential in the speed of rotation of kernel processing rollers based on the size distribution. Control signals can also be generated to control a size of a gap between the kernel processing rollers.

A pull-type mower conditioner includes a crop cutting assembly that severs crop material from the ground and a lift mechanism configured to raise and lower the crop cutting assembly to a desired height having at least one lift cylinder and a hydraulic lift circuit supplying hydraulic fluid to the at least one lift cylinder. The mower conditioner also includes a conditioning mechanism receiving the severed crop material from the crop cutting assembly. The conditioning mechanism includes a pair of counter-rotating conditioning rolls to condition the crop material and a tensioning assembly that urges the conditioning rolls relatively toward one another and resists their separation. The tensioning assembly includes a pair of hydraulic tension cylinders and a hydraulic conditioner circuit configured to supply hydraulic fluid to the tension cylinders. The hydraulic tension circuit has a supply line leading to a supply valve, wherein the supply line connects to the lift circuit.

A pull-type mower conditioner includes a crop cutting assembly that severs crop material from the ground and a lift mechanism configured to raise and lower the crop cutting assembly to a desired height having at least one lift cylinder and a hydraulic lift circuit supplying hydraulic fluid to the at least one lift cylinder. The mower conditioner also includes a conditioning mechanism receiving the severed crop material from the crop cutting assembly. The conditioning mechanism includes a pair of counter-rotating conditioning rolls to condition the crop material and a tensioning assembly that urges the conditioning rolls relatively toward one another and resists their separation. The tensioning assembly includes a pair of hydraulic tension cylinders and a hydraulic conditioner circuit configured to supply hydraulic fluid to the tension cylinders. The hydraulic tension circuit has a supply line leading to a supply valve, wherein the supply line connects to the lift circuit.

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for determining appropriate settings and controlling windrower performance based on the constituents of the target crop. Crop condition and constituents can be identified in the field using sensors in/at the windrower implement, such as constituent sensors and/or imaging sensors. An implement controller can receive sensor data from the sensor array and generate crop condition data indicative of a condition of the target crop. The controller can also generate actuator adjustment data indicative of an adjustment to the roller assembly in the windrower implement to meet a target crop dry-down characteristic. One or more actuators can be used to adjust the roller assembly of the windrower implement based at least on the adjustment data, which can be done automatically or by an operator to the roller systems in the implement.

A kernel processor adjustment system and technique is provided. Material processed by a kernel processor is measured with a sensor assembly having one or more sensors. One or more properties are determined from sensor data and the properties are employed to determine a characteristic of the processed material. The characteristic is evaluated based on a performance metric. Based on the evaluation, adjusted settings of the kernel processor are determined. Control signals for the kernel processor are generated and communicated to execute the setting change.

A crop processing roll has the outer cylindrical surface thereof hardened differently at selected areas along the axial length of the crop processing roll. Typically, the high wear areas on at least one end of the crop processing roll have higher levels of hardening, while the low wear area at the central portion of the roll has a lesser level of hardening. The preferable system for hardening is a High Velocity Air Fuel system in which a powdered carbide and metal is mixed in a combustion chamber with air and fuel before applied through an injection gun at different flow rates to selected areas on the crop processing roll. Alternatively, the crop processing roll can be segmented with various segments having different levels of surface hardening, which can be done by conventional heat treating, electroplating or HVAF application of material, and assembled as appropriate to position hardened areas where needed.

A windrower implement includes an actuation system coupled to a rotating element of a crop conditioning system for controlling a position of the rotating element to define a processing gap. A first hydraulic motor is coupled to the rotating element. A merger attachment includes a driven roller rotatably supporting a conveyor. A second hydraulic motor is coupled to the driven roller. A controller is configured to determine a current value of a first fluid pressure of the first hydraulic motor and a current value of a second fluid pressure of the second hydraulic motor, and compare the respective fluid pressures to respective thresholds. When the current value of the either the first or second fluid pressure is greater than their respective threshold, the controller controls the actuation system to increase the processing gap to prevent plugging of the crop conditioning system.

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring and controlling operation a conditioning system of or otherwise associated with an agricultural machine, which may include a mower conditioner. Both pre-conditioning and post-conditioning sensor data indicative of a first and second measurable properties of crop material to be processed and processed by the conditioning system, respectively, are used to determine a crop conditioning metric. Operation of one or more components associated with the conditioning system can then be controlled in dependence on the determined crop conditioning metric. Advantageously, crop properties pre and post conditioning by the conditioning system define a control input for the conditioner or components associated therewith.

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring and controlling operation a conditioning system of or otherwise associated with an agricultural machine, which may include a mower conditioner. Sensor data indicative of a real-time displacement associated with component(s) of the conditioning system is used to determine a measured displacement, which is compared with a minimum displacement for the component(s). The comparison is used to control an operational parameter of one or more components associated with the conditioning system. The controllable component(s) can include the conditioning component(s), and the one or more controllers may be used to control the operational parameter (e.g. operational speed, position, etc.) of the conditioning components and ultimately a level of conditioning applied to cut crop material passing through the conditioning system.

One or more information maps are obtained by an agricultural system. The one or more information maps map one or more characteristic values at different geographic locations in a worksite. An in-situ sensor detects a mass flow value as a mobile machine operates at the worksite. A predictive map generator generates a predictive map that maps predictive mass flow values or predictive yield values at different geographic locations in the worksite based on a relationship between the values in the one or more information maps and the mass flow value detected by the in-situ sensor or the yield value based on the detected mass flow value. The predictive map can be output and used in automated machine control.