A method and an apparatus for separating a crop flow on at least one conveying and cleaning unit, particularly a top sieve, of a combine harvester, wherein the conveying and cleaning unit is excited to a longitudinal oscillation and a transverse oscillation. The transverse oscillation is controlled depending on at least one state, wherein least one state for controlling the transverse oscillation is the inclination of the combine harvester, wherein at least one further state for controlling the transverse oscillation is the grain purity, particularly the grain purity of a main crop flow. The transverse oscillation is pre-controlled depending on the inclination of the combine harvester and fine-tuned depending on the grain purity.

A method of controlling an angular orientation of an agricultural combine having a chassis includes: determining a slope angle of the ground over which the combine is traveling; determining a tilt angle of the chassis; receiving an angle signal from an operator input device; combining the slope angle of the ground and the angle signal from the operator input device to calculate a desired angle of the chassis that is greater than horizontal (0) and less than the slope angle of the ground.

A harvester may include a chassis, a first separation frame movably supported by the chassis and upon which crop material is deposited, a second separation frame movably supported by the chassis and upon which the crop material is deposited; a reciprocating drive operably coupled to the separation frame to reciprocate the separation frame and an adjustable link operably coupled between the separation frame and the chassis. The adjustable link facilitates adjustment of an orientation of the first separation frame independent of an orientation of the second separation frame without altering a reciprocation stroke distance.

A return pan for an agricultural combine includes a textured floor, two augers, and two motors coupled to the two augers, respectively, to selectively drive the motors in rotation.

A method of controlling an angular orientation of an agricultural combine having a chassis includes: determining a slope angle of the ground over which the combine is traveling; determining a tilt angle of the chassis; receiving an angle signal from an operator input device; combining the slope angle of the ground and the angle signal from the operator input device to calculate a desired angle of the chassis that is greater than horizontal (0) and less than the slope angle of the ground.

A spreader of a combine for conveying crop residue rearwardly from a rotor assembly includes a frame coupled to the combine and has a top portion adapted to receive a portion of crop residue during a harvesting operation. An impellor includes one or more blades for rotatably conveying crop residue rearwardly, and an actuator is controllably moved between an extended position and a retracted position. The actuator is pivotally coupled to the combine. A linkage assembly is pivotally coupled to the actuator at one end and to the frame at another end. The spreader is disposable in a first position when the actuator is in the extended position, and the spreader is disposable in a second position when the actuator is in the retracted position. A movement from the extended position to the retracted position induces pivotal movement of the spreader from the first position to the second position.

A sieve system of an agricultural vehicle for separating crop residue from grain, the sieve system including a frame, a plurality of sieve sections, a plurality of dividers and a pivoting system. The sieve sections are pivotally coupled to the frame. The sieve sections include a first sieve section. The dividers include a first divider coupled to the first sieve section. The pivoting system is coupled to the first sieve section and the first divider, to thereby pivot the sieve section at a first angle about a first axis. The pivoting system also either pivots the divider at a second angle about a second axis or flexes the divider at the second angle. The first angle is relative to the frame, and the second angle is relative to the sieve section.

An apparatus and method for distributing crop material onto a cleaning sieve of an agricultural combine. The method includes providing a sensor in connection with a controller, the sensor senses information representative of grain associated with a crop material distributor and an inclination angle associated with the crop material distributor, and outputs signals representative of grain associated with a crop material distributor and an inclination angle associated with the crop material distributor to the controller. The method provides the crop material distributor for distributing crop material from a threshing system onto a sieve. The controller determines information representative of grain associated with a crop material distributor and an inclination angle associated with at least one of the crop material distributor and the combine. The method includes outputting signals for operable control of operating parameters associated with the crop material distributor and the sieve.

A cleaning section of an agricultural harvester. The cleaning section including a sieve, a plurality of load sensors, and a sieve slope compensating system. The sieve is positioned in the harvester to receive crop material from a threshing section. The plurality of load sensors are coupled to the sieve. The load sensors are configured to produce signals representative of a distributed load of the crop material on the sieve. The sieve slope compensating system is configured to tilt or side shake the sieve dependent upon the signals.

An agricultural harvester includes a chassis; a threshing and separating system carried by the chassis and including at least one threshing rotor mounted in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural harvester; a grain pan carried by the chassis that receives crop material from the threshing and separating system, the grain pan being configured to shake in a fore-to-aft direction and a lateral direction; and a cleaning system carried by the chassis supplied with crop material from the grain pan, the cleaning system including at least one sieve configured to shake in the lateral direction out of phase with the grain pan.