An improved self-propelled grain harvester and threshing machine characterized by the sieves, cleaning fan and grain tank being beneath the grain harvester's threshing system which puts the center of gravity in the bottom of the machine and eliminates the need for conveying the grain throughout the machine for cleaning and to the top of the machine for storage. This configuration eliminates several clean grain conveying systems and reduces the length of the reprocess tailings elevator giving the machine a safe low profile and center of gravity when the machine is empty and the center of gravity lowers as the grain tank fills.

Disclosed is an articulated harvesting combine of a forward power processing unit (PPU) having a forward set of wheel assemblies and a rear grain cart connected by an articulating joint assembly. Bonus sieves assemblies are located in the outer rear of the PPU for accepting grain from concaves and grates assemblies located forward of the bonus sieves assemblies. The bonus sieves assemblies accept tailings from the concaves and grates assemblies for additional separation of grain from material other than grain (MOG). New and separate airflow is provided for the bonus sieves. The bonus sieves tailings are returned to the bonus sieves for rethreshing, optionally after being particulated and air separation performed.

An agricultural harvester including a chassis, a threshing and separating system for separating grain from MOG, and a grain cleaning system for further separating grain from residual MOG. The grain cleaning system has a main grain pan, an intermediate grain pan located beneath and rearward of the main grain pan, and at least one sieve located beneath and rearward of the intermediate grain pan. The main grain pan, the intermediate grain pan, and the at least one sieve are so arranged that the mixture of grain and residual MOG undergoes a first fall step from the main grain pan to the intermediate grain pan and a second fall step from the intermediate grain pan to the at least one sieve.

A self-propelled harvester such as a combine harvester including a frame having a main frame assembly and a pair of secondary frame members attached thereto. The main frame assembly supports crop processing apparatus. A feederhouse and a tangential-flow crop impelling rotor are journaled between the secondary frame members. The secondary frame members are conveniently removable from the main frame assembly for accessing the processing apparatus from a front end of the harvester.

A tailings conveyance including a housing having a front plate, a back plate, and a wall, and is adapted to recycle tailings through a cleaning system of a combine using at least one impeller. The wall of the housing describes an arc near the impeller paddles over a segment of a circle described by the circumference of the impeller. The wall further continues on a tangent away from the circle at a point of tangency. A sensor is positioned proximate to the point of tangency, and senses whether a space between the front plate and the back plate directly adjacent to the sensor is obscured by tailings as the impeller rotates. A controller or control system connected to the sensor calculates an amount or percentage of time the space between the front plate and the back plate directly adjacent to the sensor is obscured by tailings as the impeller rotates.

A centrifugal fan rotor having a frame with a rotary axis and a plurality of blades on the frame at circumferentially spaced locations around the rotary axis. The plurality of blades each has a leading edge and a trailing edge radially outside of the leading edge. The plurality of blades each has circumferentially oppositely facing first and second surfaces each extending between respective leading and trailing edges. The plurality of blades each has a material bonded at the leading edge and over only a portion of the exposed surface area of one of the first and second surfaces.

A crop harvester is operable to separate grain from severed crop material and broadly includes a threshing rotor, cleaning shoe, and separator pan. The separator pan is interposed between the threshing rotor and the cleaning shoe. The separator pan includes a floor and an air deflector. The floor is configured to urge separated grain on the floor forwardly while allowing a rearward air stream between the floor and rotor to carry material other than grain rearwardly. The air deflector is positioned relative to the floor to direct the rearward air stream above the floor and thereby permit forward grain movement along the pan.

A cleaning assembly for a harvester operable to clean a crop while moving along a direction of the crop flow and comprising multiple cleaning sub-assemblies has a control system coupled to each of the cleaning sub-assemblies and operable to control the operation of each of the cleaning sub-assemblies in function of separate cleaning sub-assembly control settings for each of the cleaning sub-assemblies.

Embodiments of a kernel-level grain monitoring system include a grain camera positioned to capture bulk grain sample images of a currently-harvested grain taken into and processed by a combine harvester, a moisture sensor, and a display device. A controller architecture is coupled to the grain camera, to the moisture sensor, and to the display device. The controller architecture is configured to: (i) analyze the bulk grain sample images, as received from the grain camera, to determine an average per kernel (APK) volume representing an estimated volume of a single average kernel of the currently-harvested grain; (ii) repeatedly calculate one or more topline harvesting parameters based, at least in part, on the determined APK volume and the moisture sensor data; and (iii) selectively present the topline harvesting parameters on the display device for viewing by an operator of the combine harvester.

A harvester cleaning shoe louver includes a head portion about which the louver is to pivot, a tail blade extending from the head portion and fin blades. The fin blades extend from a rear face of the tail blade at spaced locations along the tail blade.