Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor which accelerates the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The destructor is mounted on or coaxially with a suitable drive shaft in the straw stream such as the chopper rotor shaft. The rotor is mounted on bearings relative to the chopper rotor drive shaft and is coupled thereto by a releasable coupling between plates radial to the shaft so that the rotor can be stopped while the chopper rotor continues to operate in the event of a fault in the weed seed destructor.

Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor which accelerates the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The destructor is mounted on or coaxially with a suitable drive shaft in the straw stream such as the chopper rotor shaft. The rotor is mounted on bearings relative to the chopper rotor drive shaft and is coupled thereto by a releasable coupling between plates radial to the shaft so that the rotor can be stopped while the chopper rotor continues to operate in the event of a fault in the weed seed destructor.

A shredding and baling apparatus provided includes a shredding assembly operatively connected to a baling assembly via a conveyor. A rotatable drum with cutting teeth spirally arranged along the drum is preferably centered within a lower portion of an intake hopper for cutting through material as it is fed into the hopper. Fixed cutting teeth are preferably arranged in a row or rows along each of the longitudinal sidewalls of the hopper, adjacent the cutting drum. A touch screen display and computer may be used in combination with sensors to monitor and control the shredding and baling operation, and a hydraulic system is used to drive the components. The shredding and baling assembly is preferably designed in an industrial size to handle high volumes of material and may be driven or transported from one location to another.

A windrow system of a combine includes a chopper and a spreader. The chopper includes a chopper housing having a roof and a rotor assembly positioned in the chopper housing, and the spreader is pivotably coupled to the chopper and includes a top surface and an impellor that is positioned below the top surface and includes one or more blades for rotatably conveying crop residue rearwardly and outwardly from the spreader. The windrow system also includes top segment coupled to a main body of the combine, a first curtain, and a second curtain having a portion thereof positioned outwardly of the first curtain. Each of the curtains are movable relative to the main body of the combine when the spreader and/or chopper move between at least one of wide and narrow positions, chopping and windrowing positions, and chopping and stowed positions.

A windrow system of a combine includes a chopper and a spreader. The chopper includes a chopper housing having a roof and a rotor assembly positioned in the chopper housing, and the spreader is pivotably coupled to the chopper and includes a top surface and an impellor that is positioned below the top surface and includes one or more blades for rotatably conveying crop residue rearwardly and outwardly from the spreader. The windrow system also includes top segment coupled to a main body of the combine, a first curtain, and a second curtain having a portion thereof positioned outwardly of the first curtain. Each of the curtains are movable relative to the main body of the combine when the spreader and/or chopper move between at least one of wide and narrow positions, chopping and windrowing positions, and chopping and stowed positions.

A bale processor with extended bale capacity and a kit for extending a bale capacity of a bale processor is disclosed. The extended bale capacity is provided by a bale holder mechanically coupled to the frame the bale processor. When in use, the bale holder is capable of supporting an additional bale in an intermediary position between a first bale above a disintegration rotor of the bale processor and a second bale supported by a bale carrier of the bale processor. The kit comprises an intermediary bale holder and a support frame mechanically mountable to a back section of a bale processor.

A bale processor with extended bale capacity and a kit for extending a bale capacity of a bale processor is disclosed. The extended bale capacity is provided by a bale holder mechanically coupled to the frame the bale processor. When in use, the bale holder is capable of supporting an additional bale in an intermediary position between a first bale above a disintegration rotor of the bale processor and a second bale supported by a bale carrier of the bale processor. The kit comprises an intermediary bale holder and a support frame mechanically mountable to a back section of a bale processor.

A chopper blade for use in an agricultural harvester chopper to chop crop residue comprises a blade body and a hard face. The blade body comprises a cutting edge of the chopper blade. The hard face is applied on a surface of the blade body, and is harder than the blade body. The hard face comprises a serration pattern along a cutting edge such that the cutting edge wears to the serration pattern to match the serration pattern to form corresponding serrations in the cutting edge with the serration pattern becoming part of the cutting edge of the chopper blade during use of the chopper blade.

A chopper blade for use in an agricultural harvester chopper to chop crop residue comprises a blade body and a hard face. The blade body comprises a cutting edge of the chopper blade. The hard face is applied on a surface of the blade body, and is harder than the blade body. The hard face comprises a serration pattern along a cutting edge such that the cutting edge wears to the serration pattern to match the serration pattern to form corresponding serrations in the cutting edge with the serration pattern becoming part of the cutting edge of the chopper blade during use of the chopper blade.

A residue deflector is disposed in a combine body, and positioned along an airflow path to guide residue from an exit end of a cleaning shoe and a threshing and separation assembly, to a residue chopper. The deflector is configured with a plurality of spaced fingers so that air can pass through the deflector between the fingers.