A chopper drum assembly for a forage harvester including a chopper drum housing, a shear bar, a shear bar holder and a wear plate assembly. The chopper drum housing includes a first part and a wear plate assembly support surface. The shear bar holder is pivotally connected at a first end to the first part of the chopper drum housing and fixedly connected to the shear bar at a second end. A first end of the wear plate assembly is pivotally connected to the second end of the shear bar holder adjacent the shear bar, and a second end of the wear plate assembly is supported by the wear plate assembly support surface wherein, the wear plate support surface is arranged to be inclined to the horizontal.

A straw processing system includes a straw pickup assembly, a straw chopper, and a straw distribution system. The straw pickup assembly picks up straw and passes it to the straw chopper for producing a straw feed stream flowing in a feed direction. The straw distribution system has a chamber with a feed inlet for receiving the straw feed stream, a central outlet, and at least a first outlet. The straw distribution system diverts at least a first fraction of straw from the straw feed into the first outlet in a first direction which is divergent from the feed direction. The central outlet discharges a fraction of the straw feed stream that continues to flow in the feed direction.

A straw processing system includes a straw pickup assembly, a straw chopper, and a straw distribution system. The straw pickup assembly picks up straw and passes it to the straw chopper for producing a straw feed stream flowing in a feed direction. The straw distribution system has a chamber with a feed inlet for receiving the straw feed stream, a central outlet, and at least a first outlet. The straw distribution system diverts at least a first fraction of straw from the straw feed into the first outlet in a first direction which is divergent from the feed direction. The central outlet discharges a fraction of the straw feed stream that continues to flow in the feed direction.

An agricultural vehicle includes a chassis, a threshing and separating mechanism supported by the chassis and configured for threshing and separating a crop material, a cleaning system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in a direction of crop material flow, and an auxiliary processing system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in the direction of crop material flow. The auxiliary processing system has an inlet and an outlet, and includes a discharge chopper having an end and a first direction of rotation about an axis of rotation. The auxiliary processing system also includes at least one rethreshing element coaxially aligned with the discharge chopper and adjacent to the end of the discharge chopper and having a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation of the discharge chopper.

An agricultural vehicle includes a chassis, a threshing and separating mechanism supported by the chassis and configured for threshing and separating a crop material, a cleaning system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in a direction of crop material flow, and an auxiliary processing system positioned downstream of the threshing and separating mechanism in the direction of crop material flow. The auxiliary processing system has an inlet and an outlet, and includes a discharge chopper having an end and a first direction of rotation about an axis of rotation. The auxiliary processing system also includes at least one rethreshing element coaxially aligned with the discharge chopper and adjacent to the end of the discharge chopper and having a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation of the discharge chopper.

An organic material and plant vine chopper assembly has two plant vine chopper rotor drum assemblies that chop plant vines and other organic material. Each rotor drum assembly has a plurality of rotor rings each ring having a plurality of angled blades that effectively cooperate with each other to guard each blade and the drum against the wrapping of clogging fibrous strands and other clogging material around the drum. Each chopper rotor drum assembly incorporates a plurality of rotor rings spaced along and encircling and attached to a main drum tube and distributed in a cutting zone along and surrounding the longitudinal rotational axis of the drum tube with each rotor ring having a pair or a plurality of pairs of cutting blades attached to respective alternately angled mounting tabs that alternate to the left and to the right to the general plane of the rotor ring.

An agricultural harvester includes a threshing and separating system for separating grain from non-grain crop material, and a residue handling system for receiving at least a portion of the non-grain crop material. The residue handling system includes a chopper and a windrow arrangement, each having an inlet. A door is movable between a closed position which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper and an open position which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement. A feed roller is positioned adjacent to and between the inlet of the chopper and windrow arrangement. The feed roller is rotatable in a first direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper when the door is in the closed position, and a second direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement when the door is in the open position.

An agricultural harvester includes a threshing and separating system for separating grain from non-grain crop material, and a residue handling system for receiving at least a portion of the non-grain crop material. The residue handling system includes a chopper and a windrow arrangement, each having an inlet. A door is movable between a closed position which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper and an open position which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement. A feed roller is positioned adjacent to and between the inlet of the chopper and windrow arrangement. The feed roller is rotatable in a first direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the chopper when the door is in the closed position, and a second direction which directs the non-grain crop material to the windrow arrangement when the door is in the open position.

A plant vine chopper rotor drum assembly is provided for use in chopping machines. The rotor drum assembly has a plurality of rotor rings each ring having a plurality of angled blades that effectively cooperate with each other to guard each blade and the drum against the wrapping of clogging fibrous strands and other clogging material around the drum. The chopper rotor drum assembly incorporates a plurality of rotor rings spaced along and encircling and attached to a main drum tube and distributed in a cutting zone along and surrounding the longitudinal rotational axis of the drum tube with each rotor ring having a pair or a plurality of pairs of cutting blades attached to respective alternately angled mounting tabs that alternate to the left and to the right to the general plane of the rotor ring.

A rotor apparatus for an agricultural machine which includes a pick-up apparatus for picking up hay from the ground and a chamber for receiving the picked-up hay, is configured to feed the hay picked-up from the ground to the compression chamber. The rotor apparatus comprises: a rotary shaft, a plurality of feeding blades pairs, each having a plurality of fins distributed on an outer perimeter of the respective blade, wherein the feeding blades pairs are arranged on the rotary shaft in a way that, for each pair of feeding blades, the fins are offset from the corresponding fins of an adjacent pair of feeding blades, so that, for each pair of feeding blades, each fin is misaligned with any other fin of the other pairs of feeding blades.