A bale spreader including one or more rotors rotatably attached to a first and second support member is provided. The bale spreader includes an apron that extends below the rotor(s), and may be configured to operatively feed a particulate material into the rotor(s). The rotor(s) may include a plurality of flail knives or hammers configured to chop and/or shred a particulate material as the rotor(s) is/are rotated. The rotor(s) may be rotated by an optimized hydraulic system connected to the auxiliary hydraulic system of an agricultural implement or vehicle. Furthermore, the bale spreader may include a plurality of tines, screen members, and a flop bar configured to secure particulate material within the bale spreader.

A bale processor has a bale chamber mounted on a frame and a disintegrator shreds material from a bale and discharges shredded material laterally. A fan receives the shredded material through a fan inlet and blows the material out through a fan discharge. A conveyor receives the shredded material from the disintegrator along an inner side thereof. A side opening extends along an outer side of the conveyor and a side door is movable from a closed position, where the side opening is closed and the conveyor is enclosed and moves the shredded material along the conveyor and into the fan inlet, to an open position where the outer side of the conveyor is open and the conveyor moves the shredded material laterally out through the side opening. An auger conveyor mounted only on an end opposite the fan inlet leaves the fan inlet unobstructed, increasing capacity.

A bale processor has a bale chamber mounted on a frame and a disintegrator shreds material from a bale and discharges shredded material laterally. A fan receives the shredded material through a fan inlet and blows the material out through a fan discharge. A conveyor receives the shredded material from the disintegrator along an inner side thereof. A side opening extends along an outer side of the conveyor and a side door is movable from a closed position, where the side opening is closed and the conveyor is enclosed and moves the shredded material along the conveyor and into the fan inlet, to an open position where the outer side of the conveyor is open and the conveyor moves the shredded material laterally out through the side opening. An auger conveyor mounted only on an end opposite the fan inlet leaves the fan inlet unobstructed, increasing capacity.

Processing of baled material includes a bale opening stage, a separation stage, and a decortication stage. The bale opener features a conveyor moving incoming bales toward a toothed extractor with an array of teeth driven on a revolutionary path moving upwardly past the adjacent end of the conveyor to rake through the bale and extract material therefrom. The conveyor tilts upward reduce a working angle between the conveyor and the toothed extractor to urge the shrinking bale toward the moving teeth. A separation stage features multiple sets of vertically stacked, counter-rotating rollers with different characteristics from one set to the next. A decorticator has an external container, an internal drum rotatably supported therein, and an array of teeth on the drum. Driven rotation of the internal drum spins the fibrous stalks around the internal drum and impacts the fibrous stalks against surrounding interior wall surfaces of the external container.

Disclosed are straw chopper assemblies for a harvesting combine of the type having a rotor and cage threshing assembly. The straw chopper assemblies are located on each side of the rotor discharge for accepting material exiting the rotor. Each straw chopper assembly is formed from a curvilinear cage having and interior opening to accept the rotor discharged material, and an opening to distribute chopper straw outside of the harvesting combine. A rotating knife assembly is housed within each curvilinear cage. A stationary knife assembly is movable for the rotating knives to pass between adjacent pairs of stationary knives. Outlets are provided in material communication with the curvilinear cage openings for discharging chopped straw onto the ground adjacent to the harvesting combine. Hoods are located over each of the outlets to directing the discharged chopped straw onto the ground.

Disclosed are straw chopper assemblies for a harvesting combine of the type having a rotor and cage threshing assembly. The straw chopper assemblies are located on each side of the rotor discharge for accepting material exiting the rotor. Each straw chopper assembly is formed from a curvilinear cage having and interior opening to accept the rotor discharged material, and an opening to distribute chopper straw outside of the harvesting combine. A rotating knife assembly is housed within each curvilinear cage. A stationary knife assembly is movable for the rotating knives to pass between adjacent pairs of stationary knives. Outlets are provided in material communication with the curvilinear cage openings for discharging chopped straw onto the ground adjacent to the harvesting combine. Hoods are located over each of the outlets to directing the discharged chopped straw onto the ground.

The chopper assembly includes a rotatable chopper drum having a plurality of knives mounted between two sidewalls and configured to cut larger plant material into smaller particles through the interaction of the knives and a set of counterknives. A guide surface is mounted on at least one of the sidewalls, preferably on both sidewalls, and in the path of a stream of crop material advancing towards the chopper assembly. The guide surface extends between an upstream edge lying essentially in the plane of the sidewall and a downstream edge removed from the sidewall. The guide surface is furthermore inclined relative to the sidewall, so as to guide plant material away from the sidewall and in the direction of the knives located closest to the sidewall. The guide surface thereby prevents plant material from passing between the knives and the sidewall without being cut.

Shredder for shredding agricultural products, such as bales of straw, the shredder comprising: a shredding device (20) for shredding the loaded agricultural products and a blowing device (5) for blowing the shredded agricultural products from the shredding device (20) toward and through an outlet opening (3), wherein the blowing device (5) comprises at least two blowing elements (21a, 21b), wherein the two blowing elements (21a, 21b) are arranged rotatably about their respective blowing rotational axis, wherein rotating the blowing elements (21a, 21b) about their blowing rotational axis causes the shredded agricultural products to be blown from the shredding device (20) toward and through the outlet opening (3).

Shredder for shredding agricultural products, such as bales of straw, the shredder comprising: a shredding device (20) for shredding the loaded agricultural products and a blowing device (5) for blowing the shredded agricultural products from the shredding device (20) toward and through an outlet opening (3), wherein the blowing device (5) comprises at least two blowing elements (21a, 21b), wherein the two blowing elements (21a, 21b) are arranged rotatably about their respective blowing rotational axis, wherein rotating the blowing elements (21a, 21b) about their blowing rotational axis causes the shredded agricultural products to be blown from the shredding device (20) toward and through the outlet opening (3).

A combine having a feeder housing for receiving harvested crop, a separating system for threshing the harvested crop to separate grain from residue, a residue spreader wheel spinning for expelling the residue from the combine, and a controller that controls the combine. The controller is configured to control the residue spreader wheel to continuously oscillate between a first speed less than a nominal speed and a second speed greater than the nominal speed while spreading the residue.