An agricultural harvester includes a threshing system having a rotor, a rotor cage surrounding the rotor and including a concave, and a transition cone defining an infeed to the rotor cage. The transition cone has a conical inner surface extending in an axial direction between an upstream end and a downstream end of the cone. A vane is mounted to the conical inner surface of the transition cone. The vane protrudes radially from the conical inner surface, and extends along an axial direction between the upstream end and the downstream end. The vane has a body extending along an axis and a cross-sectional shape that is not constant along the axis.

A combine (20) harvester includes a cage (32′) at least partially surrounding a rotor (28′) for threshing crops in the space (34) between the cage (321) and the rotor (28′). An auger (302) is at least partially positioned within the cage (32′) and is connected to the rotor (28) for rotating therewith. The auger (302) includes vanes (312) for transporting crop from the rotor (28′) and towards an outlet of the cage (32′). A chopper (320) is positioned either at or adjacent the outlet (310) of the cage (32′). A rotational axis (30) of the chopper (320) is substantially aligned with an axis of rotation of the auger (302) and the rotor (28).

A method for the operation of a combine harvester includes processing a harvested material flow by at least one axial separator and ejecting a residual material flow formed in this way from the combine harvester by at least two ejection devices. The axial separator is formed by a movable vane element by means of which the residual material flow exiting from the axial separator is distributed on a work member downstream of the axial separator. In order to further improve the distribution of the residual material flow on the field, an actual distribution of the residual material flow on the two ejection devices is detected, wherein, when a deviation of the actual distribution from a predetermined reference distribution is detected, the vane element is readjusted so that the actual distribution is at least approximated to the reference distribution.

A rotor and cage assembly includes a skeleton of curved spaced-apart side members affixed to laterally extending upper and lower spaced-apart members therebetween and surrounding the rotor. One of the curved spaced-apart side members is terminated with curved fingers. Three concave inserts insert laterally into the skeleton spanning 270° around the rotor. One of the concave inserts carries straight fingers that interlace between the skeleton side member curved fingers. A control assembly of plates having arcuate slots placed at 3 of the pivots of the skeleton assembly, 3 control bars connected to the skeleton pivots, and an actuator is connected separately to each control bar at one end effect arcuate rotation of the control bars resulting in the synchronized rotation of the arcuate slotted plates so that the interlaced straight fingers move closer together or farther apart with the fixed skeleton assembly curved fingers for different types of grain.

An adjustable vane system for use with a rotor cage of a threshing system of an agricultural harvester. The vane system includes a vane having a generally helically curved inner profile; a surface being an outer profile that is opposite the inner profile and is generally helically curved over a portion of the vane; a first flat portion proximate an end of the vane on the outer profile; and a second flat portion proximate to another end of the vane on the outer profile.

A threshing system including a rotor cage with a plurality of slots therein, a first bank of vanes and a second bank of vanes arranged within the cage. An adjustable vane control system is coupled to the rotor cage and the banks of vanes. a first and second member are respectively pivotally coupled the vanes in the first bank and the vanes of the second bank through corresponding slots. Linkages couple an arm to the members. The first and second members each having a range of travel defined by the slots. The members each having a surface facing the outer surface of the rotor cage, the surfaces of the first member and the second member each remain tangent to the outer surface of the rotor cage as the first member and the second member are moved within their range of travel.

A thresher for a combine harvester has a concave cage and a rotor disposed within the concave cage. The rotor carries material manipulators that extend outward from the rotor toward the cage to manipulate material in the concave cage as the rotor rotates. One or more air nozzles are provided that direct air outward from the rotor and toward the concave cage. A source of forced air circulates air through the one or more air nozzles.

A rotor housing assembly for a harvester has at least one cover plate forming part of a generally cylindrical shaped rotor housing, a central longitudinal axis, and an inner surface, which, when mounted, faces the central longitudinal axis and has a first radius, and one or more rotatable vanes which each are rotatably mounted on an inner surface of the cover plate facing the central longitudinal axis at a rotation point. The one or more rotatable vanes have a contact surface with the inner surface. The contact surface has a second radius that is larger than the first radius of the cover plate. The inner surface of the top cover plate, per rotatable vane, has a symmetrically curved shape such that, during a rotation of the respective vane, the contact surface of the vane with the inner surface of the cover plate substantially follows the shape of the inner surface.

An apparatus for processing harvested crops, in particular a threshing and/or separating apparatus, comprising a rotor which is mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis, a separating device with a separating device region which at least partially surrounds a lower circumferential region of the rotor, the circumferential region being arranged below the longitudinal axis in an operationally ready state of the apparatus, and is arranged radially spaced apart from the rotor. A passage region for the harvested crop is formed between the separating device regions and the lower circumferential region of the rotor, wherein the separating device region extends along the longitudinal axis, and comprises at least one control element. The control element is movable into the passage region and/or into an axial projection of the passage, in order to control the flow of harvested crop.

An apparatus and method for processing a crop residue, which includes but is not limited to, destroying weed seeds present in the crop residue. The apparatus (10) comprises an elongate housing (12) having an inlet (20) for receiving crop residue N and an outlet (22) for discharging the crop residue. The apparatus (10) also has one or more rotors (24), (26) located in the elongate housing (12). Each rotor (24), (26) comprises a plurality of radially extending impact members (28a), (28b), (28c), (28d), (28e), (28f) which rotate with the one or more rotors (24), (26) and impact against the crop residue, so that lighter material of the crop residue is subjected to less impacts and denser material of the crop residue is subjected to relatively more impacts.