Abstract

A straw chopper for a combine harvester having a chopper housing mounted to a combine for rotation about a transverse axis. The housing is movable from a chopping position, in which the chopper receives straw from the separator of the combine and chops and spreads the straw over a wide area, to a rearwardly raised windrowing position, in which straw falls from the combine to the ground in front of the chopper housing. By rotating the housing rearward and upward, increased access into the rear of the combine is possible. An electric motor driven lift actuator is provided to raise the chopper housing to the windrowing position where a mechanical latch locks the housing to the combine structure.