Combine Performance

[mcfarms]

ado
what model machines and what settings are you trying?

[ado089]

I was in the 8120 AFX so those are the settings I worked with the most. Rotor 650 in the morning down to 480 as it dried out, concave 10 early day, 5 late day, 630-660 seemed to be the sweet spot for wind, chaffer 10-14, sieve 8-10. Nothing over 4.5mph, mostly 3.8-4.2, on a 30ft medium-heavy swath without excessive loss, 2% dockage (chaff), verry slope sensitive. Moisture under 6%. Similar settings on the Deere but like I said I wasn't running it so I don't know the little tweeks that made it tick.

[mcfarms]

Not familiar anymore on cases as were green these days , but on the deere the rotor was way to fast if you were running that way, we've put the beater discharge paddles on ours and are running at 270-280 rpms and doing a very nice job in irrigated canola .
Maybe others could offer advice on the red machine, ( combine forum)

[ado089]

I found slowing the rotor down too much resulted inconsistent of material flow over the cleaning system. You could watch both the yield and shoe loss almost pulsate in waves. What concave clearance were you running with the slow rotor setting?

[mcfarms]

30-31 , but did you also slow down the front end feeder chain and the feed accelerator? That really makes a difference on feeding and cracking in these dry conditions.

[ado089]

Yep. It's just a turn of a knob on the case.

[mcfarms]

Interesting then, thats all I've got. But I agree its a change and challenge adjusting for such dry seed and all.
we 've been poking away early in the morning and waiting for a little moisture to maybe bring the moisture up from that 4-5 to 7-8 its about 3 percent on your money in a week or so. and thats better than the stocks are going to do for you I'm thinking. Now it could all blow away but that might happen in the markets tommorrow too.

[ado089]

Well said. We got it all done and kept most of it in the combine, it just took a little longer.

[hedgehog]

labour cost against fuel cost has resulted in mega machines.
as fuel gets dearer, the smaller lighter , slower machine , driven by the multitude of unemployed may return.

[nicolaas]

for these small grains, I think one has to look at the combines with the larger seive area. We run JD now, but I am starting to think they only care about the corn guys (just turn up the wind)and everything separates. THe shoe area is better on all the other brands of combines, so I believe I may change in the future. The NH looks good.