The GRDC Harvester Set-up Guide is a practical guide to help grain growers optimise harvest losses through harvester set-up. Click the image to view!
Our Key Takeaways and Parts to help with Harvest Losses
First things first! Are you measuring your harvest losses?
The guide mentions “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. And even though Harvest Loss sensors in your header are great for seeing losses when there is a change in conditions, it’s important to calibrate these loss sensors.
When it comes to measuring harvest loss, whether its front or machine loss. We recommend the Bushel Plus Smart Pan System. This is an all-in-one system which attaches to the axle or front with electromagnets. Come with an Air Separator to separate the MOG from the grain, scales to way the sample and app access to calculate the losses (so you don’t have to do any maths!). The Smart Pan works with HWSC and there is a chaff decks sized pan specifically for the EMAR Chaff Deck.
Now you have done your measurements, how do you reduce your losses?
Let’s break it down and look at Front Loss first.
The initial contact with the crop is crucial to reducing losses. Make sure you have the right Knife Guards for your crops and conditions. It’s important they have a square cut edge and sharp ledger plate. Primary Sales recommends ensuring the gap between the knife guard fingers suits your crop density. If this gap is too small (in bulky, heavy crops) you can get blocking and losses. If the gap is too wide (in light crops), you can lose heads as the knife cuts. An extension finger to snap onto the knife guards, can help adjust to different crops (light barley crop vs bulkier stalk of canola crops). Click here for more information on Knife Guards and Extension fingers.
A quick and easy solution to reducing front losses are paddle tines. They increase the surface area for the reel tine finger to grab the crop and encourage crop flow in a positive direction. Allowing for more even threshing and as a bonus increase in ground speed! Primary Sales recommends the Duck Foot Paddle Tine, as they slip over the existing tine and are secured with a clip.
For Auger front, you may have to adjust the position and speed for different crops. But we know that having to stop and get out and manually adjust when conditions change can be painful when time is money. Our farmer designed FeedStorm Cross Auger is adjustable from the cab. Adjust forward, backwards or up and down. When that bulky canola crop is fluffing up in the heat of the day, you can easily get on top of it on the go.
“One of the main causes of poor feeding is improper timing of (feed drum) fingers” (pg. 35 of the Harvest Guide). Another way to improve the feeding area, are longer/taller flights and a narrower barrel.
Primary Sales manufactures the i-paddock Typhoon Feed Drum. With a more aggressive finger patter, narrower barrel and larger flighting. Adjusting the finger timing is also easier, with the quick set timing system, a simple one bolt adjustment.
Machine Losses
Setting up your threshing area “…can reduce a range of operating costs, such as time and labour cost” (pg. 56 Harvester Guide). It is recommended to begin threshing in the first position of your concave area. With the goal for 90% of grain to be separated before it reaches the separator grates.
Refer to page 57 for details on Setting and Squaring concaves.
When it comes to the right aggressive set up for your concaves, Primary Sales has proven Bushel Plus MAD Concaves in Australian crops and conditions. Made from AR200 metal for durability, the flat bar design improves threshing ability of the rotor elements and decreases chances of hair pinning.
For the John Deere STS/S Series, an option for the first position is to install more Interrupter Bars in the 31 wire concave. For improved threshing in Lucerne and Hard to Thresh wheat, double the capacity of John Deere S Series concaves
Improve effective grain separation and ensure the crop materials is torn apart and positively moved through the separation area. A Hooked Rasp Bar can decrease rotor loss and increase yield. We have options for Case IH and New Holland.
Facebook