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Gleaner's leadership role in the harvesting technology continues each year as they strive to improve with new products, features and improvements. Go to GLEANERâ Series 2 Rotary Combines.
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MN WHEAT GROWERS ASSOC. WINNER
Used by permission of AGCO Corporation. All rights reserved.
P1 ROTOR Processor Upgrades: N5 N6 N7 R5 R6 R7, R60-R70 PRIOR 1990
In our area of North Dakota, we install what we call a shim kit * which includes 1/4" thick bars that go between existing helicals and the cage. This makes the helical bars more aggressive and creates a more uniform flow of straw to the discharge. In addition to the shims, we also use a " green stem kit" AGCO#71358199 which includes 6 more helicals that are placed on thresher and seperator side. 3 of these new helicals hook up the steeper pitch thresher helicals with shallower seperator helicals. These also get the 1/4" shim under them. Due to the thicker bars we must install new grade 8 hardware in all the helicals. At the same time we also weld 2 plates on the end of rotor and install paddles to make a 4-paddle discharge verses the standard 2-paddle. This allows for a much smoother flow to the impeller/chopper. This version of the upgrade seems to work very well in many adverse conditions. The more aggressive flow seems to reduce the rolling effect associated with tough and viney straw and in turn reduces rotor loss from seeds trapped in straw.
Note: There are 4 other helical systems used (1} the piggyback of another set of helicals and {2} the channeled P3 steep pitch helicals which in some conditions of high yields may give rotor loss due to a too fast of processing. (3) Dual pitch channel helicals from Loewen. This kit follows same pattern as original helical with green stem kit installed. (4) Gleaners channel helical kit for P1's. It is known as edible bean and green sunflower kit. Do not use any sort of retarder without first setting up good helical system and all forward cylinder bars. Also don't use any retarder in tough to convey crops like edible beans. Also retarders are usually not needed so do not use in any crop unless you find excess rotor loss. Part # 71328026 for edible beans, green sunflowers or most all condition channel helical kit. Another method for reduceing possible cylinder loss is angle iron flow retarder (corn ring) p/n 71340756. A longer version of corn ring is p/n 71338428. We normally replace reverse cylinder bars with forward & if there is rotor loss we would remove shims from helicals on belly of separator side or remove a few helicals completely from belly of separator side . To further reduce possible cylinder loss & still maintain high thru-put, we have fastened a flat rasp bar to belly of separator side or install a couple of Gleaner's peg bar retarders to cage.
*{1}cost of shim kit approximately U.S. $850.00. This kit includes all 1/4" shims for sep. & thr. sections plus new grade 8 hardware for the helicals. Also included is the AGCO #71358199 which has the extra 6 helicals. Also there are 2 plates for the discharge paddles and AGCO #71343892 which is the extra paddles and hardware for it.
{2}Cost of 68 degree pitch P3 style #71373492 is approx. $1100.00 and includes attaching hardware.
Feeder systems used on N5 N6 N7 R5 R6 R7 R40 R50 R60 R70
We have designed feeder shock kits for these macines and Loewen is building them. We think these are a must in small grains. We install all upper drum stops in top position and bottom stop all the way down. If chain rubs floor hard when all the way down and empty I would move bottom stop up one hole. Shocks for the rear drum are most important. All machines here except R40, R50 need to have bolt in center of tension spring and bushing that rides on bolt in good condition for shocks to be effective. R40, R50, Eff 1990 (P3) R60, and R70 have a flat rock door that don't respond to rocks very well. A rock door hump kit is available for these machines and it aids feed system. Prior machines already have hump door.
If your machine has single C-width drive belt at front right feeder be sure flat washer and nut under spring area has at least 1" clearance. Also be sure tension arm for rear feed belt can self tention the belt. Some machines have insuficient clearance for idler arm to keep belt tight under load. This is because iron is welded to arm to prevent violent swing up when belt is removed. I remove suficient iron from that stop so belt can stay tight. All these machines except R40-50 should have anchor point for rear feed belt tension spring raised up a few inches to provide suficient tension to belt. Make sure if machines have corn variable that gap between front sheaves is at spec or else belt will slip and feed will plug. It is important to have rear feed sprocket stripper installed when doing corn. We remove for all other crops. If you have a R40-R50 and have material wrapping around drive shaft for front feeder you need to look at clearance between sprocket teeth and square tube. This clearance should be no more than 1/2". Some machines have 2-3". An approximate 2" X 4" piece of tube must be welded into prevent trouble. Another thing that will help eliminate feed problem is weld panel to bottom of square tube and taper it up and forward. Weld panel off top of square to be to meet front of bottom panel. This will prevent straw from building in front of square tube.
GLEANER COMBINE
PERFORMANCE POINTERS
R42 R52 R62 R72 R55 R65 R75
1) Header must feed well. If straw lays behind the cutter bar consider a rock bar or tube fastened behind the cutter bar to trip up the straw and keep it airborne so it can get under the auger, and or install an air reel to blow it under the auger. On rigid heads I have installed brackets onto the sickle so I could mount plastic parallel to them and extend it back toward the auger a ways so with a little momentum of the straw it would slide under the auger. I would also slow the sickle speed with the next size smaller pulley if adding weight to the sickle. If the straw comes around the backside of the auger you should install a channel bar or two under the auger, for that will help hold the straw under the auger. If you have the feeder opening narrowed in the header you should consider removing the fingers ahead of the area that is closed which would definitely be more than two or three on the R-40 through R-52's. Make sure you have the filler between the header and the feeder slid back to fill the gap between the two and bump it down if needed to make a smooth transition into the feeder.
(UPDATE 2000) We have found in the condition where the straw stands in front of the retractable fingers you can install four inch flighting all the way to the center of the finger area. Flighting should intersect the centerline of the finger area. If extending the flighting does not cure it completely, then weld some pieces of 1/4" keystock to pressure side of the flighting . To sweep the cutter bar better if you have a finger reel take a look to see if you can remount fingers on a couple bats half way between where they are now. On 700 and 800 heads you should check just in front of the stripper behind the auger for there is a nut and exposed threads that can severely disturb straw flow. There is one bolt just to the left of the feeder opening and one to the right. I have removed those bolts and left them out and you should at least grind away the exposed threads. When the 700 and 800 heads are installed on the smaller R40 through R52's you will be narrowing the feeder opening. Be sure the stripper filler panels are installed neatly with no spot where the straw will catch and disturb the flow. Also, the seven-inch flighting should run all the way to the feed opening area. For headers with pickup attachment to pickup windrows you will want the rear apron down and back to within eight to ten inches from the auger flighting. I have modified Melroe Westward pickups to get within those numbers. Be extremely careful with any sparks or grinding because if it hits window of cab it will burn (etch) into glass.
R42 R52 R62 R72 R55 R65 R75
(2)Feeder must operate smoothly. Rear block set in grain rear position for R42-R72's. Front block set to grain front position or R42-R72's. The chain will nearly hit the floor or does hit the floor slightly when empty. A thin shim under bottom stop pad will raise drum if needed. The lower the drums are, the more important to have the shocks installed. There are many conditions where drums need to be low like lighter material, stripper head use, or just striking out into crop. Shock absorbers should be fastened to the rear tension drum for sure, and would benefit the front also. Gleaner and Loewen have shock kits available for R-42 through R-72's. We have installed shocks on all models of Gleaner rotaries with great results. Gleaner had shocks installed either at factory or in the field on all 1997 or newer machines. There is a rock hump available to bolt onto the trap door to help it sense a rock, but better yet with it you get better feed to cylinder. There is a rock sump kit for rocky conditions but it can harm good feeding to cylinder. I would suggest sump kit when you fully expect a rock. Then when you are not in rocks shut the door in normal manner with rock hump fastened to it to aid feed to cylinder. Watch the front right pivot belt on single C width belt drive that washer and nut set up under the spring anchor has at least a half inch gap so the tensioner can take up slack when the belt stretches. For you that are in corn you will need rear feed chain stripper in place. I would remove them for most any other crop.
(UPDATE 2000) There are some very nice W shaped guide flanges available for the tension drums now to prevent the feed chains from jumping the single flange. We have switched the standard eight-inch rear feed tension drums with seven-inch drums to gain more room under the drum for more crop. More clearance under the eight inch drum can be had on the R42-R72's by trimming approximately 1/4" off of the drum stop block and replacing the large OD flatwashers behind the block with small OD flatwashers. The machines with factory shock kits on, you need to replace the small OD flatwasher that holds the shocks on with large OD flatwashers to prevent the shock from slipping off of the rubber. If the front feed is plugging in between the drive sprockets and the square tube on the earlier R42 R52 machines where the sprocket teeth are more than 1/4" the from square tube you could fill in that area. Some early machines had more like a two to three inch gap from sprocket teeth to square tube and they were more prone to building up in that area and stopping the chain. A piece of 2" X 4" steel tube can be welded in to fill this gap. Another thing that can be done easily to help keep that area clean is to weld keystock on the backside of a couple feed chain slats so when they come around it will grab material that is starting to build and move it out. That will also help prevent any material from building in front of that square tube. When the material is building in front of the square tube it will build and build and then when it gets big enough it will catch and try going threw which often stalls the chain. That can also cause the chain to jump a cog or jump off the sprockets. Another thing a guy can do to prevent material from building in front of the square tube is to build a panel coming forward off of the bottom of the square tube and taper it upward so the straw will not build up, but it will keep on flowing. Also, you should look at the side of the feeders where the straw is in contact with the wall. You should replace the hex head bolts that are disturbing the flow with pan head bolts and the square corner back by the square tube needs to be tapered. I take a piece of flat iron and lay it in the corner then weld it in. It takes a very long time for the sharp corners to wear rounded and all that time it is messing up the straw flow.
(UPDATE 2006)
CLICK ON PICTURE
FEEDER UPDATES (LOWERING TRANSITION)
Feeder capacity can be greatly improved. Follow earlier tips and here are some updates. Remove false floor between chains in front feeder. Straighten rear mount leg so it is square again and weld in corner to prevent from bending again. Stretch channel apart if deformed and weld stiffner in. This will prevent chain from running up against square tube which will make alot of noise. Weld pieces of flat iron to sides of channels to elliminate large gap to side of housing. Fill in area between channels. I use 1/4" x 11.25" x 48" flat iron for one opening and 1/4" x 12.25" x 48" for the other. Weld 2 pegs to both panels with matching holes in bottom of square tube. Reassemble floor to point you can install panels between channels. Block up panels to same height of skids on bottom of channels. Use angle iron and piece of flat iron to bolt and weld panels to channels. Finish assembly. Next you can dramatically improve transition between chains. Cut sides of rear of front feeder approx. 20" forward after marking original postion. Push floor down 3/4" at very rear from original postion. Weld filler panel in sides to fill hole and secure in new postion. Replacement floor for back 1' of floor is replaceable. It is R65-R75 style with new style seal mount and 1/4" thick. Now lower front of rear floor in similar manner by 1". You will need to lower pivot holes for galvanized filler iron by 1". Lengthen straps under feed that hold galvanized fillerby approx. 3/4". Now you should remove hump in rear floor under tention drum. This could be done before lowering floor if you wish. There is a posifeed tension drum available from Loewen and designed in Australia . If you want to save a little money you can weld 1" angle iron to current tention drum to act like posi-feed.
You will need to have W-RINGS and flat feeder slats to use the 1" angle iron. I use 8 pieces about 11" long. Now if you are running rock sump you may want to consider a kit we developed to help straw over sump. It will bolt to door and wires stretch approx. 1/2 way over sump area. We also tention rear chain a little tighter. We set to 5" instead of 5.1 or 5.2. We install these new longer springs if machine still has short weaker springs.
Continue the article on the next page.
(UPDATE 2006) If breaking sickle head etc. especially with SCH on FLEX headers be sure you have or install larger 7/8 NF sickle head and end, also install heavier left skid plate for wobble box mount and the A frame stabilizer bracket. Skid and frame strengthened at s/n HM84606. If having trouble getting crop from reel to auger.. Remove hold down plate for rear of feather sheets, flip feather sheets to get exposed holes forward. Make new holes in feather sheet to line up with existing holes, Refasten sheets without plate on top. You could have new feather sheets made and if you do have them, bend edge around so you have double thickness for securing bolts to go thru. You can also trim flighting on far left and right to allow reel to be pulled back further. Be sure to install new stop to prevent reel from getting into auger. If you have HCC type reel you should look into ORBIT REEL attachment kit. Also there is a PHOENIX REEL attachment kit out there that will move straw closer to auger before letting it go. These options may eliminate need for air reel.
Hurtt Equipment, Inc | Highway 18 South | Hoople, ND 58243
Ph: (701) 894-6363 | Fax: (701) 894-6579