ZERO OUT HEAD LOSSES
THIS PRESEASON INSPECTION GUIDE REVEALS
WEAR ON CORN HEADS, WHICH HAS BECOME
THE LEADING CAUSE OF GRAIN LOSSES.
Illustration: Kurt Schultz
Photography: Tharran Gaines
a s k THE DOCTOR
C
loser attention to
combine settings and
improvements in
threshing and separa-
tion technology has
worked wonders in mini-
mizing grain losses in the
combine. Successful Farming
magazine’s corn head doc-
tor, Dennis Bollig, warns
that corn heads contribute
enormously to grain losses,
however, citing an Iowa
State University study that
estimates 60% of all losses
happen now at the corn head.
“The need for speed
has farmers driving faster,
pushing a corn head to its
limits. That leads to more
grain losses,” Bollig says.
“Combine that with the fact
that genetics has created
shanks that are stronger and
ears that dry down rapidly,
and it sets up a situation
where the impact of an ear
hitting deck plates can lead
to more butt shelling.”
Consider that if you run
at 5 mph, a head is pulling
down 12 to 15 plants per sec-
ond per row. “That is pulling
ears into the head at 15 to
18 mph,” Bollig estimates.
“Now consider the chal-
lenges a head faces if it has to
operate in down corn, which
is more common these days.”
Bollig points out six areas
on a corn head to maintain
and adjust in order to mini-
mize harvest losses.
1
GATHERING CHAINS
Designed to pull the stalk
into the head, chain tension is
Deck plates should be
operating so they are posi-
tioned next to the stalk. “Set
too wide, they will cause
increased butt losses. Set too
narrow, the plates will break
off stalks feeding more ma-
terial other than grain into
the combine and slowing
down threshing,” he says.
Check for plate wear,
particularly at the lower end
of the plates.
3
STALK ROLLERS
Rollers are the muscles
of a head pulling plants at
a furious pace. “If you have
35,000 plants per acre and
you are harvesting 1,000
acres, you have 35 million
plants going through those
rollers. Stalks are tougher
than in the past, which
causes extra wear on the
rollers,” he says. Rollers do
wear, particularly at the bot-
tom end of the component.
“A worn roller will not pull
the plant down at the right
speed to properly strip off
the head. It can also lead
to more head plugging by
breaking off stalks,” he says.
4
AUGER
Little can go wrong with
a head’s auger. Still, you
need to inspect its fl ighting
to see if it’s bent.
5
FEEDER HOUSE
Often overlooked, the
feeder house has a huge
impact on how the crop is
presented to the thresher.
“Check chain tension so that
it is pushing ears gently up
the feeder house. Loosely
operating chains can result
in slugs of crop going into
the combine,” he says.
6
drive system
A corn head, particularly
one with chopping compo-
nents, consumes a lot of
power from the combine.
“Inspect all drive compo-
nents (particularly belts or
gear drives) that transfer
power wear,” he says.
30 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019
crucial to properly present-
ing the stalk so its ears can be
stripped off. “Besides check-
ing tension, examine the
chain for wear. When tension
adjustment is maxed out,
then it’s time for new chains,”
Bollig says.
Anticipate how many
acres existing chains must
harvest in the coming season.
“If they are approaching
the end of their useful life,
don’t think you can squeak
through another harvest on
older chains,” he says.
During your inspection,
look at sprockets for cup-
ping in their valleys. “Pay
close attention to lower idler
sprockets (that operate near
dirt) for wear. Take the
chain off and spin sprockets
to listen for noise coming
from the bearing,” he says.
2
DECK PLATES
Whether deck plates are
bolted on or are hydraulical-
ly or automatically adjusted,
make sure they’re free to
move since they can rust to
their frames. “Remove the
plates not only to clean them
but also to remove corrosion
and foreign objects. Hydrau-
lic plates can rust at their
pivots points and then they
won’t move,” he says.
Adjust plates to stalk
size (if not automatically
adjustable). “You want the
gap between plates to be as
tight as possible to avoid butt
shelling. Check to see that
all deck plates are set at the
same distance,” Bollig says.
DENNIS BOLLIG
The SF Corn Head Doctor
Dennis Bollig’s concerns regarding the
huge impact a corn head has on capturing
all the yield a crop has to offer come from
farming for over 40 years near Fenton,
Iowa. Bollig is also president of Dragotec
USA, which distributes Olimac corn heads.
Contact Bollig at dragotec.com or by calling
him at 888/789-2723.
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By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery
