Photography: Dave Mowitz August 2019 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 33
G
enerally, you do a
great job inspecting
the rotor or cylinder.
Where preseason
inspections fail is in examining
concave elements for rounded
or bent bars, missing wires,
foreign objects, or residue
buildup. Edgington urges you to
remove all the concave panels,
thoroughly cleaning them before
reinstalling. “Make sure the units
are level when reinstalled,” he
says. Finally, check to see that
the seals on covers are intact
so they don’t leak crop during
threshing. Also, inspect the front
beaters plates for wear.
O
ne of the dirtiest
jobs in prepping a
harvester for the
season is removing
the chaffer and sieves, so that
task is often avoided. With the
chaffer and sieves out, look
for general wear, particularly
in the center of the front half
of the chaffer. This is where
the highest amount of residue
and grain flows in from the
separator. Examine frames.
Check their sides and corners
for stress cracks and breaks.
You can weld cracks, if
necessary.
Next, check assembly bolts
for looseness, then tighten
them to the torque specified
in the owner’s manual. “Only
use the proper grade of bolt
specified in the manual when
replacing fasteners. Your
overall aim is to have solid
frames since you don’t want
the chaffer or sieve operating
loosely,” Edgington says.
During this inspection, look
for bent or missing fingers.
Notice where the chaffer and
sieve rods (wires) operate
in the frame and look for
elongated holes in the frame.
Then examine the deflector
flaps and high-crop dividers
to see if they are missing or
damaged.
WHILE YOU ARE ROTATING THE FEEDER
HOUSE DRIVE, INSPECT CHAINS FOR
WEAR AND PROPER TENSION.
T
he feeder house has
a big influence on
threshing in the way
it presents the crop,
particularly a wet crop, in
an even stream to the rotor
or cylinder, Edgington ex-
plains. Yet, slats and chains
are often passed over in
preseason inspections.
In that regard, check
to see that all the slats are
operating parallel to each
other and are not worn. “A
bent slat is an invitation to a
breakdown since such a slat
can become loose and jam,
and possibly damage, the
feeder house,” he warns.
While you are rotating
the feeder house drive,
inspect chains for wear and
proper tension. If they have
reached the full extension
of their tensioning adjust-
ment, then you will need to
replace the chains.
“A lot of operators miss
inspecting the keepers on
connecting links to make sure
they are secure. Also examine
the chain guides and replace
if worn. While you’re at it,
scan the top drive sprockets
and the bearings of the front
drum for wear.”
