34 Successful Farming at^ Agriculture.com |^ August 2019
T
he cleaning shoe fan is
one of those components
that seems indestruc-
tible. “Today’s fans turn
at a high rate of speed. A piece
of residue sucked into the fan
can bend a vane, jeopardizing
its operating balance, which
will eventually destroy a fan,”
Edgington warns. His advice
is to remove the drive belt
and spin the fan, watching for
trueness in its operation while
listening for any bearing noise.
Pay particular attention to the
belt on variable-speed fans,
as these often become glazed
and cracked with use.
T
ake the drive belts off
both grain elevators
so you can rotate the
chain assembly. This
allows you to find any worn
or missing paddles and
sagging chains. Next, check
chain tension and adjust as
needed. Recheck tension
daily during harvest. A sure
sign that tension is lacking
reveals itself in paddles that
sag backward in operation,
which causes grain to cascade
back down the elevator.
“When turning the eleva-
tors, listen for bearing noise,”
Edgington says.
W
orn knives not only
do a poor job sizing
(chopping) residue
but also cause chop-
per operation to drag, consuming
more horsepower. If new knives
are needed, you must replace the
entire set of knives. Otherwise, the
chopper is thrown out of balance,
which can cause the entire unit to
self-destruct.
Take extra time to examine
the entire residue management
system assembly. Check tailboard
vanes for cracking and wear
since they are critical to evenly
distributing chopped material.
Finish the inspection by
scrutinizing the unit’s mounting
hinge points (looking for stress
cracks) and the rotor bearings
(looking for smooth operation).
“TODAY’S FANS TURN AT A HIGH RATE OF
SPEED. A PIECE OF RESIDUE SUCKED INTO
THE FAN CAN BEND A VANE, JEOPARDIZING
ITS OPERATING BALANCE, WHICH WILL
EVENTUALLY DESTROY A FAN.”
– RODNEY EDGINGTON
