While you might be glad to finally be done with harvest 2017, don’t neglect to make any necessary notes to improve combine performance next harvest. Farm equipment mechanic Dan Anderson says to watch for the following three issues.
Moisture levels are going to be all over the board when combines roll this fall. In high-moisture situations, a few simple combine adjustments can minimize grain damage.
Corn head adjustments help prevent cracked or chipped kernels in the grain tank, grain lying on the ground after a pass and whole stalks and trash moving into the machine.
No component on a combine functions independently; the header, feeder house, thresher, separator, cleaning fan and straw chopper all interact with effects that can reach all the way to planting.
There is a wide continuum of options when prepping a combine for winter storage. Here’s a pre-storage list of those various options, from “park it and forget it” to “ready for next year’s harvest.”
