Dan Anderson: Prep Combines for Storage

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.”

• At a minimum, open and clean the rock trap as well as auger sumps and elevator boots. Leftover grain and crop debris draw moisture, spoils and then corrodes surrounding metal.
• Use diesel fuel stabilizer.
• Remove all shields, open all access panels and use compressed air or a leaf blower to blow crop debris from every nook and cranny on the machine. Mice, rats, raccoons and other varmints love the smorgasbord of trashy combines.
• Completely clean grain tanks. Fold down the fountain auger and inspect inside and behind the upper elevator housing for trapped grain. Areas of rotten or mummified grain not only corrode surrounding metal, but slow grain flow next harvest.
• If a combine has lateral feeder house tilt, or fore-and-aft tilt, manually clean all the debris packed behind, under and above the movable front feeder house frame to ensure unrestricted movement.
• If you are using high-pressure water, wash judiciously. Avoid blasting water at computer circuit boxes and especially at multi-pin electrical harness connectors. Those connectors are water-resistant but not waterproof. Anything more than the pressure of a garden hose can introduce water and corrode delicate pins during storage.
• If electrical systems behave erratically after washing — lights are “on” when their switch is “off,” or warning systems indicate “ghost” problems,  don’t panic. Let the machine sit in sunlight and wind, or in a warm shop, for 24 hours. That will help moisture in unprotected portions of the electrical system drain or evaporate.
• After washing, run the separator, feeder house and unloading system at full throttle for at least 15 minutes to warm all chains and bearings to dissipate moisture. After shutdown, grease all bearings while bearings are warm. If chains don’t need replaced, lube them while warm to allow lubricant to better penetrate the rollers.
• Be sure to check for wear in the bottom floor of the feeder house, transition floor behind the rock trap and other areas exposed to full flow of crop material.
• At every stage of cleanup, make notes about cracked belts, worn sheet metal, worn chains and other problems revealed with shields off and crop debris removed.