Back when we farmed cotton, sometimes I'd run into the wee hours of the morning picking as much cotton as I could ahead of an incoming Gulf storm... we used to get some "tropical systems" back then, little Gulf storms (some not so little) with winds up to about 50 mph or even more, and usually dumped between 3-5 inches or rain or so. Thing was, high winds and open cotton isn't a good thing, and cotton that gets that wet can fall out of the boll onto the ground, or even if it doesn't, the color suffers and thus the quality and you get docked on the price. I remember one time I ran the picker until about 2 am, nice and breezy with the approaching storm, and I watched the lightning from off in the distance for a couple hours til it started getting close, pretty windy and kept right on picking til it started to rain. When it started raining, I picked to the end of the field and then shifted the picker units out of gear, popped her in road gear, and started heading for the house a mile away. Got soaked by the time I got there, but we got everything we could ahead of the storm.
A few notes to consider. 1. When the hopper is full and you have allowed the corn in the machine to be processed kick the machine out and idle the machine down. 2. Keep machine idled down before turning on the unloading then when auger is full speed the auger up. The. When grain tank is almost empty idle back down so the auger isn’t flopping around in the tube as it empties. 3. Never idle machine down with the threshing cylinder engaged as it is hard on the it’s drive belts.
I friggin' DESPISE sealed bearings, and here's why. They don't have anywhere NEAR enough grease in them-- they're MADE to fail, particularly in dusty, dirty, high speed/high stress conditions. I'm from the TX Gulf Coast, down here we "ridge till" or farm on raised beds, mostly 30 inch but a few older smaller guys like us are still on 36-40 inch beds. We use a row disk or "hipper" to pull up the beds in the spring, break up the ground, and dry things out a little from the winter and take out any henbit or sow thistle or whatever springs up before planting, and usually to rebuild beds after knifing in fertilizer or incorporating Trifluralin or other yellow herbicides with a regular tandem disk. Well, we have a real good old Caldwell hipper, basically the same as a Burch hipper, which has two opposed pairs of disk blades on either side of the row throwing the soil up towards each other to rebuild the bed and shape it up. Each pair of blades has a cast iron bearing housing between them, set at a fixed angle, with a pair of flat race ball bearings with square bores set inside them running back to back, with the arbor bolt (disk axle) and a couple of cast iron blade spacers on either side of the bearings to space them out away from the bearings, with a disk bumper on the outside end and blade spacer with lock plate and nut on the inside end, just like a regular disk axle assembly but only using two blades. Only problem was that this thing was made in the mid-70's when "sealed bearings" were a HUGE thing, and the whole industry was switching to them for "maintenance free operation" and crap like that. Yeah, well a sealed bearing under light load in a relatively clean dry spot is one thing, down in the dirt running at an angle slicing 3 inches deep in hard clay is another. Oh, the original bearings made back in the 70's weren't bad-- better quality and they held up, but as they wore out and the years passed and they got replaced, particularly when Chinese bearings started to become a big thing, then they were NO BUENO!!! I mean even a brand new bearing, I'd be lucky to get a season out of them. Part of the reason was, I didn't have a hydraulic press at the time and took the things to the dealership for their guys to press in a pair of bearings for me. One day I took the assembly home, installed the blades and axle through them, and went to the field, and didn't even finish the day til the thing locked up. I took it back the next day and got another pair of bearings, and stood in the shop while he pressed them in... stupid idiot was pressing bearings INTO A BORE HOLE by pressing on the INSIDE RACE... you NEVER press in a bearing that way-- it will dent the balls and destroy the bearing, because the balls have to transfer the press force from the inside race through the balls to the outside race being pushed into the hole. I asked him, "Where's your press tool?" He was like "what?" and I explained-- it's like a piece of pipe with a flat cap on it, just a hair smaller than the outside diameter of the outer race, used to push the bearing into the hole by the OUTER race (You DO push bearings onto a SHAFT by the inner race, never the outer one for the same reason!) He didn't know what I was talking about, so I went to an oilfield supply and got a gas rot line coupler the correct size and thickness and welded a 3/4 inch plate on one end for the press to push on. Took it with me every time and the bearings started lasting a LITTLE longer, but they still went kaput WAY too soon. SO I got the idea, "why not drill a hole in the back of the housing, thread it, and install a grease zerk so you can grease them bearings?" SO I tried it. I had finally bought a press because I had a stupid kid one day working at the dealer who REFUSED to use the press tool and got the bearings started crooked and just kept pressing and pressing til the bearings exploded and ruined the housing, went off like a hand grenade and blew balls and shattered steel race everywhere like glass... SO I made the dealer give me a new set of bearings and a new housing, took the old one and my tool, and went and bought a press at Homier or whatever it was with the trucks before Harbor Freight was a thing. I drilled, tapped, and installed a zerk into each housing as the bearings went out. Of course the sealed bearings are sealed on both sides, but I could take a screwdriver and hammer and pop one side of the seals off the bearing so the grease could get in, and install the two open sides back-to-back in the bore facing each other with the space between them as a grease annulus. The inner races butt together and when the nut is tightened are squeezed tight, sealing the grease between the bearings and the housing. Imagine my surprise when I started popping the seal off one side of these brand new bearings and found how they "grease them for life" at the factory-- They have ONE LITTLE DAB of grease just inside the seal, I mean it's about the size of two green peas, about like what you'd tell a little kid when describing how much toothpaste they should use on their tiny toothbrush... They don't even squirt it between the balls in the actual raceway groove in the bearing races, NO, it's up on the 'step" or shoulder of the race between the balls and the side seals. IOW, the bearing has to get HOT ENOUGH for the grease to run before it will EVER get into the balls and races to actually lube anything. Plus that tiny dab of grease isn't even enough to thoroughly coat everything, so what happens is, when the bearing is put into service and it's new, it's fine because its running smooth and the seals are good, but of course dirt and grit eat at the seals and then moisture wicks its way in and rusts the balls and race because this dab of grease doesn't coat everything. Then the bearing has to crush all this grit and circulate it around while it's running, getting hot and burning off what little grease isn't soaked up by all this rust and crud being pulverized in there soaking it up. Eventually the bearing dries out and grinds itself to oblivion or heats up and disintegrates like your ball bearing did. Once I installed zerks and started greasing the hipper before and after each use, the bearing failures STOPPED. Greasing it before made sure all the bearings had fresh grease between them in the housing ready to run, and greasing them after before setting the implement off the 3 point made sure that fresh grease had filled the bearings and pooched a bit out of the worn seals, forming a moisture barrier to prevent water wicking in during the off season. I've seen guys get those grease needles and grease sealed bearings before they ever install them on the shaft or into the machine. it's a good idea because the factory grease is this clear, slightly yellowish, low grade CRAP that won't hold up, and there's not enough of it to last or keep the bearing lubricated and in good shape, let alone make up for worn or dry seals as the bearing ages and keep moisture and dirt from getting in. That's what I do to sealed bearings on balers and stuff where you really don't have a choice or option to replace it with a greasable flange bearing or whatever... good luck!
It sure is! For my first self propelled combine, it has been a great machine to learn and work on. I hope to get many more years of service out of it. Thanks for watching!
Here's a trick I learned at a controlled burn clinic I went to one time... they actually took us out to the field and we did a controlled burn after the classroom part. When we got there, he handed us each an old hoe with an old mudflap off a truck attached to it. What we did was, we controlled the fire with those things. Oh, you don't swing it and swat the fire like they old folks used to with a croker sack; that just fans the flames and makes it worse. NO, you take this thing and you just DRAG IT along over the edge of the fire; the mud flap mashes everything down to the ground and cuts it off from oxygen, and snuffs the fire out... we could walk right along the fire line and keep it from going anywhere near the fence or make the fire stop pretty much wherever we wanted to... I was amazed at how well those things worked! Basically you've seen those things like a hoe but with a straight blade for like chopping stuff?? Well, all they did was take an old garden hoe, straighten out the blade paralle to the handle, and then drill a couple holes and bolt an old mudflap off a HD truck to it... works great!
Thanks Ed! That must have been pretty cool running these when they were still fairly new. I planted with a 4 row planter, so I could only run 3 and 1 or 2 and 2. I eventually switched to 2 and 2. Thanks for watching!
I enjoy u r video Ben! Just curious would there be a way to not loose 2 bushels or corn per acre? I see more loss in the neighboring fields here in my area of Pa that I never thought would happen with newew more modern equipment!
That is a great question. I’m still working on that haha. Next year to help decrease losses, we plan to start picking corn when it’s a little higher moisture and see how that works. The kernels should stay on the ear a little better. Also, I want to look into adjusting my deck plates narrower so the ear has less room to get near the snapping rolls. Those two things are to help with header loss. Seperator loss involves adjusting the combine’s cylinder clearance, fan speed, and chaffer settings. There’s suggested settings for all of those items, but it’s up to the operator to adjust them to find a happy balance. In a perfect world, we’d be able to get it down to zero. But, loss just happens. Machines are only as good as the conditions they are run in and the operator’s ability to tune them into their crops. In my crop saving guide, published by Allis Chalmers in the 70’s, they said an expert operator loses a maximum of 3 bushels of corn per acre. So, if ya go by those standards 2’s not too bad. I’m sure there’s folks out there doing better though. Thanks for watching!
Are you picking up the 3 rows then the single to match your planter width? If you can't seed accurately enough it may be worth while just planting 3 rows in a pass to match your combine.
I am. 3 rows ain’t a bad idear. I might look into that. Wouldn’t cost anything extra if the planter could be modified to do that with the parts it has. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Your shelling one row at a time part of the time because? Did you plant with a 4-row corn planter? Man, is that's the case, I'd definitely be looking for a six-row planter, or 4-row corn head.
Yes, I did. And it’s a pain to harvest, haha. I’m looking at the moment, but I might try one more year with the 4 row planter. The main reason I’m still running the 4 row, is I spent about $600 on new runners for it, so I’m not quite ready to give up on it yet. I figured out I could run two rows at a time, and it was way easier to keep track of where I was. Thanks for watching!
Dice el refrán que más sabe el loco en su casa que el cuerdo en la ajena, pero esta es la trilla que más rara he visto en mi vida, cuantas vueltas perdidas y con el añadido de combustible gastado tontamente. En mi empresa que trillamos hasta 100 Has. por día y maquina, ¿Que haría este hombre?
Well, with my three row head, and four row planter, I have to run either 1 and 3 or 2 and 2. We didn’t cut the markers down yet so the planter passes were 40” apart, so I couldn’t get that extra row in. This year, I have a new to me six row and we’ll be cutting the 4 row markers down too. So, this coming fall, I’ll be running 3 rows at a time.
Got it. I have 2 Gleaners,a K and a M2. I have a 3 and 2 row corn head. I use the 2 row, the K can’t handle 3 rows in good corn. (150+ bushel corn). Plus it makes the backend light. Your K looks good, y’all have taken excellent care of it. Enjoy your videos and Greetings from Verbena, Alabama!!
Hi Clint! At that point I was running 3 and 1, because I planted with a 4 row planter. Eventually, I figured out that 2 and 2 was easier to keep track of and easier to keep the stalks feeding into the head. I might need to make a quick video to help answer this popular question and give folks some insight as to why I’m doing what I do. Thanks for watching.
that's a nice old Gleaner. I love old Farm machinery. The new farm machinery doesn"t impress me, But the old stuff like this Combine does.
Back when we farmed cotton, sometimes I'd run into the wee hours of the morning picking as much cotton as I could ahead of an incoming Gulf storm... we used to get some "tropical systems" back then, little Gulf storms (some not so little) with winds up to about 50 mph or even more, and usually dumped between 3-5 inches or rain or so. Thing was, high winds and open cotton isn't a good thing, and cotton that gets that wet can fall out of the boll onto the ground, or even if it doesn't, the color suffers and thus the quality and you get docked on the price. I remember one time I ran the picker until about 2 am, nice and breezy with the approaching storm, and I watched the lightning from off in the distance for a couple hours til it started getting close, pretty windy and kept right on picking til it started to rain. When it started raining, I picked to the end of the field and then shifted the picker units out of gear, popped her in road gear, and started heading for the house a mile away. Got soaked by the time I got there, but we got everything we could ahead of the storm.
Thx 4 sharing, those K's are nice smaller combines, I had two of them back a number of years & brother had one also.
Thanks for watching Jeff. I bet those were some good machines.
A few notes to consider.
1. When the hopper is full and you have allowed the corn in the machine to be processed kick the machine out and idle the machine down.
2. Keep machine idled down before turning on the unloading then when auger is full speed the auger up. The. When grain tank is almost empty idle back down so the auger isn’t flopping around in the tube as it empties.
3. Never idle machine down with the threshing cylinder engaged as it is hard on the it’s drive belts.
I friggin' DESPISE sealed bearings, and here's why. They don't have anywhere NEAR enough grease in them-- they're MADE to fail, particularly in dusty, dirty, high speed/high stress conditions.
I'm from the TX Gulf Coast, down here we "ridge till" or farm on raised beds, mostly 30 inch but a few older smaller guys like us are still on 36-40 inch beds. We use a row disk or "hipper" to pull up the beds in the spring, break up the ground, and dry things out a little from the winter and take out any henbit or sow thistle or whatever springs up before planting, and usually to rebuild beds after knifing in fertilizer or incorporating Trifluralin or other yellow herbicides with a regular tandem disk.
Well, we have a real good old Caldwell hipper, basically the same as a Burch hipper, which has two opposed pairs of disk blades on either side of the row throwing the soil up towards each other to rebuild the bed and shape it up. Each pair of blades has a cast iron bearing housing between them, set at a fixed angle, with a pair of flat race ball bearings with square bores set inside them running back to back, with the arbor bolt (disk axle) and a couple of cast iron blade spacers on either side of the bearings to space them out away from the bearings, with a disk bumper on the outside end and blade spacer with lock plate and nut on the inside end, just like a regular disk axle assembly but only using two blades. Only problem was that this thing was made in the mid-70's when "sealed bearings" were a HUGE thing, and the whole industry was switching to them for "maintenance free operation" and crap like that. Yeah, well a sealed bearing under light load in a relatively clean dry spot is one thing, down in the dirt running at an angle slicing 3 inches deep in hard clay is another. Oh, the original bearings made back in the 70's weren't bad-- better quality and they held up, but as they wore out and the years passed and they got replaced, particularly when Chinese bearings started to become a big thing, then they were NO BUENO!!! I mean even a brand new bearing, I'd be lucky to get a season out of them. Part of the reason was, I didn't have a hydraulic press at the time and took the things to the dealership for their guys to press in a pair of bearings for me. One day I took the assembly home, installed the blades and axle through them, and went to the field, and didn't even finish the day til the thing locked up. I took it back the next day and got another pair of bearings, and stood in the shop while he pressed them in... stupid idiot was pressing bearings INTO A BORE HOLE by pressing on the INSIDE RACE... you NEVER press in a bearing that way-- it will dent the balls and destroy the bearing, because the balls have to transfer the press force from the inside race through the balls to the outside race being pushed into the hole. I asked him, "Where's your press tool?" He was like "what?" and I explained-- it's like a piece of pipe with a flat cap on it, just a hair smaller than the outside diameter of the outer race, used to push the bearing into the hole by the OUTER race (You DO push bearings onto a SHAFT by the inner race, never the outer one for the same reason!) He didn't know what I was talking about, so I went to an oilfield supply and got a gas rot line coupler the correct size and thickness and welded a 3/4 inch plate on one end for the press to push on. Took it with me every time and the bearings started lasting a LITTLE longer, but they still went kaput WAY too soon.
SO I got the idea, "why not drill a hole in the back of the housing, thread it, and install a grease zerk so you can grease them bearings?" SO I tried it. I had finally bought a press because I had a stupid kid one day working at the dealer who REFUSED to use the press tool and got the bearings started crooked and just kept pressing and pressing til the bearings exploded and ruined the housing, went off like a hand grenade and blew balls and shattered steel race everywhere like glass... SO I made the dealer give me a new set of bearings and a new housing, took the old one and my tool, and went and bought a press at Homier or whatever it was with the trucks before Harbor Freight was a thing. I drilled, tapped, and installed a zerk into each housing as the bearings went out. Of course the sealed bearings are sealed on both sides, but I could take a screwdriver and hammer and pop one side of the seals off the bearing so the grease could get in, and install the two open sides back-to-back in the bore facing each other with the space between them as a grease annulus. The inner races butt together and when the nut is tightened are squeezed tight, sealing the grease between the bearings and the housing. Imagine my surprise when I started popping the seal off one side of these brand new bearings and found how they "grease them for life" at the factory-- They have ONE LITTLE DAB of grease just inside the seal, I mean it's about the size of two green peas, about like what you'd tell a little kid when describing how much toothpaste they should use on their tiny toothbrush... They don't even squirt it between the balls in the actual raceway groove in the bearing races, NO, it's up on the 'step" or shoulder of the race between the balls and the side seals. IOW, the bearing has to get HOT ENOUGH for the grease to run before it will EVER get into the balls and races to actually lube anything. Plus that tiny dab of grease isn't even enough to thoroughly coat everything, so what happens is, when the bearing is put into service and it's new, it's fine because its running smooth and the seals are good, but of course dirt and grit eat at the seals and then moisture wicks its way in and rusts the balls and race because this dab of grease doesn't coat everything. Then the bearing has to crush all this grit and circulate it around while it's running, getting hot and burning off what little grease isn't soaked up by all this rust and crud being pulverized in there soaking it up. Eventually the bearing dries out and grinds itself to oblivion or heats up and disintegrates like your ball bearing did. Once I installed zerks and started greasing the hipper before and after each use, the bearing failures STOPPED. Greasing it before made sure all the bearings had fresh grease between them in the housing ready to run, and greasing them after before setting the implement off the 3 point made sure that fresh grease had filled the bearings and pooched a bit out of the worn seals, forming a moisture barrier to prevent water wicking in during the off season.
I've seen guys get those grease needles and grease sealed bearings before they ever install them on the shaft or into the machine. it's a good idea because the factory grease is this clear, slightly yellowish, low grade CRAP that won't hold up, and there's not enough of it to last or keep the bearing lubricated and in good shape, let alone make up for worn or dry seals as the bearing ages and keep moisture and dirt from getting in. That's what I do to sealed bearings on balers and stuff where you really don't have a choice or option to replace it with a greasable flange bearing or whatever... good luck!
This is more than I can stand .
Lol, that bad huh.
Really like your videos. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Ben loved the video! Glad to see you farming on your week off work!
Thank you! It is a nice respite. Thanks for watching!
Okey combine sales in Oxford NC has a few hundred gleaner combines parted out. Great people to deal with
That’s good to know! We lost our local combine salvage yard in Bryant. Thanks for watching!
What a great machine. So easy to work on
It sure is! For my first self propelled combine, it has been a great machine to learn and work on. I hope to get many more years of service out of it. Thanks for watching!
Here's a trick I learned at a controlled burn clinic I went to one time... they actually took us out to the field and we did a controlled burn after the classroom part. When we got there, he handed us each an old hoe with an old mudflap off a truck attached to it. What we did was, we controlled the fire with those things. Oh, you don't swing it and swat the fire like they old folks used to with a croker sack; that just fans the flames and makes it worse. NO, you take this thing and you just DRAG IT along over the edge of the fire; the mud flap mashes everything down to the ground and cuts it off from oxygen, and snuffs the fire out... we could walk right along the fire line and keep it from going anywhere near the fence or make the fire stop pretty much wherever we wanted to... I was amazed at how well those things worked! Basically you've seen those things like a hoe but with a straight blade for like chopping stuff?? Well, all they did was take an old garden hoe, straighten out the blade paralle to the handle, and then drill a couple holes and bolt an old mudflap off a HD truck to it... works great!
Love the farm truck, I have a few of those!
Thank you! Keep ‘em running, and thanks for watching!
Sounds like harvest is going good for ya. I have no school tomarrow so I am going to finish combining.
Yeppir, got it back up and running. Sounds good. We’ll look for your videos! Thanks for watching!
@@richfarmer6143 9
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Love this video. I worked on a farm in the 80s that had the same combine. Good on the temp checks. Not sure why you are running one row though?
Thanks Ed! That must have been pretty cool running these when they were still fairly new. I planted with a 4 row planter, so I could only run 3 and 1 or 2 and 2. I eventually switched to 2 and 2. Thanks for watching!
I enjoy u r video Ben! Just curious would there be a way to not loose 2 bushels or corn per acre? I see more loss in the neighboring fields here in my area of Pa that I never thought would happen with newew more modern equipment!
That is a great question. I’m still working on that haha. Next year to help decrease losses, we plan to start picking corn when it’s a little higher moisture and see how that works. The kernels should stay on the ear a little better. Also, I want to look into adjusting my deck plates narrower so the ear has less room to get near the snapping rolls. Those two things are to help with header loss. Seperator loss involves adjusting the combine’s cylinder clearance, fan speed, and chaffer settings. There’s suggested settings for all of those items, but it’s up to the operator to adjust them to find a happy balance. In a perfect world, we’d be able to get it down to zero. But, loss just happens. Machines are only as good as the conditions they are run in and the operator’s ability to tune them into their crops. In my crop saving guide, published by Allis Chalmers in the 70’s, they said an expert operator loses a maximum of 3 bushels of corn per acre. So, if ya go by those standards 2’s not too bad. I’m sure there’s folks out there doing better though. Thanks for watching!
Are you picking up the 3 rows then the single to match your planter width? If you can't seed accurately enough it may be worth while just planting 3 rows in a pass to match your combine.
I am. 3 rows ain’t a bad idear. I might look into that. Wouldn’t cost anything extra if the planter could be modified to do that with the parts it has. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
It's like watching paint dry
That’s not a bad idea for a video Raymond! Thanks for watching!
If the moisture's rite go all nite! What is Ur corn running for moisture?
That’s a good guideline! 16.5-17.5 Thanks for watching!
Your shelling one row at a time part of the time because? Did you plant with a 4-row corn planter? Man, is that's the case, I'd definitely be looking for a six-row planter, or 4-row corn head.
Yes, I did. And it’s a pain to harvest, haha. I’m looking at the moment, but I might try one more year with the 4 row planter. The main reason I’m still running the 4 row, is I spent about $600 on new runners for it, so I’m not quite ready to give up on it yet. I figured out I could run two rows at a time, and it was way easier to keep track of where I was. Thanks for watching!
Dice el refrán que más sabe el loco en su casa que el cuerdo en la ajena, pero esta es la trilla que más rara he visto en mi vida, cuantas vueltas perdidas y con el añadido de combustible gastado tontamente. En mi empresa que trillamos hasta 100 Has. por día y maquina, ¿Que haría este hombre?
Would you ever buy a used combine that is newer and a bigger head on it ?
In the future, when I grow enough to need one, yes. I’d love to have an F series hydro, eventually.
Ok thankyou Merry Christmas and a happy new year 🎉 to you and your family 👪, god keep you 🙏 safe and healthy.
@@stanleybaker8707 thank you so much! Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!
Please explain why you only do one row every now and then. I don’t get Big Dan.
Well, with my three row head, and four row planter, I have to run either 1 and 3 or 2 and 2. We didn’t cut the markers down yet so the planter passes were 40” apart, so I couldn’t get that extra row in. This year, I have a new to me six row and we’ll be cutting the 4 row markers down too. So, this coming fall, I’ll be running 3 rows at a time.
Got it. I have 2 Gleaners,a K and a M2. I have a 3 and 2 row corn head. I use the 2 row, the K can’t handle 3 rows in good corn. (150+ bushel corn). Plus it makes the backend light. Your K looks good, y’all have taken excellent care of it. Enjoy your videos and Greetings from Verbena, Alabama!!
Why are you only picking one row at a time
Hi Clint! At that point I was running 3 and 1, because I planted with a 4 row planter. Eventually, I figured out that 2 and 2 was easier to keep track of and easier to keep the stalks feeding into the head. I might need to make a quick video to help answer this popular question and give folks some insight as to why I’m doing what I do. Thanks for watching.
Ford truck ?