Better Farming - August 2016

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Better Farming August 2016 Farm News First > 53
paddles in place and shaped the right
way? Is the lower and upper auger
flighting in good shape? Are the
auger tubes worn? Are the boots and
non-perforated doors in place? And is
the fold-down mechanism functioning
properly, as well as the bin-extension
fold down with it? Especially for
grain, check that all seals are in place
so you will not leave a trail to where
you started!
Same for the return elevator and
the augers associated with it: make
sure all paddles are in place. Check
the slip clutches. If you have a return
flow sensing system, ensure it is
functioning. The general rule of
thumb for chain tightness is you
should be able to slide the chain back
and forth on the sprocket, but not
pull it away from the sprocket.
Are you windrowing the straw?
Are there adjustments to make to feed
the straw through less damaged?
Are you spreading the straw? If so,
is your straw chopper set up right?
Are the knives sharp and all the
hammers in place? One missing
hammer can ruin the back end of
your combine, believe me.
Please keep things cool, both for
the sake of yourself and your ma-
chine. Check the radiator, aftercooler,
oil and fuel coolers for cleanliness. Is
the pre-screen and its suction mecha-
nism working? Are engine air filter
and cab filter(s) clean? If not, replace
them. And, above all, is the air
conditioning functional? With all the
glass in the cab, air conditioning is a
must and keeps your working mood a
lot better.
And last of all, data collection is
becoming a must. There can’t be any
guessing where what came from!
Please remove last year’s data, and
maybe the year before that, and at
least store it for future use. And check
if there are any software updates
available for your machine which
might make that nuisance quirk it
had last year go away.
Enjoy your summer and have a
great harvest! BF
Jaap Kroondijk is a farm boy mechanic
who lives near Woodstock.
POWERAT WORK