Self Taught Expert Boost Performance

Self taught expert boost performacne COMBINES Accessories 13-3-29 "I've worked with them so long I know them by heart," says self-taught combine expert and manufacturer George Kuchar of Kuchar Combine Performance, Carlinville, Ill., who travels all over the U.S. and Canada as a combine specialist, adjusting, re-building and working with all types of machines. He also gives "how to" seminars to farmers, sometimes tearing down a combine on "stage" to illustrate his ideas for boosting capacity and performance of combines. "For the most part, today's combines are well designed but there's room for a lot of improvement. I've worked with some of the biggest and best farmers and custom harvesters in the country and they agree with me," says Kuchar, who was a farmer and custom harvester until 1983 when he started selling the Woodward Governor, a computerized load control device for combines that matches ground speed to the volume of material entering the combine. While demonstrating and installing the system, he heard about other problems his farmer-customers were having with their machines and set out to find solutions. "We're always experimenting with new ideas. We're not after more speed. We're looking for increased quality and reduced losses in the field because elevators don't pay for speed, they pay for quality and bushels," says Kuchar. "We personally test all new ideas and equipment in different areas of the country before we recommend them. What works in one area might not work in another area due to differing levels of humidity, crop residue, and other conditions." Although Kuchar specializes in Deere combines, he works with owners of any machine and is adapting his equipment add-on's to fit other makes and models. Many of his ideas come out of the free seminars he gives to farmers. Some of them include: "Auger flighting should be angled toward the direction of travel; removing some slats from the feeder chain will improve feeding; shim rasp bars out within 30/1000-in. of each other and make sure there isn't more than 2 oz. difference in weight between the 2 bars that make up a pair; trim excess flighting on the header cross auger." What the biggest comb;ne problem he's working on now? "We're working to increase air flow and the location of air flow in Deere, IH, and other combines. There's a lot of room for improvement," he says. Following are some of the combine add-ons Kuchar manufactures and sells. For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Kuchar Combine Performance, P.O. Box 595, Carlinville, Ill. 62626 (ph 217 854-9838 or 217 229-3220).

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