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Self-Contained Cob Collector
"It's a self-contained system that requires no modifications to the combine," says Vernon Flamme, North Bend, Neb., who makes cash from corn cobs using a machine he has patented to collect cobs.
The cob collector makes use of a side dump wagon that pulls behind the combine. The system is powered by a diesel engi
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Self-Contained Cob Collector COMBINES Miscellaneous 31-6-32 "It's a self-contained system that requires no modifications to the combine," says Vernon Flamme, North Bend, Neb., who makes cash from corn cobs using a machine he has patented to collect cobs.
The cob collector makes use of a side dump wagon that pulls behind the combine. The system is powered by a diesel engine that direct-drives a hydraulic pump. It powers a conveyor that delivers cobs into the wagon, and it also operates an air cleaner.
The engine mounts on a metal frame attached to one side of the wagon, while the conveyor is attached to the front corner of the wagon. All controls, including dumping of the wagon, are located in the combine cab. "We take no electrical or hydraulic power from the combine," says Flamme.
The wagon has a capacity of four tons. It takes less than one minute to dump the wagon and bring it back down. "The engine powering the system only burns about 1/10 gal. of fuel per acre," notes Flamme.
"To switch from corn to soybeans all we have to do is unhook the wagon. That's the beauty of the system - there's no modification to the combine. We can easily pick corn in the morning and harvest soybeans in the afternoon. The stand-alone system also helps with the resale value of the combine."
He says they built their first cob collector 12 years ago and have made several improvements since then. They've sold wagons as far away as Canada. They also do custom harvesting for farmers in their area, with the agreement that they get to keep the cobs.
"We've never collected a cob we couldn't sell. Last year we could have sold 10 times as many cobs as we had," says Flamme. "It all started when we were approached by a cob processor to see if we'd be interested in trying to collect field corn cobs from a combine. We agreed to the challenge and this started our invention of the Cob Caddy. We've sold cobs to cattle feeders for both feed and bedding. It has also led to the use of making ethanol from cobs in the fast-growing biomass industry."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Vernon Flamme, 870 Foothill Rd., North Bend, Neb. 68649 (ph 402 652-3720 or 402 720-0638).
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