Custom Harvester Reports On Stripper Head Test

Custom Harvester Reports On Stripper Head Test COMBINES Headers Alan Roland and his family have been in the custom harvesting business for more than 30 years They’ve seen three decades of technology improvements on the New Holland combines they’ve used throughout that time Those improvements have made harvesting easier more efficient and when things break down more expensive In the summer of 2013 the Roland crew tested a stripper header on one of their New Holland CR rotary combines while harvesting small grain near Colby Kan “The stripper header has many good points ” says Alan’s daughter Megan who’s been part of her dad’s crew for more than 15 years “On flat fields we could run faster than with a draper platform getting just as much done with a 28-ft stripper as we could with a 36-ft draper head The stripper works well in green straw too because there are no sickles to get gummed up ” Megan says another benefit of using a stripper head is the amount of stubble that it leaves after harvest “With a draper or auger head the grain can sometimes get cut fairly close to the ground leaving just a few inches of stubble if the crop is lodged A stripper header removes only the heads of grain so longer stubble is left in the field If a farmer is no-tilling he plants right into that taller stubble which catches snow during the winter Tall stubble also provides more shade to growing crops which keeps the ground cool and helps retain moisture ” The stripper head was a Shelbourne Reynolds model that the Roland’s bought and used specifically to harvest grain that was short and hail damaged The head has 8 rows of stripping fingers mounted on a drum that rotates upwards As the combine moves through the field the fingers strip grain heads and some of the straw from the standing crop and deposit it onto a conventional auger that moves it to the feederhouse The Roland crew said using the stripper head was mostly a positive experience but there’s room for improvement Says Megan “On terraced fields or rough terrain the fingers would easily hit the ground and send unwanted clumps of soil into the combine We found that the stripper head was more difficult to maneuver than a draper head almost like the solid auger platforms from 10 years ago ” Megan says her father Alan compared the stripper head to wearing a pair of gloves “He told me they have a purpose sometimes you absolutely need them and other times you don’t need them at all ” says Megan Another problem they experienced was on a field where the wheat was short and the terrain was uneven Alan had to continually speed up and slow down which overheated the oil and caused hydraulic lines to burst “We certainly wouldn’t want to put up with that on a daily basis ” Alan says The Rolands also used the stripper head on seed peas and liked the way it performed For most of their harvesting clients however they’ll continue using draper heads Alan says those heads work well on different crops and a variety of conditions and most important their customers are satisfied with the results The stripper head will be used in very short or hail damaged crop and for farmers who specifically want tall stubble for no-till planting Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Megan Roland All Aboard Wheat Harvest Correspondent Roland Harvesting 455 Cty Rd 65 Hemingford Neb 69348 ph 308 760-0396

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