Volunteer Augers Save Corn

Volunteer Augers Save Corn GRAIN HANDLING Augers (4) 8-3-9 "Over the years, volunteer corn has been one of my top corn-growing problems. After eliminating most cultivation and switching to no-till to control soil erosion, volunteer corn became even worse. Stalk and ear loss over the sides of the cornhead were the culprits. I tried low profile cornheads but stalks still broke off and were lost. I finally solved the problem by inserting a pair of counter-rotating augers in the side shields of the combine," says L.J. Schemmel, Jr., Farley, Iowa, who recently won a top prize in a contest sponsored by Ciba-Geigy. "The auguers are driven independent of the snouts by hydraulic motors. Oil is supplied by the power steering pump. The pump's power is supplied by a shaft on the head and the augers start and stop with it. I used a variable flow valve to regulate rotating speeds and to match the speed of the augers to the ground speed of the cornbine. This is especially helpful in dealing with lodged corn. I never had to leave the cab to unplug or pull stalks from the head. "I've run the auger-equipped header over 2,000 acres with no maintenance problems, and a savings of 2 to 14 bu. per acre, depending on the standing condition of the corn. For an investment of less than $500, I'm getting a significant return."

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