Combine Modification Solves Return Elevator Plugging Problem

Combine Modification Solves Return Elevator Plugging Problem COMBINES Miscellaneous 18-1-38 After repeated plugging problems in the return elevator on his Case-IH 1680 combine, Brian Harvey, Durban, Manitoba, finally came up with modifications to the combine that solved the problem once and for all. "It turned our combine from one that I hated to one that I love," says Harvey. "The return elevator was a real pain. If grain was the least bit tough, we had to slow down to keep from plugging up, or open the chaffer up which allowed more dirt in the grain. "A couple years ago we made an electric monitor that told us when the return elevator was about to plug so we could slow down and prevent plugups but that didn't solve the basic problem - we still had to slow down. Finally, we went to Harvest Services Corp. (Box 222, Craik, Sask. SOG OVO) for help and used many of their ideas to rework the combine." One problem with the chaffer as it was originally designed was that air was able to escape over the top without separating any grain, says Harvey. In order to solve the problem, he removed the first five slats on the chaffer to allow more air to go through and mounted a rubber block between the front of the chaffer and the grain pan so that all the air from the blower fan is forced to go under the chaffer. He also dropped the front end of the sieve 1 1/2 in., installing new mounting bolts in the combine frame. "The difference is like night and day. Now we can drive our combine so fast that our only limiting factor is engine horsepower," notes Harvey. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Harvey, Box 5, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada TOL 1E0 (ph 204 539-2675).

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