Harvesting Tips

Adjust machine to crop being harvested and to field conditions.

Select a ground speed that does not overload machine. Engine must be at full rpm to keep separator at full speed. Select a ground speed for slower travel, but do not slow engine speed.

If concave is set too close for harvested crop, straw will be excessively ground up requiring more horsepower to thresh the crop.

If concave is set too wide for harvested crop, it will not be completely threshed.

After concave is adjusted properly, adjust separator speed to achieve maximum threshing with the least amount of crop damage. If crop damage does occur, do not widen concave clearance. Instead reduce feed accelerator speed. Concave spacing in these crops has very little effect on seed damage.

Crops such as edible beans and peas are easily cracked and can require the use of a slower feed accelerator drive. When harvesting edible beans and peas keep machine full to provide enough material to cushion the crop against cracking.

For potential improvements in straw quality consider that the following can help improve straw quality depending on conditions:

• Slowing feeder house chain speed
• Slowing feed accelerator speed
• Slowing rotor speed
• Opening concave
• Reducing threshing elements
• Installing round bar concaves

For improved performance in sidehill conditions consider, raising auger bed dividers, installing tall chaffer dividers available from your John Deere dealer, removing or clipping the removable plastic fingers located in rear corners of chaffer element, and/or improve chaff and grain distribution by installing separator grate covers (if equipped). Each of these can improve chaff and grain distribution to the cleaning shoe that will help improve the machines performance in sidehill conditions.

When using a cutting platform, cut crop as high as possible without loss of low heads. Adjust reel position and speed for even feeding. Keep cutterbar in register and guards in alignment for clean cutting.

When harvesting corn, keep corn head only as low as necessary for ears. Keep it centered in the rows to prevent ear loss.

When using a belt pickup, keep windrow centered so material is fed evenly into feeder house. Grain heads must be lying in one direction. Operate machine so heads are picked up first.

When harvesting soybeans with a row-crop head, keep header as low as possible. When harvesting crops such as milo or sunflowers, operate header just low enough to cut the heads from the stalks.

Adjust chaffer openings to pass grain or seed to the lower sieve in the first two-thirds of the chaffer without admitting too much coarse material.

Use as much air as possible without blowing over clean grain and seed. Heavy crops require more air than light seed crops.