Combines BiRotor

Dokata, What was some of the down falls of this combineIJ If I remember right it didn't work in some crops to well. I always seen the photos of it in wheat. Did they test it in all cropsIJ I think the combines we have nowdays are made the way they are because they have to work in all kind of crops around the world and everybody thinks that they should be the best at it. So companys have to overbuild for it to work everywhere. A combine just for KS wheat could be more simple, but to combine the 30+ different crops around the world makes it more complicated. Also throw in hilsides and rocks and damp conditions, soon you have a very involved process. I wish I could get out to KS to see the combine someday, hope to see your photos soon. Ilnh

I have a video of the bi-rotor. It is loaned out at the moment. I haven't looked at it for several years. I am still very upset that JD sacked the idea just to keep it off the market. It worked in a lot of crops especially corn and soybeans. It's all in marketing I guess. I still think it had great potential.

John Deere sacked the ideaIJ John Deere had absolutely nothing to do with the idea and development of the XBR2 bi-rotor, or any other prior version of the bi-rotor concept, which were the "patented" concepts (I'm sure they wish they had been)! The only major manufacturer contributing to the development of the bi-rotor was Caterpillar, and a few other independent investors. Deere simply purchased the bi-rotor to remove it from the eyes of the market fearing its potential. Granted, the bi-rotor concept needed further study and refining in multi-crop applications, but it certainly had the potential.

I haven't really heard of a downfall. But when Caterpillar was interested, they had another company testing it for Caterpillar. This company is called "X" in the book and it was NH. They labtested it for a year and then took it out to California to run it against their new TX's. lets be honest, do you think that NH would have gone to CAT and said "Yes, this Birotor is a great combine. Go ahead and be a competitor for us". They are not that stupid and surely tried everything to make the Birotor look less good than their own product. But JD apparently saw through it, bought the patents and shelved it. To your other point, no you can't built just one combine that works everywhere in any condition. You have to adapt at least a few components. Claas just found out about this last year.

Hey Don, I was wondering if you would be willing to get copies of that tape, Im sure you could find willing pple to pay 10-15 bucks for a copy. I would really like to watch it if its possible. Just email me and we can go from there.

Guys, I still have my copy of the farm magazine that had a good article on the XRB2. It has a couple good pictures of it and one breakdown drawing of it's components. Mark Underwood is pictured in the article also. He tells of how they harvested traditional crops with it in testing with great results! I have seen a picture of it with a 8 row corn header attached also. Man I wish this machine would have gotten to market, I think thenew heavyweights we now are seeing would have been laughed out of the field when compared to a refined XRB2IJ What a wasteful shame of time, energy, sweat and thought those guys put into developing this machine. JD

JD, If you could, scan some of that magazine and send or post it for me to see this combineIJ I most likely had that too at one time, but got filed away someplace. I can't remember how that combine was put together any more, must be that "age thing". Do you think it was that a wastful shame of time and engery for them, after all they sold it to who they wanted to and got something for itIJ If I remember at the time they where also marketing themselfs in the magazines and really looking for someone to buy it for big bucks. Same thing with the guy and his 15" corn head. I can't blame them, would do the same if I could. Ilnh

Yes they where paid for their toil but, their dream was to see it go to production which it seems they where lead to believe it would by '97IJ I read a recent article a while back that interviewed Mark, and he seemed a bit let down that it was shelved. I bet he wishes he would have went all the way with it nowIJ Getting the money behind the project to go to production would no doubt have been a struggle. The thought behind the Bi-Rotor was to make a harvestor less complicated while inturn being more productive, I think he was on the verge of accomplishing that task!It is evident though, that the "big boys" are undoubtably going in a different direction these days. The XRB2 had a self leveling shoe also with a 400bu grain tank, didn't have all the overwhelming size of these newer designs, huhIJ JD

Here is a description of it. The rotor_concave is only four feet long. It sits on a carrier. You pull two pins and it will slide out of the combine with the header, feederhouse and rotor in one unit. The concave has rather small holes. The rotor has no threshing elements, just plastic paddles. There is no concave to be adjusted, since it's rotating. The rotor is driven hydraulicly. The concave is powered by a small belt, since it doesn't take any power. Behind the rotor is a beater. Underneath the concave is a grain pan. The fingers at the ende of the grain pain are attatched to a little belt to be moved. When the birotor is on a slope this little belt runs with a certain speed according to the slope to move the grain uphill before it falls onto the sieve. The residue is discharged through a spreader. The grain handling is done through an elevator, that runs clear around the whole combine. That way there are no cross augers needed. The elevator housing is devided inside. One part of the elevator is used for the clean grain the other part for the return. There is only one sprocket on this whole elevator and this is the one to drive it. The only auger is the fountain auger in the 400bu bin (without extensions). The unloader is an elevator, too. All the few belts are on the right side of the machine. The header is driven by a drive shaft running along side the feederhouse. The birotor is powered by a CAT engine sitting behind the bin with enough room to be accessed from front and back. There are two rotoray screens, one on each side, for radiator and oilcooler. The engine compartment is completely enclosed making the whole combine look like one big rectangular box. The tracks are powered by one hydrostat each, making the steering wheel obsolete. You steer the machine simply by twisting the hydrostat handle, making the two hydrostats run with different speeds. The cab is JD. I've tried to link to a photo here:

Just go to www.farmshow.com and order a copy.It's the best of farmshow video vol. 2.It's very interesting.