Combines Getting more straw

good question.Iv had 3 axial flow combines and could never save as much as straw the jd guys the 1460 had new concaves and a chopper I thought that was part of it ,the 1660 had the same concaves and no chopper same thing now this year the 2388 with no chopper 25ft head and straw came out ground up .Made nice straw but if you waited 1 day to bale the windrow would disapper

We also use slotted grates with the bars on the outside instead of keystock grates.

Cornking will have more to say about saving straw, but I have had good luck with my 2166 running the 25' flexhead right on the ground as if cutting soybeans. I run the rotor about 900 with small grain concaves, slotted grates with bars outside. I leave the chopper pan up tight, remove the knives, but not the hammers, but run the chopper on slow pulley. The biggest help is to cut as much straw as possible with the slowest rotor speed needed for good tresh.

I should add that I raise spring wheat, have spike tooth bars (rice barsIJ) over grate area which I leave in in all crops and use keystock grates with disrupters in corn and soybeans. Don Estes told me where to position the bars and disrupters. No complaints.

Take straight bars off the back and if you want straw, also, get 2 spinners off of a 60 series if you are running an 88, put them on and run them on slow speed, this helps the straw from not getting pounded into the ground, it makes the windrow fluffy, not a rope, it works. Also check to make sure your stone trap beater has the correct sprocket on it, if to fast it will bust straw up before it get's to rotor. Finally, run vanes as fast as possible without throwing wheat over.

Good point on rock trap beater speed. I never thought of that one. We run spinners from an 88 on the 44 with two rubber bats turned backwards to lift the straw out over the aftermarket chaff spreader and it works very well. I'll have to try putting the 44 spinners on the 88. Do you need a couple bats on them or notIJ

I can speak from experience. Don't try running spinners with no bats. There was a time when CIH owners manuel suggested that. The guys that printed it were nowhere around wnen the combine plugged! What does work if you want to fluff the straw a bit is to bolt a couple pieces of 1_2" flat stock in place of the bats, just a little something to keep the straw moving. This will still spread to wide to bale directly, will need raked.

Easy. Cut at night.

Doesn't work in this part of the country.

WhyIJ