Cookie_Jar
Guest
I get my best results by having my 6 bat U-II reel center about 6" ahead of the front of the knife, measured when the table is on the ground. There is a worthwhile addition that greatly reduces the shattering losses caused by the spring fingers on the reel bats. Attach a strip of 1_8" thick HDPE (high density polyethylene, also known as puckboard) on the face of the reel bats with shallow headed sheet metal screws. The strip extends from just past the top of the reel bats to below the reel bats so that only 2 1_2" of the spring fingers are exposed. With the reel speed set properly, the modified reel is almost as effective as an air reel for reducing shattering losses, but for a lot less money. I got the idea from one of Ray Stueckles books on combine settings.