Combines St Johns Welding rotorsIJ

Here's a link to my impressions of the St. John rotor in wheat. More recently we ran it in milo with green leaves. It always threshes more aggressively and has less rotor loss in damp conditions. However, you do get some ground up milo leaf in the sample.

I converted a standard rotor in a 1440 to the St.John style to handle green-stem beans better. I don't believe there is a satisfactory way to make the stand. rotor take tough crops through.The helical bars take the crop half way through,and then when it hits the straight sections,it gets constipated in there.The front tooth on the toothed separator bars was almost gone when the back ones were like new after only 6oo hrs.That told me there are some serious crop flow problems in that area.Situations like that eat a lot of horsepower. The spec. rotor is a vast improvement,but unless a guy can get a sweet deal somewhere,it's kind of pricey to go that route. The St John style conversion was much cheaper,and is gentler on corn than the spec rotor.It was one of the main things I did to be able to move up to a 20' head,and keep up with a 1660. Terry Welch is very knowledgeable on all combines.The bars he uses in his style set-up are for a Gleaner.I like working with someone who knows how to take the best from various sources.

Hey swede, I know what your saying on the stripper bar thing on the standard rotor. However, another way to look at it is, the grain or seed is usually the abrasive part of the material, and the seperation just gets start ahead of the first grate. As the grain gets seperated out the bars will show less wear. I do wish I would have tryed removing the four strippers and welding on six instead. I think the problem with the standard rotor back there is not enough ability to tumble or tear apart the material for seperation. Which is basicly what you just said.........so, forget I'm even here. Ok bye.

What I was trying to say,is[as I see it],the helical bars zip the crop mat[we're talking ropey here] halfway through,and then it has trouble getting going again when it hits the straight bars. We see how efficient the AFX front is with auger style flighting,and the helical bars I think, do a similar thing up to a point. The transition from helical to the straight could have been done a little better since I can see where the straights are needed for seperation,but that is water under the bridge now.