Combines What s it take to add a chopper to an early R50

[Ed]

I own one of these combines - no chopper. My nearest Gleaner dealer asked $1400 (Hudson's Bay Pesos) for a used chopper.

 

[Tom]

Do you really need a chopperIJ I have one in my R60 but I have never engaged the concave even in green, sappy beans. The first year I forgot to set it up for beans and seem to conveniently forget it every year. How is that for being lazyIJ Tom Russell

 

[Silver_Bullet]

I wouldn't put in a chopper unless you absolutely need it. And I don't know why you would. I've ran an R50 for several years and never thought I needed one. Just something else to wear out.

 

[acre_eater]

I'm in the other camp on this one I like the chopper for green stemed beans and heavy wheat straw. We switched impellers for choppers on R52's seems like it cost us about 1200 apiece but thst was five years ago.

 

[Ed]

My neighbour grow about 30 acres of soys, which I harvest. He had a terrible time plowing the stover. Yes he does have a JD plow!!

 

[T__langan]

You fellers must have tougher beans than we do, or your winters are milder and don't break down the bean straw as much. We have never used a chopper and simply spread the bean straw - and we always notill our corn into the bean stubble the following year. Never had even the slightest problem even when the beans were green and the stems didn't break up much in the rotor. Have even planted when the bean residue was damp and tough and no problems. Seems by spring, our bean residue is like brittle twigs that snap easily. I don't foresee ever needing a chopper with our conditions - thankfully. I think they are just something else that needs maintanance. Heck, now that I think of it, we just spread the bean straw when we used conventionals too - and the straw came through nearly intact and didn't have trouble. Tom langan

 

[Dan]

You should bank on a few hours labor give or take a little. Field installed choppers for the latest machines sell for about $1200 US. If there is still field installed kits for R50's available they could run a little higher for they use a dual belt drive with a jackshaft where the newer machines use a single belt drive and no jackshaft. We run almost all choppers and have next to no bailing. We have lots of straw and usually wet. Crop rotation includes beets and potatoes so they like to work ground almost black in the fall. Hope that helps. Dan

 

[Dan]

The chopper design itself has stayed basically the same since the first rotaries. The drives for the choppers has changed over the years. The only thing that changed in the drum or hammers is that the newer machines went to larger bushings for hammers to pivot on and larger retaining hardware. Seems to me I saw that loewen is offering sharpened hammers for replacement to chop straw better but have never tried any. You may be thinking of the two ways to have discharge beater set up. Serrated edge out or flat edge out. I would run with serrated edge out unless you have trouble with the beater wrapping up with very viney straw and then you may need to run with flat edge out. Make sure leeding edge is not rounded or dull. I have saw great increases in capacity by turning blades to sharp serrated edge out in tough straw conditions. If beater is not taking straw away from rotor you have a constipated machine. Dan

 

[mnfarmer]

I added a chopper to an R-50 I purchased in 96. In wet straw the old impeller system did a poor job for us. The first spring after using the impeller was a nightmare. Since we put the chopper in we've had good luck. I put the chopper in myself. It took a good days work but well worth the time and money in my opinion.

 

[Ed]

I'm a bit slow today - what do you mean by "wet straw"IJ