Sensor Lets Him Know If Header's About To Dig Dirt

Sensor Lets Him Know If Header's About To Dig Dirt COMBINES Headers 21-4-33 Eldon Knox, Ponteix, Sask.: "I farm some pretty rough country and one side or the other of the 30-ft. straight-cut header I run on my 1992 Case-IH 1688 combine al-ways seems to be hitting the ground. "So I made an inexpensive sensor that lets me know right away if my header's about to dig dirt. It consists of two automotive door light switches and two dash lights out of an old car wired to sensors made out of curved rods on each side of the header. The 3/8-in. dia. rods are 16 in. long and are curved down under the header. They pivot on a 1-in. long piece of pipe that bolts to the side of the header. A spring holds the rod tight against the door switch mounted underneath. The header normally runs 3 to 4 in. off the ground and when one side or the other dips below that, the rods pivot up and off the door switch, opening the circuit and activating the corresponding green dash light mounted on the steering column in my cab. Then I simply raise the header according to which light goes on. "An extension cord running through a pipe frame connects the switches to the plug. All you do is pull the plug if you change headers."

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