Replacement Straw Chopper Better Than The Original

Replacement Straw Chopper Better Than The Original COMBINES Miscellaneous 24-1-4 Tom Erickson and his family have been manufacturing farm equipment parts for 25 years and, as a sideline, they repaired straw choppers for combines. When they tired of running to a dealer for parts for choppers on Deere combines, they decided to make them themselves. And while they were at it, they beefed up the chopper so it would wear better and last longer, says Shawn Erickson, Tom's son. Tom's company, TSR Parts Co., Colgate, North Dakota, (named after sons Tod, Shawn and Ryan) is now selling those beefed up Deere straw chopper parts as a complete straw chopper replacement. Some of the improvements they made to the chopper include an 8 ga. steel bottom knife sheet and center rotor made of thicker, seamless DOM (drawn over a mandrel) steel tube. Blades are heat-treated and tempered for added strength and to stay sharp longer. "Besides being thicker and heavier, our parts are completely interchangeable with the OEM Deere chopper," Shawn tells. "And the chopper parts you can buy from your Deere dealer will fit our version." The best part, Shawn says, is that "Our parts are not only made heavier, they're lower in price. Complete replacement units are less expensive from us than from a dealer. And many Deere dealers now carry our products, too." TSR makes choppers for 9600, 9500, 9400, 8820, 7720, 6620, 4420, 7700, 6600, and 4400 model Deere combines. Choppers for the older 20 series combines are no longer available from Deere dealers. New mounting hangers are included with all 20 series choppers, as well. TSR sells direct to farmers and also through a series of dealers. Prices range from around $1,700 to $2,400, depending on the model. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Shawn Erickson, TSR Parts Co., Box 18, 101 Main St., Colgate, N. Dak. 58046 (ph 800 582-2432; fax 701 945-2386; E-mail: tsr@ictc.com)

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