Replacement Knives Improve Deere Straw Choppers

Replacement Knives Improve Deere Straw Choppers COMBINES Accessories 27-2-29 If you're not satisfied with the job done by the straw chopper on your Deere combine, contact Robert Rottinghaus. Rottinghaus, owner of Clever Tech, Inc., Jesup, Iowa, says the rotor knives on Deere straw choppers aren't heavy enough to handle heavy straw or wet, green bean stalks. "Many modern soybean varieties produce dry beans on a green stalk, which can cause problems for combines and straw choppers. Since the original knives in the Deere chopper pivot back about 30 degrees, when they hit this tough material they let it pass over the stationary knives uncut," he says. To solve the problem, he developed a heavier knife that will fit most Deere straw choppers. Made of 4140 steel that's been laser cut and heat-treated, the Clever Tech knife has four sharp rake teeth on it, to make a serrated edge. It's designed to pivot only 10 degrees, so it forces material through the stationary knives until everything is cut. "We've tested the knives for two years on 3,000 acres and they'll handle anything that can go through the combine," Rottinghaus says. "When crop residue is cut shorter, it gets spread more evenly. And that allows soil to warm more uniformly in the spring. There's no need to disk it in, and there's less plugging of planters, cultivators and tillage tools." Rottinghaus' combine straw chopper knives sell for around $8.78 to $9.78 each (plus shipping and handling), depending on the model. He sells them in balanced sets of six. Different combine models require from 3 to 6 sets of knives. Clever Tech also sells stationary knives for Case-IH straw choppers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Clever Tech, 4121 S. Canfield Road, Jesup, Iowa 50648 (ph 319 827-1311; fax 319 827-2425).

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