He Slowed Down Combine Auger

He Slowed Down Combine Auger COMBINES Miscellaneous 27-1-18 "It's the best idea I've had in a long time and it started paying off right away," says Marshall Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., who slowed down the feeder auger on his Deere 9650 STS combine's 8-row corn head. "The problem was that the head tended to throw ears onto a shield above the center part of the auger, instead of feeding them directly into the head. Most of the ears fell back into the head, but some didn't. Another problem was that fine trash tended to collect on top of the center snout just ahead of the auger, which kept stalks and ears from feeding into the gathering chains properly," explains Litchfield. The auger was originally chain-driven off the same driveshaft that operates the gathering chains. Litchfield removed the chain, drilled holes into one end of the header, and bolted a hydraulic motor onto it to chain-drive the auger. Then he ran a pair of hydraulic hoses from the motor up to the reel drive that's used for the grain head. "I used it on more than 400 acres last fall and was amazed at how well it worked," says Litchfield. "The slower speed stops the head from throwing ears, and the buildup of fine trash disappeared. The fodder feeds in really nice. The auger works best when it runs at 120 to 160 rpm's. If I ever want to drive the auger conventionally, all I have to do is reinstall the original drive chain. Litchfield plans to do further testing on the idea and says he may eventually offer am aftermarket kit for sale. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marshall Litchfield, 15495 N 700 Rd., Macomb, Ill. 61455 (ph 309 254-3481).

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