Simple Way To Measure Grain Loss

Simple Way To Measure Grain Loss GRAIN HANDLING Accessories 33-3-40 You can check combine grain loss quickly and easily with this on-the-go powered "drop board" for combines. The device consists of a metal framework that mounts underneath the combine grain separator fan, just ahead of the sieve discharge. It holds a 20-in. by 4-ft. wide drop board. The board is held in place by a spring-loaded "catch" controlled by a cable that runs to the combine's cab. The operator simply pulls on a T-handle in the cab to drop the sample board onto the ground. "It works good for gathering samples of crop and chaff at different speeds and different locations throughout the field," says inventor Brian Duyck, Powell, Wyoming. "It could be custom-built to fit any combine. "I use it on my IH 1460 combine. After dropping the board I determine how many kernels per sq. ft. are on the board. Then I make an educated decision on whether to slow down or speed up the combine and whether to adjust the sieves. "I use it on all my crops including grass seed, clover, barley, wheat, and beans. It's a lot safer than trying to throw something under the combine or walking alongside it with a shovel. It can also be helpful for setting the in-cab monitor on newer combines. "I painted a square on the board and wrote down reference notes along the board's margins. For example, if I'm harvesting barley and there are 108 seeds in the square on the board I know I'm losing about 1 bu. per acre." Duyck says he has built several of the units for neighbors. "I weld a piece of angle iron onto each side of the combine frame and then bolt the unit on. I charge about $200 per unit." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Duyck, 961 Rd. 20, Powell, Wyoming 82435 (ph 307 272-7779; bduyck@tritel.net).

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