"Under Header" Auger Windows For Easy Baling Cornstalks

Under Header Auger Windows For Easy Baling Cornstalks COMBINES Headers Chopping cornstalks while harvesting corn isn’t a new idea But this new header-mounted stover collection system from German manufacturer Geringhoff not only chops the stalks it also collects them into a windrow We saw it for the first time at the recent National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville Ky The stover collecting header has been widely used in Europe for several years Geringhoff will test the header-mounted system here this fall and expects to introduce it to North American farmers in 2014 Specially designed wind generating blades mount under the snap rolls and cleanly chop stalks into 4 to 18-in pieces The heavy-duty blades are equipped with wind vanes at each end that blow the chopped material horizontally into an auger which runs the length of the header The auger then delivers the material to the middle of the header forming a windrow According to Geringhoff it eliminates the need for a separate stalk chopping and raking pass They say that whenever you rake cornstalks you pick up rocks and dirt which isn’t good if you’re using the stalks for livestock feed or cellular ethanol production The company says its header-mounted system keeps the stover clean The operator disconnects the chopper on back of the combine so everything that comes out of the combine including cobs and husks falls on top of the windrow Tests show the system collects 65 to 70 percent of stalks in the field “North American testing is necessary as the corn here is very different than European varieties and we must ensure the stover will flow properly along the auger ” says a company spokesman Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Geringhoff P O Box 490 Minot N Dak 48702 ph 701 852-1876; dmolnar@aemscoinc com; www geringhoff com

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