Simplicity Key To New Versatile Combine
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“The new Versatile RT490 is the best combine I’ve ever used,” says Kevin Horner, who farms with his wife Lori Byck near Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan. “We ordered the first 2 machines of this model that Versatile sold in Canada 3 years ago and they’ve done everything the company said they would. I was really impressed with their simple design, minimal electronics and easy maintenance. I really liked the idea of a feederhouse beater system rather than the chain system because it doesn’t pull big clumps into the machine all at once like a chain system. Instead, it’s more like a pre-thresher because each of the 4 drums rotates slightly faster than the previous one.”
Horner also has many compliments for the machine’s rotor and concave setup. “It’s a very aggressive threshing system, yet very easy on the grain,” Horner says. “There are 3 pinch points because the rotor turns one way and the concave rotates the opposite direction. The machine works more efficiently and produces cleaner grain with less cracking than any of the 5 previous machines we’ve owned. We harvested canola the first year in very hot weather and the seed was about 6 percent moisture, but we didn’t see many splits at all. Neighbors had parked their machines and couldn’t believe we were still running. We ran a loss test and it showed just under 2 percent, which was excellent. In wheat we’ve had an excellent sample, around 1/2 percent dockage. On other machines it might be 2 to 3 percent.”
Horner really enjoys how easy the Versatile machines are to work on. “First of all, they don’t have a lot of electronics, which means that the machine won’t be shut down because of a computer glitch. In terms of service, everything is right there in front of you when both side panels open up. We can grease them easily, check belts and clean away dust and chaff. We’re using about 9 gals. of fuel an hour, so consumption is very low for a 490 hp engine.”
Horner says another big plus of the RT490 is capacity, especially in tough conditions. Versatile reps have told him that the machine is almost impossible to plug because of its power, intake system and rotor design. The concave turns at a constant 7 rpm’s in the opposite direction of the rotor. The rotor can operate in first gear at 250 to 500 rpm’s and second gear at 500 to 1,000 rpm’s. Speeds are infinitely adjustable in the cab. Slower speeds are for crops like peas and canola and higher speeds for wheat. Although the combine carries the Versatile name, it is built at a Rostselmash factory in Russia. A yield monitor, wheels, tires and a few other parts are installed when the new machines reach Canada.
Horner says, “The Versatile tech team has been very helpful in setting up the combines for each new season. They’ve been very proactive in calling me to set up a time for maintenance checks and to see how the machines are running during the season. We’ve run more than 5,000 acres through these machines without any mechanical problems. If you’re in the market for a powerful Class 9 combine that does an exceptional job, I recommend this model.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kevin Horner, Blaine Lake, Sask., Canada (ph 306 226-4311; horn@sasktel.net).
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Simplicity Key To New Versatile Combine COMBINES Miscellaneous “The new Versatile RT490 is the best combine I’ve ever used ” says Kevin Horner who farms with his wife Lori Byck near Blaine Lake Saskatchewan “We ordered the first 2 machines of this model that Versatile sold in Canada 3 years ago and they’ve done everything the company said they would I was really impressed with their simple design minimal electronics and easy maintenance I really liked the idea of a feederhouse beater system rather than the chain system because it doesn’t pull big clumps into the machine all at once like a chain system Instead it’s more like a pre-thresher because each of the 4 drums rotates slightly faster than the previous one ” Horner also has many compliments for the machine’s rotor and concave setup “It’s a very aggressive threshing system yet very easy on the grain ” Horner says “There are 3 pinch points because the rotor turns one way and the concave rotates the opposite direction The machine works more efficiently and produces cleaner grain with less cracking than any of the 5 previous machines we’ve owned We harvested canola the first year in very hot weather and the seed was about 6 percent moisture but we didn’t see many splits at all Neighbors had parked their machines and couldn’t believe we were still running We ran a loss test and it showed just under 2 percent which was excellent In wheat we’ve had an excellent sample around 1/2 percent dockage On other machines it might be 2 to 3 percent ” Horner really enjoys how easy the Versatile machines are to work on “First of all they don’t have a lot of electronics which means that the machine won’t be shut down because of a computer glitch In terms of service everything is right there in front of you when both side panels open up We can grease them easily check belts and clean away dust and chaff We’re using about 9 gals of fuel an hour so consumption is very low for a 490 hp engine ” Horner says another big plus of the RT490 is capacity especially in tough conditions Versatile reps have told him that the machine is almost impossible to plug because of its power intake system and rotor design The concave turns at a constant 7 rpm’s in the opposite direction of the rotor The rotor can operate in first gear at 250 to 500 rpm’s and second gear at 500 to 1 000 rpm’s Speeds are infinitely adjustable in the cab Slower speeds are for crops like peas and canola and higher speeds for wheat Although the combine carries the Versatile name it is built at a Rostselmash factory in Russia A yield monitor wheels tires and a few other parts are installed when the new machines reach Canada Horner says “The Versatile tech team has been very helpful in setting up the combines for each new season They’ve been very proactive in calling me to set up a time for maintenance checks and to see how the machines are running during the season We’ve run more than 5 000 acres through these machines without any mechanical problems If you’re in the market for a powerful Class 9 combine that does an exceptional job I recommend this model ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Kevin Horner Blaine Lake Sask Canada ph 306 226-4311; horn@sasktel net
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