"They greatly improve stalk-crushing on Deere and New Holland corn heads so stalks break down faster after harvest," says Ron Schoolman, manufacturer of patented new replacement snapping rolls.

The new-style rollers feature 12 hard-surfaced blunt-edged knife blades that run against each other with only a 1/8 in. gap between blades. Stalks are crushed about every 1 1/4 in along their length.

A kit consists of one right and one left roller and pins for both.

"They're much more aggressive than conventional rollers," says Schoolman. "Running the knife blades directly against each other results in a deeper crushing action than the intermeshing blades on conventional rollers. They also snap corn ears off cleaner. We conducted field tests on 600 units over a 3-year period with no problems. The rollers didn't wrap even in wet grass that was 4 ft. high. The corn stalk remains connected to the root about 90% of the time.

"They work as well as Pixall rollers and Deere's new-style rollers for about half the price. They fit all Deere and New Holland corn heads. Deere and New Holland are the only companies that still use cast rollers on their headers."