[ryegrass]

Are there any Cr's working in grass seed production in the Willamette Valley Oregon or other?
Am looking for ground speed differences comparing the following 3 classes -1)"small" TR's ie70/85
2) TR97/98
& 3)CR 940/960

If H.P is irrelevant to thrashing a particular crop and sieving capacity is essential, would a TR97/98/99 be marginally less
productive than a CR940/960?

 

[doorknob]

Yes. There was a cr970 running up here in the Banks oregon area last year. The owner liked it so well, he traded up for a cr9070 for this year. Problem occured while harvesting crimson clover. A mechanical failure that is under warranty is being repaired right now at the dealer. Should have it back and in the field soon. Thankfully the owner has a tx to run for now till the cr gets back.

The owners run several crops including both crimson and red clovers, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass. Some grains too. They would'nt trade the NH twin rotor for the world, and I dont blame them. I went on a TR research trip to Madras oregon this past spring and would dearly love to find a TR 97,98,99 to purchase. However they seem to draw a premium in the specialty seed regions and after seeing the machine inside and out, (litterally) I can see why. So that set me to looking at gleaner as well. Gleaner's more affordable for me.

I'll try my best to get some pics of the local CR if I can. If you are ever down in this area, Madras oregon has a huge variety of specialty seeds that they harvest with a combine, and you have to look really hard to find any other color.

As you mentioned, the hp is not so important as is the cleaning capacity and ability. The owner of the cr has lots of steep terrain. The twin rotor has a huge advantage here. You have a seperate rotor for each half of the machine, which will lessen any imperfections in cleaning load by half over a single rotor. The twin tailing returns are also one of the greatest things to happen to the seed industry. The TR dont have twin returns, but then it also sends the tailings back to where they are supposed to go, front of the rotor, instead of powering a "rethresher".

Cant answer directly the question of capacity comparing the CR/TR, but for the money difference, the TR is one heck of a bargain. Just relaying something I was told by the folks that run lots of specialty seeds with the TRs, the 95 and 96s dont feed as well and should be avoided somewhat if possible for the seed threshing. I understand this is because of the feeder design and size which allows one rotor to be favored in tough stemmed crops. ?

 

[ryegrass]

Thanks Doorknob,appreciate the details during your busy season.
Are you up near Mcminnville or St Paul? I'll be there for next year's harvest.
The CR970 would be a great siever in our job but the banker may shy at that one compared to the budgetable TR's as you say.
What happened to the CR970 that passed out?
Can you remember any extra modifications the specialty seeds TR's have done? I have just finished making filler plates for the rear beater and have dropped the rotors out of an 'ol low hour TR70, thinking of 'S'cubing her for our basic seed crops. TJ has given me some tips for this project.
I was talking to a contractor down here today and he had used some plastic in his tr99 rotor concaves for britttle canola and other sp.s.to help clean up some chaff. He claims to have picked up an extra 1km/hr. He also has a CR 940 & a 960 which for some reason hasn't had to put any filler plates in ,yet the '99 is still behind them in windrowed canola. It could be the extra 1.3sq.mtrs of cleaning sieve?
His 940 is in NH hands getting some warranty replacings on a few things that never failed on his machine but now that he's trading up they are doing them now.
Do you think the coupling on the CR rotor g'boxes will be a better lasting join than the TR's spindle bearing and chain? We have replaced those spindles several times on both TRs.

How are the crops this year in the Valley?

 

[Don Boles]

Too much bio-diesel?

Don

 

[doorknob]

Ummm, well, I'm somewhat reluctant to say what the mechanical failure was, but.........it was a defective trailing rasp bar bolt.

It gave way and the rasp bar took out the whole side of the machine. YIKES!!!!!!! By that I mean that whole rotor and cage with all hardware and some work on the straw chopper.

Ryegrass I dont know about the rotor couplers as the 970 that they had before the 9070 purchase also had an issue with the coupler. I believe they figured out something that may have caused the problem which was when washing the machine, water would get caught in the coupler and corrode things. But the TR has a chain coupler? So maybe an aligment issue? Dont know enough about them myself yet.

I have a whole cd full of pics of the TR research trip. Most of those machines also had the rear beater grate blocked off. The mods on the TRs were more up front on the input flights. Give me some time to figure out what is wrong with my photobucket account so I can post some pics, but several machines had an extension installed on the flightings, which I believe was factory issued on some models ?? ? that made the rotors have to be timed or the flights would strike each other. A nother mod that was common was some plating welded in the transition area around those flights to help reduce bunching when feeding viney crops. The new CRs have a vastly improved intake system with 3 flights on the large models anyway, dont know about the smaller diameter rotor machines. The 9070 has a one piece cast transition cone.

The design of the newer machines with reguards to the huge amount of adjustment one can do on just the rotor is amazing. Most small seed growers with the CRs have the trailing rasp bars installed. I believe the new machines have an option for an adjustable transport vane rotor cage, which also is a great tool for the seed machines. Other than that, what little I've been around the CRs yet, the only other mod I've heard of is some rework on the rethreshers to get a little more agressive action.

I'm not too far north of st.paul/mcminnville area. About 40 minutes north or so. The st.paul area is what most of us up here look forward to having our farms look like.

Those folks take some serious pride in their farms. Driving through the area just makes a guy feel good about being a farmer.

 

[steigerman]

If the front rotor bearing is shimmed correctly and the connector pins and all links are installed on the rotor drive chains the sprockets will last much longer. also change the chains every year. and dont get lazy and leave any of the side plates out of those connectors!!