[cboyd]

What all do you need to change on a 2188 to cut sunflowers? We bought the combine this spring and are new to this type of machine. What concaves/grates do you use? We heard something about using smooth grates, does anyone sell these or a sell a cover to use to make the grates smooth? Also what are the basic settings you use, rotor speed, concave clearance, seive settings?
chris

 

[okpanhandle]

Last year we used large wire concaves and solid grates in the first two positions. The rear grate was a keystock (I think). The first year we had flowers we were trying to set the 1480 and the sample looked absolutely terrible. It turned out that there was a misprint in the manual recommending slotted grates. Our dealer didn't have enough solid grates to fit both combines, so we built one by bolting a piece of tin to a slotted grate. I guess it worked, but I was away at college during harvest. We replaced it the next year.

I don't remember the machine settings off the top of my head, but it's similar to corn. I think we run the rotor around 350 and the concaves somewhere around 4. Sieves, can't tell you; we just adjust them until we're happy and have never measured the opening. If it's set up right the heads should come out the back mostly whole.

One more thing: watch for dust buildup on top of the PTO housing. I had some dust smoldering there on the 1480 once and it made me kind of paranoid.

 

[okpanhandle]

I just make sure everything stays clean, mainly the engine, PTO, and hydraulic pumps; anything that generates some heat. A couple minutes every morning with a whisk broom or air hose while the fuel tank is filling and I'm good to go. Aside from the scare on the old 1480 I haven't had any problems. It's been a few years since we've had more than 100 acres of flowers. Last year we were finished before the dust had a chance to build up too much.

How do your flowers look? I planted 210 acres of dryland this year, but it was so dry I only got a stand on 65-70 acres. I put the seed in the ground around July 15 and most of what came up sprouted seven to ten days after planting. I never thought I'd see it dry enough where even the wild 'flowers weren't growing in the ditches.

 

[cboyd]

Well, we dont have any dryland this year but our confection flowers dont look too bad, but there under a sprinkle so they should. Some of our pre emerge didnt work to well on one of the fields so the pigweeds are growing really good. Its just mainly on the outside because for some reason the outside rows didnt pop up this year. The seed just rotted in the ground. The heads are pretty big and heavy, some are only about 2-3 feet of the ground and the stalks were close to 6 foot before the flowers started to bloom.
My uncle has about 60 acres of dryland oils that look realy good considering the conditions this year. Heads are big and filling and droopin over pretty good. Wish we could of gotten the rain we did a little earlier in the year.

 

[cboyd]

Thanks, i hear you on the dust build up. We've been renting a John Deere combine for the last 8 years or so for fall harvest. I think we've had fires in everyone of them cutting flowers. I thought it was kinda funny when the firemen knew exactly where our fields are, espeacially when at times they came to the same one three times in one year. Do you do anything to lower the chances of fires? We always dragged chains on the JD and kept a close eye on things. Where do you have to really watch besides the pto for a fire hazzard on these?