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Edible beans

13K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  arcticcatfarmer 
#1 ·
Does anyone here do any modifications to their machine to harvest edible beans? If so, what do you do to the combine?
 
#2 ·
I've done several things to mine and it didnt' seem to help the fact that they are the hardest crop on a combine. We used a picket head with a perforated floor along with perforated clean grain doors and unloading auger doors. In both Kidney and Pintos we found that setting the Rotor Veins to the fast position greatly helped along with adding the aggressive separator bars.

I was harvesting irrigated beans with a water hemp problem in sand.
 
#5 ·
We've done pintos and pinks for years and we always slow down the two bin augers for unloading. We also unload at an idle so we crack fewer beans. I'll tell you what NOT to do. Don't thresh beans with a standard rotor. My dad and my uncle have been using a standard for a long time and I finally talked my dad into buying a Bison all-crop rotor to try. We haven't tried it yet but we have heard good things about it and how it threshes beans. We were getting a lot of cracked beans no matter what we did with our standard rotor so we are giving the Bison a try. We have neighbors who use a specialty rotor with Gorden bars on it in his beans and he does a good job too. Good luck!
 
#6 ·
We use perforated doors in the return and elevator and unloading auger. We use an 8010 and always idle the machine when unloading. We have heard that taking the bottom sieve completely out might work good. I am anxious to try that in wet corn this year. Rumor has it it makes a world of difference.
 
#7 ·
We put an AFX rotor in our 1688. Totally amazing how much it helped in all conditions. We are running 12-30" pulled and windrowed beans through and went from 2.8mph to 4.5mph. in good conditions. Even on those tough days were the straw doesn't even get chopped coming out of the chopper we could do 2mph. Also agree with putting the transport vanes in the fast position. We also close down the slides in the bin all the way and unload slow. If you have trouble with those big slugs rumbling through the rotor at slow rpm's, make sure you have the concave tight as possible. It will keep the straw from folding over and making those big slugs. BE CAREFUL if you take out a sieve, you should put a false frame in to replace it as the sieve does support the shaker frame some. Glad to see people who grow dry beans. They are very popular here in mid-Michigan.
Loved the AFX for wheat and corn too.
 
#8 ·
I clip edibles with a 1688. Things that I do/did shut down grain tank slides, put a sprocket on elevators to slow them down, helped a bunch in dry beans on splits, put vanes in the fast setting, we also put some extra vanes on the right side around the tailings dump. If you plan on clipping a airreel is a god sent. I also took my floor pans from my 1020 and removed the dam, works better than stainless. Ask away if any more ?
 
#10 ·
I direct cut them, only way to do beans in my mind. I plant my beans in 15" rows & then I roll the feild so it is as flat as possible. I run a 25' 1020 for a head, 30 would be better. On the head I use a sch knife system. Have the guards on upside down to cut closer. Some of my neighbors take the plastic off the shoes too. I have also used a stock head with just the airreel. I only grow blacks, domino or jaguars. Would like to try some small red merlot's . As far as operation I just tip the angle on the feeder ahead and go. My airreel setup is aws brand, fan is mounted on the combine. Takes less power & takes the weight off the head. In a good day 75-80 acres. I also have a field tracker. In my area most of the beans are direct cut, go across the lake to canada & I think they are all direct cut. Makes a nice sample, no dirt just beans. Forgot to add gound speed 3mph, no faster!
 
#12 ·
anyone with a 1688 or similar size combine, do you think that the 80 size rotor makes any difference than a 60 size because it runs slower? trying black beans this year and plan to straight cut them. have grown cranberrys in the past. i tried kidneys one year and was forced to straight cut them which was than ideal, too many splits. what concave/ grate combination would be best? large wire with slotted grates? thanks for any info.
 
#13 ·
Dan,
We have had both 60 and 80 size rotors over the years. Although the 80 size runs slower rpm's, it's different diameter makes the rasps run travel around at a higher speed. Just like putting bigger tires on your pickup. I saw a special drybean concave some where. I don't remember if it was from Lowen or Case, but it was advertise for dry beans. We run large wire concaves and keystock grates and get around 1-2% splits in 13-14% moister blacks. It is a good idea to slow down your clean grain elevator. You can get a sprocket that has both regular and slow speeds. I got one from 2188 for my 1688. Most guys will put the angle iron bats on the stone trap beater, unless your serrated bats are really worn and angled back.
Most people are going to direct cut around here and the few people with draper headers are extremely happy. No need for an air reel. The draper really excels in short crops, being able to have the reel sweep all the way across the knife, not just the front of it.
 
#17 ·
"It is a good idea to slow down your clean grain elevator. You can get a sprocket that has both regular and slow speeds. "
-arcticcatfarmer

where do you put the sprocket on? the driven or the driver shaft? my dealer isnt having much luck finding one. would it be in that combine parts book? thanks
 
#19 ·
just a dumb question? Why doesn't anyone use a Bob Equipment edible bean combine, or hasn't anybody heard of them. I live about 15 minutes from where they are built here in New York. Anyone who still grows edibles here in New York uses a Bob's unless it's extremely muddy in which then they will direct cut. A lot of growers have stopped growing kidney's however because of weather and the high price of soybeans along with the easier harvest that they have
 
#21 ·
here's the low-down on Bob Equipment. Bob stands for Bob Bergstresser. He started the business and pretty much designed the bean machines, pretty smart guy. Son took over business, ran it into the ground, you know the story. Bob restarted the business about 5 miles away at his home location with his daughter and his son-in-law. They are still making new bean machines and reconditioning old ones and are also making field rollers. If anyone needs their contact info I will look it up and post it. I think they call themselves G and D Repair now.
 
#22 ·
Dan,

It goes on the drive shaft. The same shaft drives the tailings elevator. After you first install it, all you have to do is loosen the set screws and slide the gear over and of course reset the spring tension on the idler gears. You might notice when you load the engine alot that the elevator speed alarm will sound. Apparently when you slow it down you are very close to the alarm speed, but it's at a load that you won't run at except when hitting an unexpected tough spot. When I first installed mine that alarm threw me off a few times until I figured out what was going on.
 
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