[pj]

Sometimes it is the small things one can do that will extend the life and reduce the repair bills or the difficulty of a repair. Every machine can have different issues but maybe we can help one another by giving our opinion on different maintenance issues that we come across. So here is my first tip.

Tip: Front/Rear feed chain slip clutch is on a spline shaft and the pulley is attached to it. A one half inch bolt holds it on and allows the slip clutch to slide back and forth for no good reason as far as I can tell other than to wear the shaft and slip clutch splines. After about 2000 hrs the pulley was rocking so much that both the shaft and the slip clutch needed replacing. Check out the back of the rear feed pulley and you see a lot of wear from the rear feed reverser chain slapping the back of the rocking pulley.
SOLUTION: install a spacer/washer to stop this movement between the half inch bolt/washer and the slip clutch. The spacer/washer needs to be the size of the shaft and thin so that it still allows the bolt to get tight against the shaft. Do the same to both front and rear feed and check for free play occasionally.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: If you find that the conveyor swing auger goes flying into its resting position with-out a slow down at the last foot or so you have lost an o-ring inside the cylinder (part # 71365013-3 or 70923808-3 for R42&R52 sorry don’t remember which one but I think it is most likely the second part number). This repair is relatively simple from inside the bin. Remove the hydraulic line. Tap in the head. Remove snap ring. Wiggle out the head. Install the missing o-ring and reassemble.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: If your variable speed drive for the corn head is constantly slowing down and you are tired of speeding it up and find that you generally run it almost as fast as possible. A bushing on the 3 bolts that the sheave slides on will hold it at a higher speed. A little trial and error may be necessary to find the slowest speed that you want the header to run at. Simple to try. One set the variable speed to maximum and shut down engine. Measure the distance between the bolt and the sheave. Find or cut 3 bushings that will fit with a little play. Remove bolts and install bolts one at a time, sliding bushing on the bolt then reinstall bolts. Note these bushings must be removed to slow down the drive for grain head operation. I have done this for the past two years and am quite pleased. The true fix is likely to replace some internal o-rings but this works for me. Try at your own pleasure or pearl.

 

[milkman1]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

we had the same problem with the corn head slowing down. The fix for this was very simple. The hydralic hose that gets switched from the reel lift to the variable speed head coupler, where this hose connects to the combine there is a by pass valve that goes bad. We replaced ours a number of years ago and have had no problems since.

 

[nddan]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

They have always had us set up these clutches with a little end play. Don't know if that allows for a little more flex over longer area!!! I think building a stong preloaded area isn't a bad idea as long as it doesn't concentrate flexing to a small area that can break. A single 1/2 bolt may not be enough to handle the pressure it could be exposed to. Let us know how it goes. I would say that guys need to grease these clutches. This will not cause them to slip to easy but prevent wear. The rear clutch has a zirk to grease splines and the front will stay lubed at splines as long as a guy keeps clutch greased. I rarely see any spline wear if it has been greased regularly all its life. Thanks for the tips.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Thanks milkman. I will definitely look into the relief valve. My machine variable speed header drive has always slowed down from new but just has been getting worse as the years go by. The M2 that we had before also did it until we rebuilt the cylinder on the sheave (of course we waited until there was an external leak before doing it).

Dan I would have to agree with you on that one but sometimes we listen to or get the wrong advise. A dealer that had told us that someone else that had purchased a machine from him and was having trouble with the feed chains slipping. He came to the conclusion that the slip cluthes were being over-greased. More likely the head wasn't feeding properly I guess. Maybe I should change that tip to grease feed chain slip cluthes often. Thanks for the input.

Tip: This one may seem unnecessary but simple (one in a million). I will start with a story that prompted the minor change. Removed the chaffer one day and when an employee replaced it he stripped the threads on one side trying to get the bolt to seat tight (very important to make sure these bolts are tight). After removing and inspecting it was clear that a small stone found its way into the hole. The temporary fix was to drill a hole all the way through and bolt it on. Later when time allowed cut out and weld in a new threaded block.

To prevent this from ever happening again drill a hole on the both sides being careful not to damage the threads so that any foreign material getting into the threads is pushed through when installing the bolt.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

I have seen today that the CaseIH guys have started a similar thread. Lets hope these tips increase performance and reliability of our machines. Thanks to all who participate. I will change my numbering system to Tip: like the CaseIH guys are doing.
I have found that it is quite simple to compose a comment in word first and then go online and do a copy/paste in quick reply area.

Tip: The cutter bar supports on the 300 series header are wider spaced in the center of the head leaving the center to sag a little all the time (don’t know if this condition is on any of the other series of headers). I have found that if nothing is done to straighten the cutter bar at this point that the sickle bar will start to get a bow in it (like a boomerang). The fix is simple as well. I take a block of wood and a floor jack to push the sagging point up enough that when it is release the cutter bar is straight. Do this once or twice a year and the sickle bar should stay straight.

Tip: Cab fan getting noisy and blowing less air. Try cleaning the blades on the centrifugal fan. A bit of a pain to get all the dirt out but it can make it as quiet as a brand new fan. Clean or replace both upper and lower cab filters.

Tip: Checking rear grain loss sensor pads. Have someone sit in cab, key on, engine off. Tap on pads with a pencil or something similar. The needle moves all is well. Needle doesn’t move, follow the wire back, unplug and clean connectors. This should fix the problem.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Gazzal I will look into it don't know off hand.
Gazzal had a look at a parts book for the N6 when I went to the dealer today and it appears to me that the auger swing cylinder in that machine is different. When we went from an M2 to the R52 there was a big difference in the speed at which the auger went in. I imagine that the M2 speed was controlled by an orifice and can only assume that the N6 is the same as the M2. Maybe some one else reading this forum can be of more assistance in this matter.


Tip: Don’t be a skeptic sometimes the simplest of ideas, tools or modifications will become something you would not live without. Case in point the rock door without the easy close system, I am not sure what years of machine that had a roll pin on the hex shaft for closing the door but I knocked that out, also the very first year I mounted a square tube on the outside of the clean grain elevator so that the tools that close the rock door are close at hand and yet out of sight when the outside shield is closed.

Tip: Don’t let it take two rocks and the labor of replacing two concaves before installing the rock door hump kit (thank God that there was a few years between them)(forced upgrade to the high wire concave). Remember to remove the wear strip in the front of the concave when installing the hump kit for added safety.


Tip: Rock door leaks. Sometimes it seems that no matter how hard you try to keep the bounce out of the rock door it is hard to stop a little small grain from escaping. This makes me wonder if my door is slightly bent. So it got me thinking that maybe applying a bead of caulking on one of the mating surfaces then covering it with wax paper and closing the door would possibly stop the leak. I have in the past used ¼ inch foam weather stripping but it falls out to easy when the door opens. This year I tried grain bin caulking leaving the wax paper on it.

Tip: The other spot that leaks can be troublesome is from the concave seal located directly below the concave. I have attached four 2 by 3 inch plates approximately 3/16 of a inch thick with 1/8 inch self drilling screws below the mating surface to hold the seal tight (low enough to allow the concave to be opened for corn as long as I remember to loosen them a little before making a large concave adjustment). I am pondering a solution that involves some kind of spring loaded hold down that does not cause straw and such to get hung up on it (maybe something similar to a feather sheet on a flex header).

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: I have a box of 2 inch finishing nails in the combine that I use for 550/557 chain connecting links. They work excellent. Check feed chain connecting links and elevator connecting links at least once a year. It is a real pain to straighten metal in the bottom of the clean grain elevator if you skip this.

Tip: The tailings elevator door on the bottom of the elevator (M’s L’s N’s R’s I believe) came with small bolts that irritated me on the old M2 when changing from the solid door for small grains to the screen door for corn and beans so when the R52 came with the same bolts I threw them away and welded pan head bolts from an old tiger jaw knife in their place on both doors.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: Always remember to clean out grain bin went done a harvest season. Any wet spoiling grain will make get rust started in places that you don’t want. Open the bottom auger cleanout hole on the bottom of the bin and leave it open so moisture can get out. Of course remember to close it before starting a new harvest season.

Tip: The nicest addition to a combine and grain buggy is a roll tarp. With a little effort and about 150 dollars a person can do it themselves on the combine (that is fabricating the metal yourself). A little more money for the buggy is obvious. It surprised me how clean everything stayed inside the machine when harvesting in the pouring rain to finish the last 5 acres in a corn field so that I could move to a new location the next day. When the stalks are super saturated practically only the cob without the husk enter the machine. Of course it is not fun to show up at a custom job fill the bin and have the rain start an half hour before the truck shows up.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: Keep the straw and soybean dust cleaned out of the channel along the right side of the machine, (at least on the R52) where all the wiring and throttle cable are attached, especially where the bearing from the accelerator roll is. I got out of the machine at the end of a long day of cutting soybeans, unloading on the go, (trying to beat the rain) and smelt smoke. I couldn’t find anything but mentioned it to my brother, who did another inspection and found the small smoldering fire below the accelerator roll bearing that was starting to melt the throttle cable and some wires. The bearing had failed so the steel on steel heat and sparking started the smoldering fire. I was lucky that night because the wind was light and blowing the smoke toward the cab. Repair the bearing and a little tape and we were good to go.

Tip: Check that the hydraulic hoses and wiring entering the engine compartment are not rubbing against each other or any thing else.

 

[nddan]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

We have had a small fire just where you note on R50 and R52s. R40 and R42 are likely built just the same. When ever we get the chance we reroute the harness, hoses, and cables above the accelerator roll bearing area. That cleans it up rather nicely and gets the flameables out of harms way. Thanks for all the great tips guys.

 

[milkman1]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: With the air cooled Deutz on our R52 we installed a perforated panel on the engine access door. Our head temp light was coming on, this cooled off the engine compartment and took care of the temp light.

Tip: We have had a number of smoldering fires in the engine compartment. We also took off all of the removable plates under the engine compartment. This helped to eliminate the dust build up and the resulting fires. We also carry five gallon of water to put out these small fires.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: When harvesting soys, if you must drive with the wind at your back watch your engine temperature gauge. The rotary air screen can get plugged solid with that soy dust especially with the high volume of air intake that the air cooled Duetz has.

Tip: When cutting on the ground with a flex header make sure that the header lift speed is approximately 8 seconds from the ground to fully raised or visa-versa for the lowering rate. If it is to fast the auto height control will be constantly correcting and someone standing behind the machine will likely see that the cutter bar is jumping off the ground.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: If your safety door (rock door) is bent and a new one is not available. We successfully straightened it by strategicly placing steel bars under the door on the laneway, place a 20 ton hydraulic jack on top and try to lift a 30 ton liquid manure tank.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: Be sure to check the bolts that hold on the flighting extensions in the center of the header conveyor auger. They can break lose of the bolts and crack after years of use and make a heck of a racket going through the cylinder/processor. It is amazing what you can mangle, crunch, grind and disintegrate in side the processor of a gleaner and not do a lot of damage to the cage!

 

[gleanerman]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

If experiencing heating problems with the D 3500 and 670 Allis engines (and maybe others) check the thermostats. There are two in a common housing and they are the type where the outer housing has to slide up and down to operate. Problem is the cast housing they fit in can corrode just enough to prevent this movement. One working thermostat will keep the engine cool under some conditions but on a hot day or heavy load you need both. Easy to access and clean. If you are losing coolant out the overflow and the coolant looks foamy in the rad (from pump cavitation) I would check the thermostats and clean the bores they fit in.

 

[pj]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

Tip: Agco has a kit to plug the holes in the concave and separator grates after removing every other bar. The box comes with probably at least double what one would need but the extras are handy as you need to check if you have lost any a couple times a year. They are easy to install with a small vise grip and mount extremely flush with the bars. The part # is 71371547. They are made of plastic and work a little like a plastic (zipper) wire tie.

Tip: On my R52 with the duetz engine. I had another one of, those lucky days. Was out in the field for a couple of hours and went to check the chaffer. Soon as I got beside the machine I could smell fuel. I looked into the engine compartment and saw one of, the fuel lines spewing out fuel. On a two year old machine at the time, this was not expected. Apparently the two rubber lines at injection pump where mounted so that they were rubbing against each other. You know the solution.

Tip: On my R52 with the duetz engine. Noticed one day that the RPM was not where it should be at full throttle. When inspecting the throttle cable linkages at the injection pump I noticed that a bolt on the injection pump, that holds the throttle linkage on to the pump itself had come loose and of course was wearing both the shaft going into the pump and the bracket. Check that these bolts remain snug but don’t try to over tighten them as I found out the ¼” bolt breaks easily.

 

[gleanerman]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

On the L-2 L-3 and M-2 & 3 the needle bearing that supports the seperator electric clutch assembly when the seperator is disengaged is lubricated by a grease fitting in the brush holder on the right end of the main shaft. If you hear a howling noise when the engine is running but the seperator is not chances are this bearing is dry. The brush holder on the header clutch on the left end of the mainshaft should have no grease fitting but they are interchangeable as far as fit goes. We have had two machines now where the wrong brush holder was installed and the bearing was running dry. A new replacement we bought had an untapped hole in the brush holder so we tapped it and installed a grease fitting with a little JB weld to hold it in place. Works great..

 

[gleanerman]

Re: A repairs and maintenance tip’s thread.

When replacing bearings on the mainshaft of a "G" you must reinstall the main drive pulley with a liberal application of Loctite. If you don't the pulley will work loose and ruin the shaft and pulley. Don't know how it does it but it seems to happen no matter how tight it is installed if Loctite is not used.. When removing the pulley it will have to be heated to melt the Loctite. A sizeable puller is needed and it is adviseable to attach some sort of safety chain to the pulley as it will come off with a mighty bang!