[jeffshelby]

Here is a question for everyone - regardless of combine color.
For those of you that still dump at the end of the field, do you leave the seperator engaged while unloading or do you dis-engage and let it stop for the couple of minutes ?
For 25 years i have dis-engaged the seperator while unloading. It seems logical to me to save those couple of minutes of belts/bearings turning, which adds up over a days time.
Some guys say it is more wear and tear engaging the seperator after each dump so they just let everything run while unloading.
I know those of you that use grain carts obviously dontcant disengage but would you if you had to stop to unload?
I can see pro and con to both so I figured I'd ask you experts out there.

 

[tractor8100]

Running while unloading does add separator hours which, over time, add up at trade-in or resale time. We have never had repair or maintenance issues with disengaging while unloading with over 3500 separator hours on two machines. Probably would have added 300-400 separator hours by not disengaging.

On the minus side, as mentioned elsewhere in a thread dust settling can cause imbalance on the cylinder machines and it takes more time to startup or engage when re-entering the field due to engine idle down and idle up after engaging. I have run a few times while unloading, it just seems a waste of wear to run empty. Never had a clutch problem by engaging on slow idle.

 

[rubberduck]

very often we dump into field bins and simelar field storage in one of the field, and we stop the seperator every time we unload. and we got 5 machines! ´Rule of thump is that if we cant unload on the go we stop the seperator. end of story!'

no problems related to that what so ever and we put more than a 1000 sep hours on a machine each year!

id imagine that running them while unloading would wear them out alot quicker, but i suppose its only speculation.

 

[agcofan]

I only shut the header off when unloading at the ends. Only if I am getting out during unloading do I shut off the seperator. This is on an 8820.

Take care,

Nathan

 

[Jason Hildebrand]

Yah I can't see many components wearing out by turning the separator on and off. But I can guarantee that if you run your combine high idle empty you will rattle the sieve and chaffer to pieces, we ran into this problem a few times and after we started realizing what we were doing then the problems stopped. That was on several 9600s but I would assume the same rule applies to other combines. I think custom ops are more particular about separator hours because they plan to trade more often. Most average farms are running 5-10 year old combines and could care less about extra hours.

 

[Don Boles]

We rarely unload stopped but I also think about this when I do.
I do think about added hours and some machines run up procedure is nicer than others.
Obviously everyone shuts the header off, I can't speak to all models and years on Deere but they used to be set up so hours were only accumulated when the header was on.
I'm pretty sure Deere is the only one that does this, which is the correct way.
Oh just realized, for my AUS friends I mean the front.

Don

 

[dieseldog]

yes the hrs only accumulate on JD with the header engaged

 

[gleanerjunkie]

What jdmanitoba said is true that many farmers including us are running machines old enough that seperator hours have no effect on the trade in value. I always turn the seperator off when I am unloading. First of all I prefer to be easy on the unloading auger and very rarely run it at full throttle and second of all once the machine cleans out they always vibrate and shake more. It just seems like unecessary wear and tear on the machine but that is just me.

Matt

 

[arcus]

We usually unload on the go, but even when we to it at the end of a field, we never disengage the seperator. Weonyl disengage the header.

We do this for 2 reasons:

1st is that you need more time if you wanna switch it on again. You have to reduce the engine rpm. You cant engange the seperator while you run with full power. Waiting for the whole ssystem to slow down and re-accelerate it gaain after enganging the seperator is annoying and takes time.

2nd is that a constant charge of the system is better than interrupting it again and again. Especially for the belts the highest charges are caused when you engage everything. The peak-loads are much more harmfull to the parts than a constant charge. So I guess it doesnt save costs. Parts rather break down in cause of max-powers than by constant powers.


With high yeilds, you really have to unloand to often. You would have to disengage the seperator every 10mins (50t/h and 8t in the hopper). This would mean 50 times a day. Wating 30 seconds extra each time means 25mins. Of doing nothing in best harvesting time. This means 3ha per day.


Thats just how we do it...and why.

 

[gleanerjunkie]

As a custom harvest crew I can see where you have to maximize every bit of time you have in the field. But as a guy who cuts his own acreage I dont see the pay-off in flyin around the field and unloading like that all day. Accidents tend to happen when a guy gets in too big of a rush. Ill take the extra minute or two to stop and start the machine. Just my opinion

Matt

Matt

 

[shane3507]

We disengage when we unload. Never reallyed asked myself why though. I guess that's how I was taught. I can see the argument, though, how in the repeated tensile stress on belts and shear stress on pullys in pins can cause more wear and tear. We run a 7720 (and you can defintly feel and hear it kick on/off). I'm sure the newer combines are alot better egineered for those types of stresses.

 

[oklahomajoe]

Re: Separator engaged while dumping?

Used to stop the separator and header while unloading until one day I pulled the electric clutch switch out and nothing happened. It only had dust built up and worked fine after blowing it out, but made me re-think my procedure. I guess I would rather have the clutch quit first thing in the morning rather than 6:00 P.M. when parts and mechanics were gone for the day at my local dealership.

I never had any other trouble with the electric clutch, but could never bring myself to fully trust that electrical apparatus.

This was on an 8820 for those interested.

 

[bogman]

We never switch out the separator because of the stress on the drive line starting up. as for the wear while running idle it would be negligible .The grain elevator chain would wear more than the belts .Belts in factories run for years on end without any problems .Just relax and listen to the radio. It also helps to blow out some of the rubbish that might be stuck on the shakers .

 

[nig71]

sometimes composition of your crop may be a good reason to run the separator whilst unloading. had a neighboor a few years ago in a droughted crop comment that he had to run his seperator unloading stationary to blow some accumulated flag off the sieves, the same may apply if you had a weed like bromegrass ( the seeds that stick in your socks kind of weed ) that might accumulate in sieve appeture. might also help if you ran canola sieves to limit porcupining. there would also be fuel savings in leaving it running as most of the energy is used to bring a machine from stationary to the first 100 rpm than it does from keeping it there under no load. also the metal components would stretch and fatiuge more from the startup than running at full revs empty. if you are having problems with things rattling to pieces then your problem is more likely a moving part that is out of balance that requires service, the flow of crop through your machine may have just masked bigger problems that will just surface later; first in bolts comming loose and later cracking up components. the time spent unloading is a valuable time to listen and feel the machine for mechanical faults.

 

[farmboy9510]

We have a 9510 and everytime we unload the header and the seperator are shut of. it has just became a rule of thumb to turn these of when we are heading to the wagons

 

[cliffcutter]

A few years back during a severe dry soybean harvest season, a JD salesperson told us that the dust in the electric clutch could and did ignite when engaging or disengaging due to the electric clutch throwing a small spark during these procedures. So we would sometimes leave everything engaged on our 8820 whilest unloading.

Fire danger from electric clutches is something to think about.

 

[jdeere]

Well yes you can, but your a d**n fool if you do. if you have OLD guys running the machines, you will see it happen at least once, makes you cringe and your gut twist.


This thread actually made me think about what I do unconsciensly,

My method or rule of thumb has been:
If hopper is full then it makes more sense to shut down seperator, but if it anywere under full, then it makes more sense to leave running, I just get the feeling while its unloading and everything running full out still, that I'm running a water pump with no water

 

[factoryfarmer]

The combine rarely stops to dump but when we do we usally shut the separator off since it takes while to empty if you have a full bin.

Dave

 

[silverhusker]

Usually we unload on the go when unloading but when not unloading on the go only the header is turned off and the separator is left on. Like someone else said i guess it was just the way i was taught so i never really think about turning it off, it also seems like it could be harder on chains, belts, etc. every time you turn it on then it would be to just leave it run for a few minutes longer with nothing going through.

 

[magnum7120]

I'm with the earlier poster. We always let the seperator run while dumping on the end. Always slow engine down to middle notch while unloading. Don't have a reason why, never really thought about it. I'm with the guy before that said " I guess it's just the way I was taught".