[batcher13]

Hello everyone,

With the late harvest this year we have seen many STS combines in the area have cleaning fan issues. There seems to be a buildup of frozen material directly behind the front edge of the precleaner. As the precleaner shakes back and forth it pushes against this material buildup until it causes the housing to push into the cleaning fan, blowing everything up. This is true for all STS machines, including the S-series machines. The only way to see this buildup is to take out the sieve and chaffer and look under the shoe augers. Because of this our local dealer is drilling 2" inspection holes on the side of the machines to inspect and clean out the material.

Has anyone else seen this issue before and have any words of advice to fix the buildup problem? I would say that over half of the STS machines in our area have had this issue. Most of the time it takes out a lot of shrouds, the fan and possibly the sieves and costs up to $10,000 in repairs. If someone hears ticking in the fan they can catch it before the grenade goes off, but that doesn't happen very often.

I look forward to any insight on this.

Thank you!

 

[michaelshawn]

Haven't heard of this problem here but would love to know
where to drill the 2" holes you mention.

Thanks.

MS

 

[cobra1970]

Hello everyone,

With the late harvest this year we have seen many STS combines in the area have cleaning fan issues. There seems to be a buildup of frozen material directly behind the front edge of the precleaner. As the precleaner shakes back and forth it pushes against this material buildup until it causes the housing to push into the cleaning fan, blowing everything up. This is true for all STS machines, including the S-series machines. The only way to see this buildup is to take out the sieve and chaffer and look under the shoe augers. Because of this our local dealer is drilling 2" inspection holes on the side of the machines to inspect and clean out the material.

Has anyone else seen this issue before and have any words of advice to fix the buildup problem? I would say that over half of the STS machines in our area have had this issue. Most of the time it takes out a lot of shrouds, the fan and possibly the sieves and costs up to $10,000 in repairs. If someone hears ticking in the fan they can catch it before the grenade goes off, but that doesn't happen very often.

I look forward to any insight on this.

Thank you!

Maybe this will help.

Solution Number: 86345
Solution Summary: Cleaning fan failures experienced while harvesting in wet freezing conditions
Publication Date: Apr 12 2010
**Paper copies of solutions may not be the most current solutions**
Complaint or Symptom :

Cleaning fan failures experienced while harvesting in wet freezing conditions.
Problem or Situation :

Snow and wet crop will build up in front of the cleaning shoe and compress till the housing begins to deform. Once the area is deformed enough, contact with the fan will occur. The problem is worsened because the seals are stiff in these cold conditions.
Solution :

It is recommended to avoid harvesting in freezing/wet conditions.
The following recommendations will not prevent failure, but have been seen to limit material accumulation and the extent of consequential damage that may occur.86345_1.pdf
In addition to these recommendations it is suggested to frequently check for material accumulation/packing.
Additional Information :

Failures related to harvesting in wet/freezing conditions are not considered warrantable failures.
S685, S690 Hillmaster, S690, 9870STS, 9770STS, S680, S560, 9670STS, S670, 9570STS, S550, S660, S650


The PDF slides are below.

 

[greentech]

Open the left rear gullwing door while harvesting. This allows the hot air from the engine to exit the machine instead on being drawn in the cleaning fan and making the situation worse. Honestly, park the combine until is it well below freezing. It's amazing how well corn and sunflowers just blow through a machine when they are brittle from the cold. We have lots of experience around here (southeast Manitoba) harvesting in winter and you will not see many machines working when the temp hovers around freezing. Most will wait for colder weather.