[nysliver]

Should I remove the chopper from my R52 and replace it with the impeller discharge to get better straw for square baling? If I leave the impeller in for soybeans will they be chewed up enough?

 

[combinekid]

If you no-till wheat into you're bean ground and you don't have a coulter cart, I would think that the straw would be too thick. Same if you leave the bean ground to be cultivated in the spring for corn or whatever

 

[silver72man]

If you remove the chopper you will get longer straw for baling. Never have messed with soybeans, but when we plant wheat behind corn in the fall the impeller does a good job.

 

[zincdipped]

Hey Gentlemen

Our R52 has no chopper, only impeller cutting soys with a 24 foot head.

We plant winter wheat right after the combine without any concerns regarding plugging, depth control or emergence of the wheat. We have been doing this for over 8 seasons.

The spreader does a good job of spreading the stalks over the 24 feet.

Our wheat planter consists of heavy coulter cart that pulls a JD455 drill. Both these units have hydraulic down pressure and cut the soy stalks well.

Sometimes we get into a lot of crop material going through the combine . If we get rains during growing season, we can have over chest high beans. And we like to plant thick, solid seeded with final stands usually over 225,000.

I don't think we could do any better with a chopper. I do know a chopper would take more HP to get the stalks through the combine.

Sometime when we look at a neighbours field after going through a heavy crop of soys, we see a deep, fine mat of material behind the combine and wonder if our system with no mat, just stalks spread here and there would allow the soil to warm quicker.
That is just a theory---I have never taken a thermometer to the field to see.

To further answer your question, our combine leaves nice wheat straw for baling, but since I have never baled behind a Gleaner with a straw chopper I do not know if it is any better than with a chopper.

I hope this helps;

mca

 

[greatsilver]

A farmer I work for bales straw. He tried it behind a R40 and R62. He said they just chewed it up too bad. And some of the round bales just fell apart when he tired to lift them with the loader.

So it depends on your straw as well.

 

[flatlander]

If you bale behind a rotor even with an impeller make sure the straw is really tough. Otherwise your bales have no structure. If you aren't going to haul them far the bales will be tough enough. Otherwise I would suggest swathing some new windrows.

 

[rburk]

When we baled for our own use I preferred the chopped up straw from our R62. Easier to spread the bales and haul the manure. We usually did ok with our small square baler, but did have trouble with the round baler if it got too dry. Could usually go after dew got on the straw.

 

[originalsix]

It depends on what you are using the straw for. I agree with rburk in that we have baled behind our R62 to bed for sows with little pigs. Small squares weren't a problem but round bales don't work as good.

 

[nddan]

NYsilver, I think I would try the chopper on slow with knives retracted so you have the chopper in place should you need for your beans. Like wir says the straw can make a world of difference. Here's some differences with various combines. R40-50s will drop some straw back over concave after allready being over concave. R42-55s will drop slightly less than R40-50s. R62-76s will drop quite alot more straw back over concave than short rotor machines. Some degree of steep helicals on any of them machines will reduce running allready threshed straw back over concave. A triangle filler with helical over top left corner of feeder opening is mandatory for long rotor machines. Now when were talking about over 20 years of combines there is the question if cylinder bars have been extended into area ahead of discharge like the later machines. This can make a huge difference on the long rotors if it is a machine prior to the factory extended bars. Sweeps on seperator side of rotor will also help keep the straw whole. Next question is how many reverse cylinder bars are installed in machine tring to make good straw. So you see it makes all the difference on how setup the machine is to flow whole straw not to mention condition of straw before it enters machine. Some guys with hydralic spreaders have slowed the minimum RPM to 50 and left the spreader running to make a wider windrow. Best of luck