Preparing Your Combine for Harvest

It’s time to prepare for harvest, and for some, that means getting the combine ready and in the field. Having your harvesting equipment prepped and ready for harvest is a great way to maximize yields, so it pays to know the best way to get your combine where it needs to be. While there are always factors beyond our control when it comes to harvest, having functioning equipment shouldn’t be one of them!

At Birkey’s Farm Store, we know a lot of our customers are already deep in their preparations for harvest, so we’ve taken the time to put together this quick guide with some tips and tricks to getting your combine ready for the field. Knowing how to properly prep your harvesting equipment will lead to better yields. Read on for more information or stop by one of our locations throughout Illinois and Indiana. 

Combine Checklist

To get the most out of your harvest and to leave as little of it in the field as possible, you’ll want your combine to be in tip-top shape. Even a minor deficiency can mean a significant loss. We suggest taking care of this checkup a couple weeks before harvest to give you enough time to take care of repairs or service should your combine need it. 

A good and thorough cleaning inside and out is a great way to start out. Dirt and oil buildup can increase the rate of wear on your combine and cause a loss of efficiency in the field. Check for loose or missing nuts, screws, and shields. Tighten and replace missing parts as you find them. Inspect all the belts, bearings, chains, and other components in the main drive. Wear such as loose chains and sprockets or torn or frayed belts should be taken care of with replacements, tightening, or lubrication. It’s better to take care of any minor replacements before the season starts so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff outside a proper maintenance check.

There are some other components you can look at for signs of wear, including headers, augers, cutter bars, the grain platform, skid plates, and any other part that needs to be sharp, clean, or straight for proper combine function. It’s also helpful to check any hydraulic systems for leaks, which should be sealed and repaired immediately. 

Read your combine owner’s manual for any manufacturer recommended procedures and notes. Trust the word of the manual over the advice here or anything you might come across otherwise!

Harvest Checklist

A lot of the specific settings and adjustments to make on your combine will come down to the kind of crop you’re working with. There are two crops we all see a lot of: corn and soybeans. Each offer somewhat different problems for combines. We’ll go over how to take your crop into account when prepping your combine for harvest.

For corn, you can extend the combine chain flights over the stripper plates beyond the edge by about 1/4 inch. The stripper plates or snapping bars should only be closed to the point that ears can’t pass through, and ears should be snapped near the upper third of the roll. Gathering snouts should float on the ground, with gathering chains just above the ground as well. Plastic snouts and reels help to pick up corn that’s gotten lodged and move it off the head and into the combine. 

When harvesting soybean with a combine, give the cutter bar some extra attention since this is where inefficiency is most likely to originate. Check it for wear and flex. Also, ensure height-control adjustments are made based on field and crop conditions. You’ll want the cutter bar operating as close to the ground as possible, so a floating header unit or automatic header height control can help keep cutting height optimal across a field. Like with prepping for corn, any knives, guards, wear plates, and hold-down clips should be tight and in good condition. Try to get reel speed going 25% or so faster than ground speed, and the reel axle should be between 6 and 12 inches ahead of the cutter bar. If you find that beans are getting lodged on the cutter bar, you can use a pick-up reel with extra guards to prevent this. 

Every bit of improved efficiency translates into less harvest left in the field and a better margin at the end of the season. If you still have questions, or you’re eager to check out our stock of used combines, head into Birkey’s Farm Store. We have 17 locations throughout Illinois and Indiana, so stop by today! Our team of courteous professionals will answer your questions and help you find what you’re looking for.