Tips From a Custom Harvester

Veteran Says Efficiency Lies in a Systems Approach

Custom cutter Duane Keller has learned some useful lessons in 39 years of harvesting corn, soybeans and wheat across thousands of acres. (Progressive Farmer photo by Dan Crummett)

Harvest efficiency has been Duane Keller's bread and butter for 39 years. As part of Keller Brothers Harvesting and Trucking, Inc., Duane has logged thousands of miles of road time and countless hours in combines harvesting small grains, grain sorghum, corn and soybeans. Based in Ellis, Kan., he also spent seven years as a design engineer for combines.

What he has learned could be helpful for your harvest.

"We have to be efficient, or we can't maintain and grow our customer base," Keller explains. "And, when we talk about efficiency, we include our teams and how we take care of our equipment, as well as how much grain we put in the tank. Efficiency is a 'systems' thing."

The "system" is evident in the way his company's equipment is parked -- lined up in order -- before and after a day in the field. "It's a matter of professionalism and practicality," Keller explains.

HELPFUL HABIT

Routine is another tool that plays a part in team and equipment efficiency, he said. "It helps to know that when we finish this field, we're quitting for the day, or to know that we're running until 10:30 p.m. A definite quitting time is important."

But the day doesn't end until certain chores are accomplished. Refueling and cleaning cabs come before bedtime. Keller notes that evening refueling also reduces fuel tank condensation problems.

He believes in "empowerment" -- true responsibility sharing, not just an industry buzzword. "I work hard to foster a sense of ownership in our employees for the equipment they're using. I love it when I get a call, and the guy said, 'My combine's just not getting it done.'"

Keller said the key is "don't set your employees up for failure. Give them clear directions as to what you want done, and let them go about carrying out those directions," he explains.

EQUIPMENT SETTINGS

Improper deck spacing in the corn head is one of the largest sources of grain loss through butt shelling, Keller said. Yet, it's a problem that can be avoided.

"All combines now have automatic deck openers, but we like to make sure the spacing tends to widen from front to back," he explains. "We don't want any area narrow enough to cause a bottleneck as that stalk moves from front to back. We like to have the back spacing 1/4- to 1/8-inch wider than the front to keep the stalk moving down vertically and not whipping. If stalk rollers can't move the stalk smoothly through the deck openers, you'll get kernels knocked out of the corn on the platform long before it has a chance to be threshed and put in the tank."

Keller said experience has taught him it's best to let corn move corn through the combine. "We run our auger very high compared with some people. We like to have the bottom of the flighting just higher than the diameter of a typical ear of corn. That way, we're not threshing ears with the auger but gently pushing them with other ears."

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GROUNDSPEED AND AUTO-STEER

Both are important in providing a smooth flow of standing corn into the combine, Keller said. He and his crew use GIS (geographic information systems) maps to harvest fields according to how they were planted. "With auto-steer, we can be sure we're lined up squarely on the plant row so our deck opener adjustments will match the rows of corn coming into the machine," he explains.

THRESHER ADJUSTMENTS

These are also critical to reducing grain loss and boosting efficiency. The proper parallel alignment of threshing modules in relationship to the rotor (or rotors) is absolutely essential to tanking the maximum amount of grain, Keller said. He recommends spending some shop time before harvest with the operator's manual and wrenches to ensure setting the proper rotor/module clearance for expected crop and field conditions.

"We find a tendency of too many folks [running] too much rotor clearance, and this will waste grain," Keller said. "You need it tight enough to move the material in one uniform mat. So, tighten up and slow down."

DON'T BE TOO CLEAN

If you're harvesting "clean-enough-to-plant" grain, you're giving up substantial amounts of grain, he said.

REMEMBER THE VANE

To keep things moving through the combine smoothly, don't forget the vane settings on the back of the rotor assembly. "Those control the speed with which material is processed, and if they are not adjusted according to your crop conditions, you'll be reprocessing lots of material and losing efficiency," he said. "If you hear thumping coming from the thresher, a wad of material has jumped the vanes and is telling you to make adjustments."

CHECK FOR LOSSES

What you leave behind can tell you a lot about your harvest efficiency and machine setup. Keller instructs his operators to stop their machines, get out and go back behind the tailboard to clear a 1-foot path corresponding to the width of the header.

"Then, we count kernels per foot," he said. "Remember, when harvesting corn, 1.9 kernels per square foot is equal to roughly a bushel of grain per acre that's getting through the combine."

The patterns of loss also can be clues to what adjustments need to be made. By looking at the location of kernels behind the combine, one can determine if it's a header problem, if grain is overflowing the shoe or if an adjacent combine in the field is throwing excess grain over into one's path.

HOW MUCH LOSS IS TOO MUCH?

That's a question you have to answer yourself based on the amount of crop yield you're experiencing, time constraints and the feasibility of slowing down or making adjustments.

Keller said, in general, he opts for maximum efficiency in retained grain in the tank: "I have to, because I have to provide my customer value [with an efficient harvest]."

WHAT COMPANY EXPERTS SAY

Modern combines feature the latest on-the-go, in-cab adjustments to fine-tune harvesting according to crop and field conditions. Even with that, harvester experts recommend concentrating on the basics to put the most grain in the bin.

"As the season progresses, field conditions change," said Craig Mosher, senior sales and service representative for John Deere Harvester Works. "High moisture corn (above 25%) in the early season will require different settings and configurations than corn which is much drier during the late season."

Efficient engine loading is another way to save inputs and take advantage of your harvester's optimum operating ranges for fuel economy.

"If you have a new large combine, you'll want to run it as close to full capacity as possible to take advantage of the engine's optimum power band. Some folks want to fall back to 50% to save fuel, but it doesn't work that way," Mosher explains.

At Case IH, harvest marketing manager Nathan Weinkauf agrees. "You should strive to run at 90 to 100% engine load for the best fuel economy with today's combines."

His company offers Auto Feed Rate software so the harvest operator can set the machine for engine load, and potential yield, and on-board computers will keep the machine operating within those parameters.

Weinkauf also suggests spending at least a full day before harvest on the following points:

-- When you first go to the field, make sure your operators familiarize themselves with the displays and controls in the combine. They probably haven't seen them since last fall. Make certain all settings are properly dialed in and ready to harvest.

-- Review modules and rotor clearances for whatever crop, yields and conditions you'll likely encounter.

-- Be sure the header is hooked up properly and that all in-cab controls -- electronic and hydraulic -- work as they should.

-- Check tire pressure. Equipment and tires are getting bigger; tire pressures have to come down to reduce compaction.

(AG)

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