Some Elements of an Ideal Combine 



The ideal combine for harvesting grass and small legume seed is small 

 and is pulled by a tractor. It has a tined reel that is ground driven. 



Header controls are sensitive and are capable of lifting the platform 

 and cutterbar high enough to clear obstacles, especially when terraces have 

 to be crossed. The header is not so steeply angled that it contributes to 

 or aggravates feeding problems. 



The cylinder is fitted with angled bars covered with rubber. The 

 concaves also are covered with rubber. Cylinder adjustments (rate of 

 rotation and clearance between bars and concaves) can be accurately and 

 conveniently made. Some means are provided to cover the grates if high 

 losses from this source are encountered. 



Cleaning air through the chaffer and sieve is controlled by saw -toothed 

 vanes. The amount and quality of material carried by the tailings elevator 

 can be quickly and easily checked at any tinne. 



Combining Representative Crops 

 Crimson clover 



Maximum cylinder speed is necessary when threshing crimson clover 

 and other hard -to -thresh crops. Speeds between 5,000 and 6,180 feet per 

 minute are practical and the gain in threshed seed more than offsets 

 damaged-seed losses as cylinder speed is increased. But the higher 

 cylinder speeds needed in the Southeast may damage seed excessively 

 under very dry conditions in the West. Cylinder spacing is not critical. 

 In tests changing the spacing from 1/4 inch to 1/16 inch damaged only 

 about 1 percent more seed, and increased unthreshed seed loss only about 

 4 percent. The maximum number of concaves should always be used. 



Grates should be closed. The use of clip-in strips for this purpose 

 in tests saved about 10 percent more seed. 



High cleaning losses occurred only in those machines that did not 

 use an endless canvas to carry material from the cylinder to the chaffer. 

 Sieves generally recommended for clover are definitely too small. Larger 

 (lespedeza) sieves should be used. 



A ground speed of about 1.5 miles per hour appears to be the most 

 practical under most conditions in the Southeast. In the West, where seed- 

 crop growth is apt to be dense, ground speeds as low as 3/4 miles per 

 hour are practical. 



Fescue 



Threshing and cleaning losses are usually low in fescue and .similar 

 crops. Aggressive cylinder action is not necessary. Chaff should be 

 carefully examined from time to time as harvesting progresses. The 

 many glumes in the chaff (which do not contain seed) sometimes give a 

 false impression that seed are being blown out and may induce the operator 



