News

Harvest losses start at the header

nh-smith

An equipment specialist says maintaining the proper speed during harvest can add extra bushels in the bin.

PJ Smith with MacDon Industries product support tells Brownfield the most common mistake during harvest is combine speed, “Your header is limited to a certain amount of speed. If you go too fast, you’re going to run over your beans, you’re going to cause yourself more damage and more loss.”

He says farmers can gain one to two bushels per acre by slowing down just a half mile per hour during harvest, “Everything starts at the cutter bar. It doesn’t matter what color machine you have behind the header. If your cutter bar is not maintained properly, you’re going to cause shatter loss, poor cut quality, and all those things you need to be looking at during the season.”

And he says farmers should look for combine heads that require minimal maintenance which can translate into less downtime in the field.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!