Here are some items to check to get your tractor ready for seeding. Air cleaner Change the filter every spring because both the chemical that the paper is treated with and the paper itself won’t last more than a year. Be careful how you handle it. Don’t slap the sides with your hand or bounce […] Read more
Henry Guenter
Stories by Henry Guenter
Inside scoop on combines – Inside Machines
I am more familiar with three of these brands/designs and might even be a little biased. The design problems that I recognize as weaknesses in older models have often been rectified in the newer models. This is a simple design. One of its selling features was the paddle elevator system in the feeder house instead […] Read more
Combine 101: basic repairs for common problems
Feeding Feeding is an important part of rotor combines. The feeder house throat has to be narrow enough so that the ends of the slats don’t catch the crop. It will carry it all the way around and build up until the feeder chain plugs. The stripper bar should extend right to this edge. Fairing […] Read more
Dupont studies food policy
Feeding is an important part of rotor combines. The feeder house throat has to be narrow enough so that the ends of the slats don’t catch the crop. It will carry it all the way around and build up until the feeder chain plugs. The stripper bar should extend right to this edge. Fairing extensions […] Read more
The right oil can prevent problems – Inside Machines
After harvest, many bulk oil and local machinery dealers start taking orders for next year’s supply of oil. Whether this is to shift inventory into the current year for taxation, to buy at lower prices than we have seen recently, or to ensure the 2010 spring season supply, it can be a good farm strategy. […] Read more
Prepare combine for winter to prevent problems next fall – Inside Machines
Many steps that producers can take when preparing their combine for winter are part of regular maintenance. However, there are also things producers can do that aren’t so ordinary: Change the engine oil when you are finished all your combining except for the last round. Contamination in old oil caused by the byproducts of engine […] Read more
Combining tips for handling tough crops – Inside Machines
There is still a lot of crop out there, and you might be trying to put it through the combine this fall or waiting until it freeze dries in swaths during the winter. Maybe harvest will be done in spring. Whatever the timing, you probably will be putting it through the combine slightly tough, with […] Read more
Setting three-sieve shoes on 850-860 combines takes special care – Inside Machines
The number of questions I have about setting the triple sieve shoe in the older 850 and 860 combines shows that we need to take a look at it. A unique characteristic about this shoe as compared to other shoes is that it has three sieves, and the top one is in two sections. Anything […] Read more
Tractor transmissions: fixing synchros, common problems – Inside Machines
We have come a long way from a straight gear-to-gear shifting system to a transmission that shifts by itself as the load and the speed changes. The original tractor transmission could be shifted only when you stopped. The gears would mesh with each other only when they were both running at the same speed or […] Read more
Figuring out what makes an engine tick – Inside Machines
Have you ever looked at the various parts on a tractor or combine and asked, “just how does it work?” I will attempt to answer those questions in a series of articles because the more we understand how things function, the better off we’ll be at maintaining them or fixing them. Let’s talk about the […] Read more
