BRANDON – It’s often said that some of the most innovative implement improvements come from farmers. That might be the situation with the Harvest Pro-Tech plastic combine cover from Michel’s Industries.
Brad Michel’s family farms 4,500 acres at St. Gregor, Sask. He explained how his family came up with the idea for an electric combine cover based on two plastic half-moons.
“We farm and we also run our tarp cover business. Well, we had just bought a new CR960 about five years ago. All the new combines have the extensions on the tank now.
Read Also
VIDEO: Green Lightning and Nytro Ag win sustainability innovation award
Nytro Ag Corp and Green Lightning recieved an innovation award at Ag in Motion 2025 for the Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.
“We thought we could build a nice dome tank cover with a metal frame covered with a fitted tarp. After all, that’s the business we’re in. Tarps.
“That was our first design, but we didn’t like it. We wanted something that was as user friendly as possible, and the frame with a tarp just didn’t do it for us.”
Michel said they wanted a design that was better than what was available.
“That’s when we started toying around with the idea of high density plastics. It took a lot of R and D, but I think we got it right. The way we have the dome shaped, you can fill the tank to maximum capacity. You don’t lose a bushel.”
The cover design looks like a flying saucer cut in half. The two halves are made of a lightweight, rigid plastic. They are clamped to the hopper with a knob and latch mechanism, so the assembly can be removed in 10 minutes if the combine is too tall to fit into a shed.
The entire cover can be stashed out of the way inside the hopper. To save weight, most of the components are made of aluminum. No drilling is required to mount the kit.
The open section in the centre is covered quickly by 19 ounce PVC tarp that’s rolled and unrolled with a 12-volt electric motor. The rocker switch is located outside the door of the cab. Michel said when the tarp is on, the hopper becomes totally weatherproof.
“With farmland getting to be further and further from the main yard, it’s not always feasible to drive the combines home every night. With a cover like this, you can close it up tight and not have to worry.”
The Michel’s Harvest Pro-Tech electric combine cover sells for $3,090. It is available directly from Michel’s or from most implement dealers that sell new combines. They have sold about 200 units to date.
For more information, contact Brad Michel at 306-366-2184 or visit www.michels.ca.
