Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

I almost made my first round with my R52 Gleaner, but didn't quite make it.
It started out well, ran a moisture test from the front headland at under 14%. Then I started adjusting the concave to get a better sample. Stopping every 100 ft to check to see how much grain I was throwing over. Opened up the fan damper, tightened up the concave again, adjusted the sieve. Still a bit of chaff and heads in the bin, but Beacher Wheat is hard to harvest. Now starting to put some material through this machine, running about 3.8MPH, rebuilt header feeding well. Starting to fiddle with the monitors to learn how they work.
Then all of a sudden the auger in the header is at a standstill. The drive chain has come off the sproket.

There is always cause and effect, I was a bit rash in thinking the chain was the cause, no such luck. It was the effect.
In rebuilding the header, i missed replacing a single washer over a simple eyelette that adjusts the auger position. As a result the eyelet opened up, the auger moved back and was jamming into the stripper bar. No big damage, but not something that gets fixed by putting the chain back on.
I flipped through the manual a few times before I realized what was the source of my angst. Drive to the front of the field and unload, I have some repair work to do.

Started to unload, then had to shut off the unloader to position myself a bit further from the wagon. This R52 is a lot bigger than my old MF540 and its going to take a few rounds to get used to the length of this unload auger. But it wouldn't start again. Damn electronics! Now I am tracing the wiring diagrams, why won't this auger engage?
Drive to the yard. Now I have more to fix.

First I need this auger emptied, and I don't want to drain it through the clean out, there must be 100 bushels in the bin. All the wires look good, but the clutch will not engage. Problem is, with the grain loaded auger the metal dog that goes in front of the sensor for detedting the auger position, has moved just far enough the sensor is not made. Sollution, place a piece of metal over the sensor and everything works. Of course it took and hour and a half to figure this out.

Now I can move my attention to the plugged header. I love my Gleaner. Within 20 min all the damaged parts are off, and repaired. 20 more minutes back on and modified to prevent such a future failure (needed washer now installed). The reverser works! Hard to justify calling it a plug when it is so easy to undo. BUT the little metal cover at the center to access the fingers has gone missing. That would have plugged up my old combine, i didn't ever hear it go through this one. Back out to the field to run this straw through and see if the other repairs are good. The auger slips as I pull in to the field, lilekly need to re-adjust the slip clutch.  That ends my night.  It was getting dark, my combine needs work, and I am getting a bit tired, nothing good will come of doing any more.

Thanks to a 1/2" rain today, well timed for the tassling corn, I can take my time to make the needed replacement and repairs tonight.

 

So the wheat harvest is at a stop, the field barely touched.   But that's ok the rain is very needed.  So far today, more rain than all of June.  But surprisingly, the crops have been hanging on and are lookig good despite the drought.  I credit fall plowing.

Head high by the 4th of July!  Just need rain to take advantage of a good start.

Views: 617

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by OntAG Admin on July 5, 2012 at 10:48am

Thanks Gus,

Let us know how the wheat runs...glad you got some rain.

Take care.

Comment by Mitch Lang on July 4, 2012 at 2:53am

Your corn looks nice Gus... Must be that fertilizer you used... :)

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Trump dumps tariff on Brazil’s beef

United States President Donald Trump has ended his 40 per cent tariff on beef from Brazil. Still a tariff of 26.4 per cent remains. He also eased tariffs on Brazil’s coffee, tea, cocoa, nuts and some fruits and juices. His tariff changes come after continued rising grocery prices that have defied his election promises to reduce food prices on day one of his presidency. Brazil sold US $1.5 billion worth of beef to the U.S. over the first eight months of this year. Trump imposed the 40 per cent additional tariff against former president Jair Bolsonaro who is now serving a 27-year sentence in prison. He was thrown out by a coup. On another front in the Trump offensive against record-high beef prices, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater said the Department of Justice is launching antitrust enforcement on the beef industry, feed, fertilizer, seed, fuel and farm equipment.

Producer egg prices increase

Egg producers are getting 9.9 cents more per dozen because the national agency has reduced levies. The decrease is due to a number of changes in levies for different purposes. It has just received approval from the National Products Council. The national agency is also increasing production because the cost of imports from the United States has risen, costing the agency about $200 million so far this year. The imports were necessary to meet Canadian demand, which the agency is obligated to fill. The production increases are balanced by a temporary increase last year when U.S. egg prices soared after millions of birds were euthanized to prevent the spread of highly-pathogenic avian influenza. The national agency has also lowered the price of eggs dedicated for industrial processing by 25 cents per dozen to $1.21. The result of the changes is an Ontario egg levy of 44.55 cents per dozen.

Ontario Celebrates Agricultural Excellence with 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Awards

The Government of Ontario is proud to recognize 12 winners and 7 honourable mentions of the 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Awards. Presented across 10 categories, these awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations that are strengthening Ontario’s $51 billion agri-food sector. “I’m proud to recognize the winners and honourable mentions of the 2025 Excellence in Agriculture Awards for their hard work and commitment to building a stronger, more competitive agri-food sector,” said Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “Their contributions drive the success of our sector and pave the way for the next generation, ensuring Ontario agriculture continues to thrive.” The 2025 Minister’s Award recipient is Growing Chefs! Ontario, located in Middlesex County. Growing Chefs! Ontario is a registered charity that is advancing food literacy by connecting chefs, growers, educators and community members through hands-on food education projects

Nutrien selects U.S. port to build new potash export terminal

Nutrien’s decision to build a potash export terminal in the U.S. instead of one closer to home in B.C. isn’t surprising, a University of Saskatchewan professor says. The Saskatchewan-based potash giant announced last week that it plans to build a new terminal at the Port of Longview, WA to handle expected growth in international demand for its fertilizer products. Canada's onerous regulations are likely why Nutrien chose to build the terminal in the U.S., said Stuart Smyth, a professor with the U of S Agricultural and Resource Economics department. “To put a billion-dollar investment in place is going to require rail capacity improvements, and by the sounds of what Nutrient is saying, things are easier to get done in the United States than they are in Canada,” Smyth said last week in an interview with CBC's The 306 guest host Theresa Kliem. Smyth said the new terminal is part of Nutrien’s plan to expand into India, China and other international markets. Saskatchewan-based Nutrien

UI Extension surveying Eastern Idaho farmers to improve succession planning workshops

University of Idaho Extension is recruiting Eastern Idaho farmers to take an online survey that will guide the format, content, frequency and locations of future succession planning workshops. UI Extension has hosted these workshops for several years to help farmers begin what is often a difficult discussion with family about how to best pass their assets to the next generation. The survey, which will remain open through the end of the year, includes 15 questions seeking feedback to make succession planning as relevant as possible for participants. It also asks producers to share hurdles that have slowed or stopped their own planning efforts. The average age of an Idaho farmer is 56.6 years old, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture — a reminder that many producers are nearing a point where they need to make key decisions about the future of their operations. “The goal of the ranch succession workshops is not for them to walk out with a finalized plan but to know how to start

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service