straw choppers

[brian99]

I am looking to add a straw chopper/chaff spreader to my 1480 combine for better trash management. The ultimate goal is to be able to no-till under irrigation. Are there units out there that windrow the straw for baling and still spread the chaff or spread both conventionally? What is the best way to drive the system? Would it be best to look just for a chaff spreader and bale any really heavy crops? Any help would be appreciated.

[slinger]

Several chaff spreaders and/or straw choppers have been evaluated by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) station at Humboldt, Saskatchewan, and reports of the test results are available. Summaries of these reports can be viewed at the Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre (AFMRC)'s site on the Web: www.agric.gov.ab.ca/navigation/engineering/afmrc/index.htm Once you are connected to this site, click on 'Evaluation Summaries' on the left of the screen, and a categorized list will appear on the right. Scroll down to the heading

[slinger]

It looks like my last response was cut short, so I will try it again. Several chaff spreaders and/or straw choppers have been evaluated by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Insitute (PAMI) station in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, and reports of the test results are available. Summaries of these reports can be viewed at the Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre (AFMRC)'s site on the Web: www.agric.gov.ab.ca/navigation/engineering/afmrc/index.htm Once you are connected to this site, click on 'Evaluation Summaries' on the left side of the screen, and a categorized list will appear on the right. Scroll down to the heading 'Harvesting Equipment', and click on 'Grain Combines and Attachments'. This will give you a list of all the evaluation reports available in this category. For chaff spreaders and straw choppers, look at reports #436, 437, 438, 655, 656, 657, and 697. If you would like the full report of any of these evaluations, please contact AFMRC at (403) 329-1212, and the reports will be mailed to you. I would also encourage you to contact the PAMI station in Humboldt, where this testing was done. They should be able to provide you with more information relating to the questions you have posted, as well as give recommendations on when to spread the straw and when it would be better to bale it. Their number is (306) 682-5033, or check out their web site at: www.pami.ca/index.htm (Note: all of the full evaluation reports are also available from the PAMI stations) I hope this helps you find the information you are looking for! Darryl Slingerland Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre

[oilcan]

The work done by Pami and others is greatly appreciated. With the costs of equipment in relation to commodity prices it can save farmers thousands of dollars by finding the right piece of equipment to suit their particular farming needs.

[kent]

If you want to bale behind the combine with a straw chopper for the Case/IH combines I suggest you take 20 minutes and just take the blades off of the chopper and you will be able to bale a lot better.