Stripper FAQ's
- How does it work?
- What crops can you harvest?
- How fast do you run the rotor?
- How do you change the rotor speed?
- How does the combine thresh properly if it is not full?
- Does a stripper header work in lodged or hailed crops?
- How does the header work in weeds?
- How high of a moisture can you harvest in?
- What do people do with the straw afterwards?
- How do you know how high you are off of the ground?
- What keeps the rotor from hitting the ground?
- What position do you run the crop deflector in?
- How long do the fingers last?
- What are the fingers made of?
- Why is there a cup at the end of the finger?
- How does the combine feederhouse cope with just grain?
- How does it work in rocks?
- How fast can you go?
- Can you plug the header up?
- Does it create a vacuum?
- Will the header fit any combine?
- Is there more loss than a conventional header?
- Does the stripper header damage the grain?
- If the header is leaving grain on the head?
- If the header is tearing the complete head off?
- If there is excessive header loss?
- If the auger is plugging?
- The combine is not feeding smoothly?
- If lower heads are being missed?
- What if grain can be see shooting out from underneath the front of the crop deflector?
How does it work?
The rearwards rotating rotor mounted in the front of the header combs through the crop feeding the heads back into the keyhole area where the grain is stripped from the head and thrown backwards into the header. The straw remains standing and only the grain goes the combine.
What crops can you harvest?
The most common crops harvested with a stripper header are, wheat, oats, barley, rice and grass seed however Shelbourne headers are also used for flax, canary seed, rye and wild flowers in different applications around the world.
How fast do you run the rotor?
You adjust the stripping rotor speed according to the threshability of the crop, the tougher the condition the more rpm that will be needed. Typically a speed of 600 rpm is used in wheat and 450 rpm in rice.
How do you change the rotor speed?
The CVS and RVS ranges of headers are equipped with a variable speed belt drive system enabling the operator to adjust the rotor speed using a cab mounted switch.
How does the combine thresh properly if it is not full?
85% of the grain is threshed in the header, it will be necessary to set the combine a little differently in order to attain the normal 50 to 100% capacity increase associated with a Shelbourne header.
Does a stripper header work in lodged or hailed crops?
The rearwards rotation of the rotor very successfully harvests crops lying on the ground.
How does the header work in weeds?
The stripping fingers strip a little of the leaf material but leave behind virtually all of the stem so that the harvesting operation is not slowed down and there is enough of the weed left in the field to enable a post harvest herbicide application to succeed.
How high of a moisture can you harvest in?
It is not uncommon to harvest wheat at upto 35% moisture.
What do people do with the straw afterwards?
Stripped straw is ideal for no-tilling into. Disposal methods range from discing to shredding.
How do you know how high you are off of the ground?
You adjust the height of the crop deflector according to the height of the crop and then lower the whole header so that the crop gently brushes underneath the crop deflector.
What keeps the rotor from hitting the ground?
Before going to the field the skids are adjusted to give about 4" of ground clearance underneath the rotor.
What position do you run the crop deflector in?
The indicator rod should be in the green position in tall crops, the blue position in shorter crops and the red position in lodged crops.
How long do the fingers last?
This varies with conditions, stainless steel fingers on a CVS32 in wheat would be expected to last around 8000 acres and stainless steel fingers on an RVS24 in rice would be expected to last around 4000 acres.
What are the fingers made of?
The "Seed Saver" fingers are made from a very high grade of spring stainless steel.
Why is there a cup at the end of the finger?
In rice the cup faces downwards for wear resistance and gentler stripping, in wheat the cup faces upwards for more aggressive stripping.
How does the combine feederhouse cope with just grain?
There is enough foreign material such as leaf and straw to enable it to feed up into the combine.
How does it work in rocks?
The rearwards rotation of the rotor tends to kick rocks out in front rather than picking them up.
How fast can you go?
Groundspeed can usually be increased by 30% to 100% resulting in ground speeds of upto 7.5 mph in wheat and 5 mph in rice.
Can you plug the header up?
The auger is fitted with a slip clutch, this can slip if an excessive amount of straw is picked up at too high a ground speed.
Does it create a vacuum?
Not really, the stripper head works by a rotary mechanical action rather than air flow.
Will the header fit any combine?
A full line of adaptor plates are available from Shelbourne Reynolds for all modern combines.
Is there more loss than a conventional header?
In lodged or hailed crops there is less loss than a conventional header. In standing crops the loss is the same. The worst case scenario is over ripe soft wheat.
Does the stripper header damage the grain?
No, the rotary action of the header is very gentle on the grain making the Shelbourne header popular with seed growers. The fact that most of the threshing is done in the header means that the threshing system of the combine can be slowed down to avoid grain damage.
If the header is leaving grain on the head?
Speed up the stripping rotor also check fingers for wear.
If the header is tearing the complete head off?
Slow down the stripping rotor.
If there is excessive header loss?
Slow the rotor speed and increase ground speed.
If the auger is plugging?
Check there is at least 3/4" clearance under and behind the auger.
The combine is not feeding smoothly?
See if the adaptor plate can be adjusted to reduce the dead area between the feeder chain and auger.
If lower heads are being missed?
Lower the header and raise the crop deflector.
What if grain can be see shooting out from underneath the front of the crop deflector?
Lower the Header and/or the crop deflector.