While in Boone, Iowa, for the Farm Progress Show, RealAgriculture’s Kelvin Heppner had a chance to check in with Ben Dillon, president of Tribine Industries, about where things are at with his new twist on the combine.
In this interview, Dillon talks about his vision for a new generation of harvesters. “What we’ve been doing for the last three seasons is as much testing as we possibly can do. The Tribine as you know, is new from the ground up. The first really new combine architecture since the 1940s.”(story continues below)
Dillon says they continue to make changes. “We’ve learned that we need to move the beater and the rock trap from the centre of the feeder up to the traditional position at the top of the feeder house,” he says. “We have made improvements in the chafer and the shoe for grain separation. Dramatic improvements there.”
The most significant change may be what drives the rotor. “We have our own rotor gearbox. It’s a two-speed gearbox with a hydraulic reverser on it so we’re able to reverse the rotor as well as start the rotor at engine idle,” Dillon explains how the very large (38 in) cylinder can be started at engine idle without stalling the engine. “Having our own gearbox now, which was developed specifically for the Tribine, the hydraulic motor starts the rotor and then the engine picks up.”
Dillon says they have lots of interest, but they are not going to come to the market too fast. “We have to be very careful, and reduce the temptation to outsell our ability to support the machine.” “This year we expect to put two or three Tribines in the field with farmers who will own them.”
RealAgriculture has talked to Ben Dillon about his desire to build the perfect combine before, see that here.
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