High-capacity combines are finding a fit in edible bean fields as growers look to cover more soy, corn, wheat and edible acres with fewer machines, and also take advantage of their gentler grain handling capabilities.
On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Edible Bean School, host Bernard Tobin rides along with Fred Van Osch of Van Osch Farms in a John Deere X9 combine as he roles through a field of white beans in Ontario’s Huron County. Tobin then pays a visit with Huron Tractor’s Turner Sanford to talk combine specs and how the high-capacity harvesters handle edibles.
Sanford says a key to success for the X9 in edibles is its ability to handle up to a 50-foot hinged draper header that can cut the crop more consistently and help get it in the combine while minimizing losses. He adds that downforce can be applied to either wing of the draper to help follow field contours and challenging terrain.
When it comes to capacity, Sanford notes that the X9’s two rotors combine to increase threshing capacity by 45 per cent and the separating area is increased by 80 per cent. “That’s going to allow us to provide the best sample possible to minimize that material other than grain, as well as minimize any loss.”
In the video, Sanford also discusses how step pans are used to shovel beans on to the shoe, rather than augers, to minimize auger contact with fragile edibles. He notes that residue spread pattern is optimized for growers wishing to follow the combine with a seed drill for timely winter wheat planting. A cross auger shut-off also helps reduce crop damage when uploading the combine. Watch the video below.
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