Powerwashing a Combine (JD 6620)

Reid1650

Member
I have a JD 6620 I am getting ready to put up for the winter and want to get all the dust and dirt off, possibly wax it and put it away for the winter. This will be my first time doing something of this sort. How do you do it and where do you start? How long should I run the whole machine when I am done? I also want to give my JD 567 roll baler a good bath as well before it is put up because it needs a good wax. Thanks guys
 
I use air,not water.Open all access/cleanouts and run for a couple minutes.Pay close attn to the front under the cylinder.Leave the elevator bottoms open all winter.
 
air is good, when I worked for Case we were told there is not a problem with washing a combine just don't directly wash the bearings, as always a little common sense goes a long way!
 
I always blow mine off with air first. Open all the trap doors and leave them off or un done. I power wash the whole thing minus internal thrashing componets. I only use air there and keep away from all the bearings and grease it and oil all changes after it dries from washing. My self I have found it easier to wash from top down and start on the inside and wash the outside metal top to bottom last. At the end of harvest I run it till nuthings coming in the grain tank and dont see any dust from the back or chaff coming out the back. usually a minute or so. I really dont like letting all the augers sitting there running empty for anylonger than needed. Just what works for me.
 
It was below zero last nite, so hard to talk about power washing this time of year 'here'.... ;)

I like to blow off the combine with air, don't like to force water into it and then park it away damp. It typically is below freezing more than not by the time we get done with corn.

I have power washed it after oats harvest, in early fall. Or closer to early to mid soybean harvest. Actually I wash it the evening before I'm done, let it dry over nite, use it to finish up the next day so all the gunk gets worked out/ dried out, then blow it off to pack it away. In the heat of early fall that works well 'here'. The air gets alot of the fresh dust off.

Like the others, I don't like to make it soaking wet and pack it away that way.

--->Paul
 
what we did was blow the underside out in the fall and then wash/wax the sheet metal before starting wheat harvest in the summertime. if you wax the sheet metal the dust doesn't stick to the machine as bad, but don't powerwash the mechanical stuff air only.
 
I won't use pressure washer on my combine. Just too many places for water to get in and never dry out. I spend several hours each fall with the high pressure air gun cleaning off every trace of grain , dust and dirt.
A good long air wand, made from about 4 feet of brake line or hydraulic tubing allows me to stand out of the dust cloud and blow all the dust and grain off. But having said that, I don't believe it is possible to clean every trace of dust off a combine unless you completely disassemble it. Thats why I avoid using water on it.
 
Blow off and clean everything out first as good as possible with air. We like to wash off ours every couple years with garden hose and soap and wax it in the spring. Run it awhile and grease it. You will be fine! Dont use the pressure washer. Slip plate or diesel fuel on the shiny parts will protect it before washing. I dont like rust.
 
if you really think you need to power wash it wait until a warm day (next year presumably) and like others have said be careful around bearings and such. after you get it clean a leaf blower or compressed air should work thereafter


-paul
 
I NEVER wash a combine in the fall. I rent a BIG portable air compressor and blow it all off. Then in the spring I wash it off and wax it. Even then I really only wash the sheet metal. I do not want any water around any of the moving parts.

Plus I have seen too many washed in the fall and parked in a shed until the next fall. The hydro/shifter cables would be rusted solid and the hydraulic spool valves would stick.
 
This is what I do on my case Ih combines and I've never had any problems with rust, bearings or mice. Take off every shield possible. Blow off thoroughly. Flush everything out with a garden hose, including the insides, until no more grain comes out. I park the combine on a slope so all water runs out of clean grain auger and then turn it around so all water comes out bottom of unloading auger. Then pressure wash everything. Let it dry off and look for spots I missed. Pressure wash some more. Flush and rinse with garden hose again. Hand wash sheet metal. Meticulously clean cab. Wax. Spray all insides with diesel fuel and oil. Lube all chains and grease everything and then engage separator and run it for 15 minutes. Then i make a list of everything i need to repair before i forget. This makes it so much better when working on it in off season and if there's no grain or dirt you won't have any problems with mice. It takes me 3 hard days to get mine ready to park. I don't know about the JDs, but Case IH designed their machines to where you can thoroughly clean out the insides with water and not leave wet material trapped
 
I use a leaf blower to clean my combine. Really works good, doesn't take long and no moisture problems. Works better than a compressor, unless you have a really big one. Then put moth balls in every area where you might have a mouse problem.
 

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