I would remove the stationary knives, drop the pan away from
the chopper, remove the straw spreaders, and move the chopper
belt to slow speed.
 
Erik,I'm not a I.H. rotary expert but have yet to see one that put out good straw for baling even without a chopper.In tougher straw it may be possible but in the extremely dry straw we have had the past two years they chew it up something awful.I am sure some of the RED guys will correct me on this but this is just my opinion based on real world conditions here in central GA.
 
Wouldn't that be addressed in the operator manual? I do know that straw out of a rotary is often harder to bale than what comes out of a conventional. On a conventional M2 Gleaner, I just disconnect the drive belt and slide the chopper forward after removing 2-4 bolts. On an F2, I remove two bolts, let the chopper drop, and push it beyond vertical, and I hold it in place with a HM angle iron......straw drops to the ground.
 
We always hired the neighbor to harvest with a green machine with straw walkers if we wanted to leave straw. If you don't want to pay him, trade some harvesting with him acre for acre or barter with some baling or a share of the straw crop. If not an option, follow the tips the other posters suggested.

I can add this. There are directional vanes inside the rotor cage on top. Turn them to the rear position to move the crop through as quick as possible to minimize break up of the straw. You may want to slow the rotor and drop the concave to the point of not threshing all the grain also to minimize break up of the straw.

Harvest when the straw is tough. You may still find the straw difficult to bale as the straw length will be severly shortened. In order to pick it up with the baler, you may have to do all the baling at night with as much dew as possible just to get it to feed and roll a decent bale.
 
I have baled straw combined by a CaseIH with a JD 385 but it's not fun. It's really short and starting the bales is a pain, plus you need lots of string or net wrap. Your new baler will work if anything does. I drove very slowly until the bale started to roll in the chamber. The BTO whose straw I was baling switched from CIH to JD combines just for the straw. The bales blow up if you handle them rough and they don't roll out nicely for bedding. Have fun!
 
All that below will help.
If you need a lot of really good bedding straw, use a stripper head to harvest the wheat then swath and bale the totally unmolested straw.
We have done this for years and really like the full length straw that stays fluffy and dry for cattle bedding.
 
If you want straw to bale leave the IH in the barn and get someone with a walker machine to cut the wheat. Around hear even the landscape guys dont want any straw out of a rotary combine bailed up to use, Its just to wadded and twisted and chewed up to use for anything. That is the big draw back to a rotary combine you just dont get a good quality straw to bale. If you use the IH to cut with you will wish you still had your old Massey when you start bailing. Bandit
 
Everything that Banditfarmer said.

If you want straw find someone to do it with a walker machine.

I buy some small squares of straw from my neighbor each year for bedding. He uses his 1460 IH, slows things down, combines when it's tough, etc. to get straw long enough to bale... and still is lucky to get 1/3 the bales as he would with a walker. The last time he baled some for me (from behind a 9500 JD)he was amazed at the volume of straw.
 
Put the chopper up to the highest setting outof the knives and take your spreaders off and sometimes you have to drop the pan at the back by the spreaders and you have to slow your ground speed down a little or your tailings level gets to high. I think its called the shaker pan.You mite have to slow your rotor down a little less than what the factory settings are and open the concaves a little to not chew the straw as bad. a lot of people like the long straw from a walker machine and dont like the short straw from a rotory one but its really a matter of opinion. Square baled a lot of straw behind are red machines with no problems and no complaints from straw buyers.
 
A gentleman in England told me that the IH rotary combine was "bloody useless" if you wanted to bale the straw afterwards. The gentleman in question worked for IH in Doncaster!
 
Thanks, Eric and Nick that is what I was looking for. I've heard it both ways, I plan to square bale about 40 acres of straw. I do not want to hire it cut.
 
Just a note Erik, but regardless of what Eric and Nick said, you will still have very poor quality straw that will not make much of a bale, and will come apart very easily. Very poor for bedding, but will already have a good start if you just want to grind it and mix it with hay. Just a thought, but if you still had the old MF combine, you could possibly make a few rounds with that? I have an old 95 JD that I use to cut the wheat I am planning on using for straw. The IH will work, but you won't be very happy with the results. If it is all you have though, it will be far better than nothing. Bob
 
I dont blame you for not wanting to hire it done when you have a machine already. Theres no doubt a walker machine is more suitable for straw but like I said Ive square bailed a lot of acres behind a red combine and even are green rotaries we have now. Man 40 acres of straw. If your square bailin sure hope you got a lot of help. Thats why we quit bailin as much straw was couldnt get help. Kids just dont wana work that hard anymore I guess. Seems like I mita forgot somthing on your combine settings but I think between what I had and Erik had that should just about cover everything.
 

Yes, have a feed store that sells as much as they can get locally. They say the landscapers like straw out of a rotary. Btw this is a wire tire baler, I think the bales will hold together alright. I don't have a lot of help, just my wife, a hired man and a pop up bale loader. Work never hurt me yet. :wink:
 
Something to keep in mind... and, please, this isn't meant to be red vs green. But you will get less straw from the rotary. The rotor turns a lot mor material to dust and fines that won't pick up with the windrow. This can be good, it keeps more of the fertility in the field. Keep in mind straw contains quite a bit of P and K.

But here's the deal. I mentioned my neighbor and how I buy some bales of rotary straw from him, as well as he does some custom baling for me (combined with walker). More often than not, yield is 3x to 4x the number of little bales per acre from the walker. Same guy baling, similar wheat, different combine. There may be a little more straw in the rotary bales by weight, but they are very similar. He loves his rotary, but is always amazed at the pile that comes out of the walker.

It is very concievable that if you are selling by the bale, the extra bales will more than pay for having someone harvest for you. No kidding- you will most likely have extra money left over... or in my neighborhood with straw going for $2-$3 a bale before the drought you would.

Good luck- I'm gonna put on my welding jacket now so I can stand the heat...
 
Sounds like you got a good thing goin there. I bale with an old IH wire bailer my self. It looks ruff but I wouldnt trade that thing for a new one.Holds the bails together real nice and dont have to worry bout the strings rotten or getting chewed up by mice. We sold to a lot of landscapers and a company that seeds along new road ways and sidewalks. As long as it went threw the straw blowers or covered there grass seed they didnt care what color combine it was or if it ws short or long and most people in town strawing there yards or bedding for there dogs dont know the difference or could really care less. Best of luck.Id offer my help and would love to help but kansas is a little far away for me to drive.
 
Anybody that says an Axial Flow will chew the straw doesn't know how to set the machine. If you run the concave and rotor speed correctly for the conditions and the wheat is dry it will leave straw just as long as a walker machine but it will be crimped a bit. Still will bale just fine and make heavier bales. Start with the concave on the hard thresh or 2 setting and the rotor speed at 1000 rpms and adjust until the sample and loss is where you want it. The chopper pan down, stationary knife out and on the slow speed. I leave my lower spreader on and remove all the rubber bats and leave only 2 of the angle irons to spread the chaff a bit and not windrow it as bad. Have done it for years and I actually like the rotor straw better for bedding as it comes apart easier and have had no complaints from the folks I sell straw to.
 

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