combine safety

If you read this post on the red power forum, I am trying to let others learn from my mistakes. Yesterday I clogged the rotor on my 1440 combine, didn't turn off the engine as the manual says to and I had a 4 ft. pipe on the wrench to unclog it and for some reason the separator engaged and I had an over night hospital stay and am now recovering from 3 skull fractures, a concussion, a black eye, and several bruises and skinned places. The Dr. told me I am lucky to still be here and I may have a 4 to 6 week recovery. Folks learn from my mistake. A chocked combine ain't worth gettin' killed over. Turn off the engine. I have had combines for almost 40 years and have never had a separator engage its self.

Glad you will mend!

We take those chances when the baler plugs or the auger is running. I always think about others who have gotten injured, but I know I've put myself in that spot many times.

It sounds nasty. I've done the same thing you did with the engine running only the separator never engaged. I wish you well with the healing process. Jim

It"s been decades since I unplugged a running machine. Got my finger nicked twice in one day on an AC field chopper when I was 20 years old.

Taught my 3 boys to shut off the pto!....said if I EVER see you out of that cab with the machine running, you are on pitchforks and scoop shovels until you leave home. Their butts knew my sense of discipline, and they left home with all digits intact. One did get into a bin to dislodge grain while grinding feed, but not again after I found out.

One night, on the far end of a half-mile long field, I did give myself a black eye by using a BFH to hit a broken reset on a White 6-18 plow, to finish the round, rather than driving home empty.

Regarding auto-startup....I had a 2470 Case 4WD for years, used it for chopping haylage and corn silage. Always shut off the pto when the chopper plugged. Yes, it takes longer to unplug by hand. Then I found out that the hyd activated pto on the 70 series had an issue with auto-startup when shut off. Picture this....you"re chopping, engine is normal op temp...machine plugs, you should not shut off a hot engine....let it cool for several minutes. How many people do that? Gehl chopper did have a disconnect in the driveline that ran the head. But if the cutterhead was clogged, then what? No disconnect for that. Time to get the thermos, pour a cup of java.....let it cool. I"ve seen too many "professional corn pickers"....guys with one arm. Had one for a landlord in the 80s who lost his in the 50s, WWII Veteran....amazing what he could do- milked cows until the 80s.