CIH 1660 - observations of the novice

Hitched up my britches today and went out and climbed in the cab. Now obviously I have driven this thing more this year than I am likely to drive it in the next couple of years BUT the two previous times I went to start it...it wouldn't. So prepared myself to be annoyed and jump start it if necessary. This was the first time I have had a chance to start it since I drove it home earlier this month. Surprised to say...it fired right up.

So the big moment. Most would think it foolish to buy a combine without ever having heard it run and without operating the feeder and rotor...but I did that. My opinion was that I know the auctioneer and I have a business relationship with the seller and talked to both. That was reason one. Second reason was I need a combine soon and they weren't dropping out of the sky in any great numbers. Third reason...not likely I would know if it was running right or not. So today is the first time I flipped the big toggle switches to operate the rotor and feeder. They don't just flip...you gotta lift em and flip em. So at low RPM's I turned on the rotor and up she came. Pretty darn quiet for all the moving parts! Flipped on the feeder...same deal except it is a little louder. Got down and walked around it and watched all the parts moving. Everything like in the book. Feeder is loud when you stand in front of it...not a place I like to stand. So I ran the RPM's up and from all I can see it runs smoothly and as specified. Doesn't mean there isn't a bearing or something getting ready to go but overall...pretty nice. No smoke, smells, odd noises. Seems OK.

Just think of all the fun you could be havin if you had 50 acres of wheat!! Combines are fun to operate when everything works. You'd think you were in tall cotton!!

Dave, please don't take this wrong, but please be very careful walking around a combine with thresher and feeder house running, I am sure several of us can share very sad stories of very good farmers that didn't get that second chance, we have all done what you did today but the risk is very high. I share this not to insinuate your not safe but as a caring farmer we all need to remind each other that we are in one of the most dangerous industries and we need to support each other, so be extra careful around that machine.

While you've got every thing engaged, turn the feeder off, put the rotor in high gear and adjust the speed up to 900-1000 RPM. This lets you know if the electric motor that adjusts the rotor is working and if the rotor is out of balance. There should be no noticible increase in vibration as the rotor speeds up. There will always be some because of all the parts turning and moving back and forth at high speeds. Also see how high the fan speed will go. It should get close to 1100 RPM. If it's close to 1000 or less either the stop nuts need to be adjusted or the fan throw out bearing needs to be replaced. That bearing usually needs to be replaced once a year anyways

I'm looking forward to it. I have some corn this year. I hate to sound like a dumb kid but this is one of the coolest things I have dragged home. I don't know if it is going to run at 100% but it is pretty obvious it is going to run.

Anytime you want to remind me about safety, especially in an area where I am an obvious and admitted amateur...feel free, and thank you! We all need to look out for each other. I have lost track of how many times I have told newbies to hay to be careful when hand raising that old sickle bar mower and not put fingers between the guards lest gravity drop the knife and...

In this case I can put your mind to rest. The only time I actually touched the machine was to climb up the ladder and adjust the speed or shut it down. Other than that is was just a walk around and make sure it was all working. It had to be done once and now that it is, I am not eager to do it again. I have a feel for what it sounds like inside and out and I have made sure there is no bearings squealing or smoke/sparks. Good enough for me.

I will do that. Now that I know how to turn it on and off should be easy enough. I will have to get the manual out and check on a few things. I worked the digital tach today. It read 0 mph on the speedo (accurate, I was not moving) and I ran thru the 3 other function also. I will do it again as you suggest and see how that goes.

Such is the way we learn! Thanks again!

You need to get one of those infrared temp guages and set the combine in motion for 20 minutes or so. Shine it on all of the bearings you can see and determine if any are on the way out. Crawl all over that things and grease everything you see. There are four million zerks on a good combine and it won't hurt to do it a few months before you use it. Every time I grease a machine I find a zerk that I am possitive I missed at least the last two times because I forgot it existed.

Make sure the rotor is stopped before you pull the lever to switch it to the high side. Also it would be good idea to speed up and slow down the cleaning fan to make sure it's working correctly and that the belt, bearings and adjustment on it are good. It uses a little winshield washer motor to adjust might want to check the little gears for any debris built up in/around it and blow it out with air, that can cause the fan to act up as well.

Brad

Not a bad idea on the temp gauge...I could use it on the hay in a year like this too. When you sneak your bales out of the field with only three dry days to spare you worry about ground moisture wicking up into the bales.

As for the grease? That is like religion with me. I learned the hard way once and now I have a lot of grease guns and one always close by. I'll get em all!

Next time I get a free day...and that is looking like maybe Wednesday...I am going to do what Matt suggested below, including checking out the fan. That rotor control between high and low is a rocker switch, isn't it? I can't remember and the book is not on the desk here. I have to shut her down fully and then switch it? I don't remember the manual addressing this. Good thing you did cause I would of assumed it was "on the fly".

No, there is a lever at the back end of the rotor next to the rotor drive belt that sticks out lower on the right side. The rocker switch increases or decreases the speed depending on which side the gearbox is set on. On the low side of the gearbox the rotor will max out about 680 rpm. Pull the lever to the high side and it should go from around 700 rpm to like 1000 maybe more or so, it has been so long don't exactly remember the max speed, never been that high either. I have only been on the high side gearbox a couple times in the 25+ yrs we have had a 1640 and 2166. Ran it about 750 rpm in some tough hard threshing beans.

Brad

Ah ha! That answers a question that I have been puzzling over and haven't had a chance to work thru! I look at that rocker and wonder how I am supposed to get all these thresher speeds listed in the harvesting tables when the durn thing only has TWO! Rabbit and Turtle! You made me go back to the book and I found what you were talking about and then went out and found it on the combine. Re-reading the text I think I see how it works. You have "fast" and "slow" range at the gearbox which you change with the machine off and using the L handle on the RH side of the combine. THEN you can use the rocker switch inside the cab "on the fly" and with the aid of the digital tach to set an appropriate threshing speed. Holding the switch on the bunny makes it increase speed and holding it on the turtle makes it decrease in speed. It's not a two way rocker, if I am thinking correctly but more or less any speed between 0 and whatever max is can be set. Have I got this right?

That's pretty much it. It takes a little bit for the speed to change on either the fan or rotor.

Brad

Good deal...much appreciated!