MF550 dirty tank sample

tweedler

New User
This 550 was set up for corn (spike rear drum). I am cutting very ripe rye. I adjusted the concave & drum best I could (still too open) and adjusted the screens per the book, with blower on highest setting. The tank sample has lots of threshed heads and small amount of straw. Are the screens different for corn than small grain, and is the spiked drum versus the vane drum (needed for small grains) the problem ?
 
Dirty grain sample can be caused by manythings, if your fan is running correctly, and a max output then i would play with the sieves, close the top one a little at a time until grain starts to slug over the top sieve... then if sample is still dirty close the lower sieve until the sample is clean, or if too much is going through the returns.

If the heads in the grain tank are threshed out then the drum/concave is doing it's job.
 
How are you setting the sieves? I use a drill bit of the size mentioned in the book, and use it like a feeler gauge, just a bit of resistance when inserted parallel to the sieve fingers.
 
How wide is your fan belt? The only time I see straw in my sample is running oats, when the fan is backed way down. If you belt is very worn, it will prevent the fan from running as fast as it should, because it rides down deeper in the drive pulley, in addition to slipping.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys.

I had increased fan speed yesterday to max, and today the belt came off. Its clearly worn, so your right about worn / slipping.

Did you have trouble with the straw wrapping itself around the intake auger ? The straw is a bit dead and damp, would that be it ? I have the cylinder at 1000 RPM.

Any guidance would be appreciated !
 
It may wrap a little, but always beats itself off within a few seconds. The damp is your issue. Damp straw is tougher. The fact the straw is 5-6 feet long doesn't help any.
 
Thanks RG.

For sieves, picking up what you said earlier, for
these small grains, do you have the stock
adjustable sieves, or round hole type ?

The other big question, this machine was used for
corn. If has the spike rotor (instead of vanes) on
the rear beater. Do you think that might be
causing any of issues ?

Thanks
 
Stock adjustable ones. I don't see how the rear beater would have any effect on sample. If enough air is coming up through, the trash should all float out the back. If the trash is physically larger than the opening you have in the sieves, it shouldn't find its way to the clean grain side of the machine.
 
My personal opinion of the MF 410, 510, and 550 fan speed based on personal experience is that the factory installed standard pulleys don't push enough air. The standard pulleys work, but I installed the optional high speed pulleys and that made a major improvement in cleaning the grain sample up. The standard pulleys and belt just aren't stout enough and I think the system is only going to push so much air. Compare the belt and pulleys to a Deere 4400, 4420, 6600, 6620 and you will see they probably weren't built quite large enough. Lastly, the pulleys, keys, keyways are going on 30 - 40 years old and they probably are far from functioning like new. So, I did find the high speed pulley option at a salvage yard and was fairly impressed with how it worked on my Massey 550. It is a direct change out to install the high speed pulleys. I think the driver pulley is a little larger and at a fairly high fan speed the driven pulley doesn't have the belt clear at the bottom of the pulley halves. As mentioned a good belt is very important. Another thing - anything crop that is wet or green is going to be heavy and hard to blow out. Any combine will have a dirty sample. Good luck.
 
Really helpful Andy, thanks for that. Time to contact the salvage yard. Is the belt the same with the high speed pulley ?

Did you have to make any changes to the sieve with the higher blower speed ?
 
Thanks for that RJ - makes total sense.

Any idea if the spike rear beater (corn) versus the
vane rear beater makes any real difference i.e. is
it really necessary to convert back from spike to
vane for small grains ?
 
You can alternate the spikes and vanes. 3 of each and not have to change back and forth. There was also a blank off plate that would close off the front of the concave. That would keep heads from going thru and will also help with soybean pods too?
 
if the straw is damp, you are going to have trouble. this is about 2 months late "here" to be harvesting rye, not sure where you are, but... you usually want to wait for a dry, sunny day, don't start before mid morning. just the humidity increasing around 6 pm makes a huge difference between clear sailing and fighting every couple feet. you need to be in the field when the crop is threshable.
 

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