Filler Plates

JMiles

New User
I have an often debated question to ask. I'm running a 6620 Turbo with a 443 corn head. I run Cylinder at 400, concave setting at 20, fan maxed around 900, sieve and chaffer at book specs. I am getting a lot of cracked corn on flat level fields. The cylinder has filler plates in. A neighbor told me I need to take them out. I will run better and cleaner. Any thoughts?? My dad always told me to put filler plates in for corn. So now I don't know what to do.
 
I run a 4420 with 443 head without filler plates and have always debated adding them from the comments on here. What I have noticed is if I watch my taillings and run ground speed to reduce amount of corn thru the taillings I get less cracked. Also later in the year the cracked corn percentage seems to increase no matter what I do, might have to do with physical properties of the corn as it gets past the optimum time for harvest. Last load at the elevator tested 18.6 % moisture, 55# test weight, 1.04% B.C.F.M. , First load a week ago tested 18.5% moisture, 55.6# T.W., and .4% B.C.F.M.

I'm running the chaffer pretty wide, and shoe/sieve closed just enough to keep the dirt out.
 
You don't need them.

What are you calling "cracked corn"? The only cracked corn that comes out of a combine and results in a dock is the finely ground stuff, <.125" in size. In my opinion, that material tends to accumulate somewhat in a combine over the course of the harvest. So you start with none and by the time you're done you have some but if the combine is set right, you still should be below dock levels.

If you don't have whole cobs going over the straw walkers, open the concave. If you already have that, speed up and push more cobs into the cylinder. The idea being, shelled corn will spend less time in there getting ground up. And keep an eye on the return like the other reply says, if you see clean grain coming back, open the sieve.
 
I leave mine in all the time as the additional peripheral weight on the cylinder keeps the cylinder from slugging. If they were out I wouldn't put them in. If they are in, I wouldn't take them out. If you are getting cracked corn it's possible you are running corn through the return. You would hear that in the cab if you were as the return elevator door is by your left foot. You may have the bottom sieve too close but your return will tell you for sure. Check to see if your cobs have scuff marks on them. If they do, you have your concave is open too wide. If it is too wide the cobs will not be taken through in one pass and will be "pawed at" by the cylinder, causing cracking. You can open the concave TOO far. Mike
 
I run an old 95/4 row head.Never got the filler plates,soI run with out. dont see any difference than when I had a combine that had em in it.My neighbor has an 'identicle' 95,only he uses fillers. We sometimes run together.I simply cannot see even the slightest difference.Performence and grain quality are equal.
 
I'd add this... what kind of corn are you doing?

We've always had filler plates in everything... but that is the rule in the area, mostly because (I'm told) we do a lot of wet corn.

Look at what your shelling. If the corn is typically 20% (or more) your probably going to be happier with them in.

If all the corn you do is dry, you probably will notice no difference, as the corn usually shells a lot easier.
 
That is what they are intended for - higher moisture, but I think 20-25% is still pretty easy to shell without. 26-30%+ can be a different story, but I try to avoid shelling that for dry corn. Too much drying!
 

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