More work on my john deere 55 combine

I'm still getting the 55 combine my son and I bought ready to cut soy beans. It had some rust problems in the grain pans under the cylinder, the bottom of the tailings elevator and the cover over the cylinder where the tailings enter. I made all new panels that were rusted out of steel that is twice as thick as the original. I painted them all up and got them back in and its looking pretty good. The concaves were bent a little but we also bought a parts combine from a guy at our local fair that was run in the combine derby. We are taking the good internals out and saving them and then my son is going to run it again next year. The concaves in this machine were much better so we put this concave in the good combine. The only thing is this concave has every other wire removed. My manual says something to the effect of removing some of the wires according to the crop you are running but it doesn't really say how many should be in for beans. I can take some out of the other concave and put them in this one if that's what we need to do. So how many should be in for beans? The beans are waist high and starting to turn but the beans inside the pods are still green and real soft . I know its going to be a while but How much longer after they start to turn before we will need to cut them?

Rule of thumb is 30 days after they start to turn, you will be combining. Mine started turning on Aug. 29. So. central Mn.

Making patches out of 20 ga. stainless steel sheet is the only way to go....only have to do it once for years to come.

Ditto on the patches. I did that on our 105. Also had a new bottom made for the tailings elevator that fit inside. Slid it in, welded it on.

As for the beans, most all the leaves need to be off, and the pods easy to shell before you think of combining. you have time yet.

I agree stainless would be the way to go. I had this 16 gauge steel so that's what I used. I made a new bottom for the tailings elevator and welded it in also out of the 16 gauge. The other panels are not patches, i made all new panels. I figure the original at half the thickness lasted 50 years, I shouldn't have to worry about this. My son will probably be ready a 6 row machine in a few years. Lol

Anybody have any recommendation on the wires in the concave. If I need all of them, it will be a lot easier to put them in now. If it will work better with some removed, I'll leave them out.

I always figure about 3 weeks to combining once they start to turn. I imagine weather will have an affect on that. This summer has been cooler than normal...very few fields here in central MN just starting to turn.

I've never raised or harvested soys, so take my advice and beware lol, but as easy as they thrash I would suspect you won't miss the extra wires in the concave. May help from cracking so much.

jim, i have no seat time in a deere,. all makes are good machines with a good informed operator,.i had a gleaner that i was just starting to learn the arts on , then sold it ,to a guy that really wanted it .. i have 4 mf 300s , the best cleanin 300 i have has no filler bars,. and does nothardly ever plug in weedy wheat, i have never run corn with it . my 1st 300 has had new raspbars and a;lways had filler plates,. i want to put a golf bal in the cylindar to aid in cleaning, shelled a lot of corn , beans with it , green grass in wheat makes this 300 slug,. i think the filler plates are the culprit,. in summary the massey does ok either way with out without bars , i started out with massey over 40 yrs ago ... the gleaner F had bars on the cylindar ,and i was told by the man up the road that runs gleaners to keep them in,. my complaint was grindin corn,.he told me to set the cylindar higher , increse cylindar speed if leaving unshelled kernals and send the cob and what little kernals out the back,. changing all those bars out is a time consuming job , and i was sure to need them in beans .. hope this helps , if it is different from what others know,. then they will post and you can learn more..