I have a 9400 john deere combine straw walker machine that does not have filler plates in the cylinder. The dealer says to do corn I should have the plates. I was wondering what others have done or experienced. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank You.
I'm not sure about the Deere...but on the old L and M gleaners (conventional machines) you only ran filler plates..if the corn was exceptionally hard to shell off the cob. I haven't ran any in years on my L3..and I'm almost sure I didn't run any on the M2..and that goes back 30 years....
On our old conventional machine, if you didn't have the fillers in, cobs and such could get inside the cylinder, and throw it off balance. I guess each machine is different, so I'd do whatever the book tells is best.
The only time you have a problem with out of balance condition..is when you shut the cylinder off, and the residue inside of it falls to one side. I've only ever had any real problem with that in wheat..where my cylinder speed is above 1000 rpm. At typical corn cylinder speeds..I don't think it would be a major issue on even the Deere...and if you don't shut the cylinder off when unloading (that's why there's a header shut-off switch along with a main shut off switch) then you shouldn't have any problem. If it does get out of balance..I start the cylinder..then shut it off until it's barely moving..then start it again. That re-distributes the residue..and after a short time in the crop..it's re-balanced itself anyways.
