The moisture this year has everyone running late. And that means you may not have had time to get your combine ready for wheat harvest. But it’s important to make sure your combine is up to snuff when the wheat harvest window opens—and that will happen sooner than you think.
Do A Thorough Inspection
Get the combine out of the shed now and do a thorough inspection. Check all electrical connections and wires to make sure they weren’t gnawed by rats or mice over the winter. Grease all zerks and check all fluids.
Check Your Sieve and Chaffer Adjustments
Make sure your sieve and chaffer adjustments will move freely before you get to the field and try adjusting them for the crop. Hook up the header you’ll be using and calibrate it appropriately. It’s best to do this in the yard, not in the field in order to avoid in-field issues that result in downtime.
Inspect Your Sprayer
Sprayers also require a little preventive maintenance. Make sure the strainers are clean before and after use. This is especially important if the sprayer has been sitting unused for a while.
Check PIP Announcements
There have been a number of PIP (Product Improvement Program) announcements this past winter related to recommended dates to equipment. You probably received these notifications in the mail.
The majority of PIP upgrades can be completed with no charge to the customer—parts or labor. In many cases, these updates can be made right on your farm and typically take anywhere from a couple of hours to a half-day to complete.
Several PIP notifications involve combines. It would be a good idea to get these handled before wheat harvest.
There are also a handful of PIPs on John Deere sprayers, one of which takes the better part of a day to complete. If you know you’re not going to be needing your sprayer for a couple of days, give us a few days’ notice and we’ll schedule a visit to your farm to make the upgrades.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When it comes to getting your equipment ready to get into the field, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of headaches. Instead of taking two aspirin, take two minutes to call your 21st Century Equipment service department to make sure your ready to hit the field when wheat harvest comes.