Claas Senator - freeing up a blockage

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
So, about 5 acres from finishing this year's harvest, I've gone and seized the drum up on the combine as there appears to have been too much crop going through it for it to cope, which is surprising in itself as it wasn't a thick crop, not too weedy, and it's a narrow header.

Is there an easy way of unblocking it? I've been lying on my front under the cab with my arms in the drum via the stone trap door trying to pull everything out, but it's jammed in there good and proper. Does anyone have any tips on getting it out - access is really bloody awful?

The straw etc. is caught under the drum in thick wodges that don't want to pull out. Is it just a case of brute force and ignorance?

Actually I just thought - would opening up the concave release the pressure on it?

Grateful as ever for other' experiences / opinions on this sort of thing.
 

Bramble

Member
As said before, big bar, brute force, open the concave, leave drum door off.

Maybe also open the returns elevator door in case they are full. Once it’s moving a bit give it full revs, engage threshing and hope it clears it all!!!

Otherwise start again
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
As said drop concave fully down and if you have two speed drum put it in low. Then try to rock drum with long bar.
Do pull out the blockage before trying to re engage, there is no worse block than one when the drum is in low gear.
You will find a very sharp knife, a beet knife is a good tool as, it has a hook on the end, useful for pulling out the straw.
When you get going dont forget to reset the drum concave and stone trap
 

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
Nightmare, and always happens when things are going wrong .................
Feel your pain

@Mursal - were you the guy watching from the modern tractor in the next field by any chance? He got to see not only the sudden stop / smoke cloud from slipping belts etc. when it jammed, but then hear me cursing when I found I also had a puncture in one of the front tyres. How did I manage to do both of those at once? For the hat trick I then found I couldn't get the thing started to limp it back to the yard, and I had to go and get a tractor with some jump leads. I had to go home and rock quietly to myself in the corner.
 

timff

Member
Several times I had to do the bar trick on the old matador standard. Once when I mistakenly put the selector into drum speed not reel height and slowed the drum resulting in a block...!
 

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
@timff - ha, I'm glad it's not just me that does things like that. To be fair to myself I can't think what I really did wrong this time though - I'd only just started that small field, the last one to do, and it went and blocked. I'd just cleaned the stone trap out etc. too so I know it began nice and clear. Grr.
 
@Mursal - were you the guy watching from the modern tractor in the next field by any chance? He got to see not only the sudden stop / smoke cloud from slipping belts etc. when it jammed, but then hear me cursing when I found I also had a puncture in one of the front tyres. How did I manage to do both of those at once? For the hat trick I then found I couldn't get the thing started to limp it back to the yard, and I had to go and get a tractor with some jump leads. I had to go home and rock quietly to myself in the corner.

The joys of running a vintage/classic! Just keep telling yourself it character building!
 

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
@Jon - depends on your definition of joy. I've just managed to free the drum off and cleared all the straw etc. out of there - opening up the concave and then putting a bar into the cast socket as per @grainboy did the trick. Thanks again to everyone who made suggestions.

Sadly though, I started it up but the threshing mechanism and cutter bar don't engage, something starts smoking from behind the panel on the left hand side. There's insufficient room to open the panel at the moment, and I can't easily back the combine out the shed until I've changed the front tyre which has a puncture, and I'm still waiting for the tyre to arrive. The whole thing has turned into a right saga.
 
Last edited:

Jon

Member
Location
South Norfolk
@Jon - depends on your defintion of joy. I've just managed to free the drum off and cleared all the straw etc. out of there - opening up the concave and then putting a bar into the cast socket as per @grainboy did the trick. Thanks again to everyone who made suggestions.

Sadly though, I started it up but the threshing mechanism and cutter bar don't engage, something starts smoking from behind the panel on the left hand side. There's insufficient room to open the panel at the moment, and I can't easily back the combine out the shed until I've changed the front tyre which has a puncture, and I'm still awaiting the tyre to arrive. The whole thing has turned into a right saga.
Arh, sorry to hear that.
Least the drums free in theory.
 

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
@Selectamatic - milling rye. It was looking good, I'm apprehensively watching the weather at the moment, I'll be gutted if I lose the chance to get it all in. Do you fancy popping over in the Lely and finishing it for me? I'd buy you a pint.
 

Selectamatic

Member
Location
North Wales
@Selectamatic - milling rye. It was looking good, I'm apprehensively watching the weather at the moment, I'll be gutted if I lose the chance to get it all in. Do you fancy popping over in the Lely and finishing it for me? I'd buy you a pint.

Yes, by all means...
upload_2018-9-13_22-18-49.png


Looks a perfectly sensible thing to do, with such a machine!!

What does milling rye look like? I'd imagine that it's a very small seed, and takes some keeping in the combine, does it not come out of every nook and cranny?
 

New Puritan

Member
Location
East Sussex
It might take you slightly longer as I'm only about 200 metres from the Kent border.

I haven't got any photos of the rye, but it just looks like a cereal grain that's a darker brown than wheat or barley. It seems to do the soil some good, and it grows tall and outcompetes weeds very well which is helpful in my system. When I get going again I'll take some photos.
 
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