Claas Senator - freeing up a blockage

[New Puritan]

Thank you once again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. A replacement tyre to the one that got lost in the post arrived earlier in the week, and I was able to fit it along with the new belts I ordered. The threshing mechanism engaged properly as well, now the drum was cleared and the guard behind the tyre was sorted out, so I was finally able to finish harvesting that rye field yesterday afternoon. Phew.

So here she is, looking spangly with her new tyre and belts:

And here's some rye getting tipped, I forgot to take a photo until it was nearly all out but you'll get the general idea from this:

And here's a nice view of the field when it was all done:

The straw will get chopped and spread when I get round to it. Does rye straw have any particular value vs. other cereal straws, does anyone know? I don't have a baler and want to keep the organic matter on the land, but if it turned out rye straw was especially sought after I could be tempted.

 

[New Puritan]

I might still have my training/repair manual for a Senator 85, it was one of the first manufacturers training courses I did at Newbridge, Edinburgh when it first opened.

If you do find it, I may be interested in buying it off you?

 

[Exfarmer]

Rye straw is normally the last people turn to. I suspect you would have no difficulty selling it for good money in the swath. If you are going to chop it, I would do it before any rain falls on it!

 

[davidroberts30]

Bale the straw and get some muck back

 

[yellowbelly]

Thank you once again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. A replacement tyre to the one that got lost in the post arrived earlier in the week, and I was able to fit it along with the new belts I ordered. The threshing mechanism engaged properly as well, now the drum was cleared and the guard behind the tyre was sorted out, so I was finally able to finish harvesting that rye field yesterday afternoon. Phew.

So here she is, looking spangly with her new tyre and belts:

View attachment 722324

And here's some rye getting tipped, I forgot to take a photo until it was nearly all out but you'll get the general idea from this:

View attachment 722326

And here's a nice view of the field when it was all done:

View attachment 722330
The straw will get chopped and spread when I get round to it. Does rye straw have any particular value vs. other cereal straws, does anyone know? I don't have a baler and want to keep the organic matter on the land, but if it turned out rye straw was especially sought after I could be tempted.

Pleased to see you've got finished. The old girl looks to have made a decent sample

 

[New Puritan]

Bale the straw and get some muck back

Yeah that'd be good, but I haven't found anyone locally to do a deal with like that.

Pleased to see you've got finished. The old girl looks to have made a decent sample

It could have been better I think. In retrospect I should have had the fan up a bit higher, but thanks!

 

[Exfarmer]

For rye you want a very high fan as it is denser than wheat and you will struggle to blow it over the back

 

[Gapples]

If you do find it, I may be interested in buying it off you?

Hi
I'm sorry I can't find that Senator manual I thought I may still have.
However if you ever upgrade to a Dominator 85 or a 6 series Dominator i do still have manuals.
I also have a manual for the early 4 series Lexions if anyone reading this is interested.

 

[New Puritan]

Resurrecting this old thread (in the hope some people still have it marked as 'watching').

So the old Senator has been seeing some action in the last week, and I've managed to break both drum belts. I think one was slightly damaged, and when it went bang it wrapped itself round the other one and took that out too. I have this one rubbish photo, I didn't take any more as I didn't want to get the phone dirty.

Looking at the manual, there's some instructions on replacing these belts:

As luck would have it, I bought a spare set of belts from @davieh3350 so have the replacements sitting ready.

However, looking at the above manual, does it need to have the old belts on it in order to slacken the tension off? The instructions aren't as clear (to me) as they could be.

So... Does anyone have any tips on putting these belts on please? There's a fair bit of other stuff to remove first as there are other belts in front which will need to be taken off, but they don't look too bad as they have tensioners on them.

Thanks once more.

 

[davieh3350]

I'm no help to you unfortunately.

 

[New Puritan]

Actually @davieh3350 you've already been a big help as you sold me the replacement belts. I am very grateful!

I knew waiting for the time they were required would bring no joy at all, but it's better than not having them

 

[Mursal]

If you intend to "keep the combine" (cough cough), consider putting an extra belt on and cable tie it out of the way until needed? They look buried, like most belts on all combines of that age, but never had the pleasure ........

 

[Selectamatic]

BE CAREFUL!!!

Im sure that there is something, somewhere on these things that under immense pressure. (Drum, variator, something) One pulley or another, dont just start taking stuff off without knowing what your up to.

Someone on here will know better.

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks @Mursal - it's not actually mine to keep, it's borrowed, so I have a general understanding to return it in similar condition to that which I borrowed it in. That's a good suggestion about the spare belt, though I think the biggest issue is getting it on the pulley, rather than past all the other stuff that's in front. Once I try taking that off I may change my mind however.

@Selectamatic - good advice. The drum drive wheel itself has some pressure on it, but I (hope) I don't need to remove it. It seems an odd set-up as there is no tensioner pulley on this part of the machine; and the diagram in the manual on its own isn't enough for me to quite understand how to get the belts onto both pulleys. Hopefully someone on here has done this at some point and will be able to explain what I need to do.

 

[Gapples]

Resurrecting this old thread (in the hope some people still have it marked as 'watching').

So the old Senator has been seeing some action in the last week, and I've managed to break both drum belts. I think one was slightly damaged, and when it went bang it wrapped itself round the other one and took that out too. I have this one rubbish photo, I didn't take any more as I didn't want to get the phone dirty.

View attachment 829955

Looking at the manual, there's some instructions on replacing these belts:

View attachment 829954

As luck would have it, I bought a spare set of belts from @davieh3350 so have the replacements sitting ready.

However, looking at the above manual, does it need to have the old belts on it in order to slacken the tension off? The instructions aren't as clear (to me) as they could be.

So... Does anyone have any tips on putting these belts on please? There's a fair bit of other stuff to remove first as there are other belts in front which will need to be taken off, but they don't look too bad as they have tensioners on them.

Thanks once more.

You need to be extremely careful, the spring loaded pulley has a huge spring indeed.
IF both belts are broken you will need a tool to push open the spring loaded pulley set.
Obviously working for a claas dealer we had the correct tools.
You could rig something up but be advised, make sure it's man enough for the job.

Also those belts are a matched set ( or should be )
There is another tool in the Claas kit to check both inner & outer pulleys are the same, you could measure them with a digital Vernier I guess.
If you fit new belts & the 2 pulleys are not the same they'll rip the tighter belt off in no time !

Oh if you have to take off the spring loaded pulley for any reason ( good luck, they are usually bloody impossibility tight ) feel behind the 3 nuts that hold the pulleys, the original ones had nuts front & back, they used to break & if the pulleys were loose on the shaft they flew off when you released the Gibb key, at head hight !
So you are feeling to make sure there are bolts fitted, not nuts front & back.

 

[bobk]

You need to be extremely careful, the spring loaded pulley has a huge spring indeed.
IF both belts are broken you will need a tool to push open the spring loaded pulley set.
Obviously working for a claas dealer we had the correct tools.
You could rig something up but be advised, make sure it's man enough for the job.

Also those belts are a matched set ( or should be )
There is another tool in the Claas kit to check both inner & outer pulleys are the same, you could measure them with a digital Vernier I guess.
If you fit new belts & the 2 pulleys are not the same they'll rip the tighter belt off in no time !

Oh if you have to take off the spring loaded pulley for any reason ( good luck, they are usually bloody impossibility tight ) feel behind the 3 nuts that hold the pulleys, the original ones had nuts front & back, they used to break & if the pulleys were loose on the shaft they flew off when you released the Gibb key, at head hight !
So you are feeling to make sure there are bolts fitted, not nuts front & back.

No you don't need any special tools , start the combine and reduce drum speed to zero , the pulleys will open up .

Get someone on the other side of the combine to turn the drum by means of a buck rake tine or similar .

Only a 20 minute job

 

[Exfarmer]

Be very careful, local to me dealership at the time disassembling a drum pulley the outer edge went out through the roof and was found a claimed 100 yards away. I believe it is true that more than one person has been killed by them!

 

[bobk]

Be very careful, local to me dealership at the time disassembling a drum pulley the outer edge went out through the roof and was found a claimed 100 yards away. I believe it is true that more than one person has been killed by them!

There are warnings on the bolts , Achtung do not touch .. they are very dangerous as you rightly say , but no need to touch when replacing belts .

 

[New Puritan]

Hmm, okay thanks everyone.

Firstly thank you very much for all the words of caution, I shall heed it - though I have no plans to remove the drum pulley, I just need to get the belts onto it.

So from @bobk 's answer, do I loop the belts over the back pulley (by the engine), and then get them as far onto the drum pulley as possible, and then turn the drum (or have someone else doing it from the other side) to wind the belts on? Like doing a bike chain really. There's that big knob sticking out the other side for turning the drum so I see what you mean about sticking something in it and having someone else turn it.

@Gapples - they are as far as I know a matched pair that another forum member removed from their combine. They certainly look the same, but obviously I have no idea whether one was wearing faster than the other due to minor differences in the two pulleys on the donor combine.

I do have experience of "20 minute jobs" that have taken days on end, but I'll update the thread when the eventual success manifests itself.

Thanks again!

 

[bobk]

Hmm, okay thanks everyone.

Firstly thank you very much for all the words of caution, I shall heed it - though I have no plans to remove the drum pulley, I just need to get the belts onto it.

So from @bobk 's answer, do I loop the belts over the back pulley (by the engine), and then get them as far onto the drum pulley as possible, and then turn the drum (or have someone else doing it from the other side) to wind the belts on? Like doing a bike chain really. There's that big knob sticking out the other side for turning the drum so I see what you mean about sticking something in it and having someone else turn it.

@Gapples - they are as far as I know a matched pair that another forum member removed from their combine. They certainly look the same, but obviously I have no idea whether one was wearing faster than the other due to minor differences in the two pulleys on the donor combine.

I do have experience of "20 minute jobs" that have taken days on end, but I'll update the thread when the eventual success manifests itself.

Thanks again!

You slip the main traction belt off , then move the 3 ribbed belt and thread it inside , remove the oil pipe on the front pulley and the 2 nuts and bolts on the back pulley BRACKET ,