Overhauling a 20 year old combine?

[DRC]

I do often wonder if the TX30 / TF40 series wouldn't now be a better buy due to there electrical simplicity, compared to the later 60/70 series.

Many years ago, I wrote this article in FW
http://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/simple-ideas-make-a-new-holland-tf-combine-better.htm

I still get farmers from all over the world contacting me for advice on buying TF Combines (3 this year!). I have now switched from advising to buy TF76/78's to the TF 42/44/46's. What is wrong with a lever, instead of a switch? Levers don't break as often as switches wires and electrical circuitry, which as you correctly say has now become their Achilles heel.

I even find myself occasionally still reaching down for the lever, when the last time I drove one with levers was 12 years ago!

The TX 63 I bought has levers, which I thought migh be a pain , but they've been fine. Only problem with that is no room for a passenger seat . When I started looking, this time last year , I was told by dealer friend how easy it'd be to get one for £20k, but in reality anything decent was between £30 to £35k.

 

[bumkin]

i agree what is wrong with levers .who needs a passenger seat the buggers only come in and bring the dust with them ,we have a T F 76 and i must say the electrics are a bit scarey unless we are miles away its brought home and put in

 

[Two Tone]

i agree what is wrong with levers .who needs a passenger seat the buggers only come in and bring the dust with them ,we have a T F 76 and i must say the electrics are a bit scarey unless we with a 50are miles away its brought home and put in

There weren't many TF 76 combines brought into the UK. It was the smaller cousin of the TF78, with a 50" wide drum instead of a 60". This was the model I always wanted. Compact and very fast. Look after it and keep it dry. Hopefully then less chance of any electrical issues

 

[bumkin]

There weren't many TF 76 combines brought into the UK. It was the smaller cousin of the TF78, with a 50" wide drum instead of a 60". This was the model I always wanted. Compact and very fast. Look after it and keep it dry. Hopefully then less chance of any electrical issues

she isnt a bad old bus and just fits down our roads, but if it gets blocked its a pig of a job got it blocked once

 

[Two Tone]

she isnt a bad old bus and just fits down our roads, but if it gets blocked its a pig of a job got it blocked once

I know the problem well. The solution is part 7 of this:
http://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/simple-ideas-make-a-new-holland-tf-combine-better.htm
There is a post-script.
Not only does this system warn you when it is about to block. If the horn sound permanently, it is blocked.

The procedure then is as follows:
Stop moving forward.
Stop the Header.
DON'T stop the drum, But throttle back to tick-over. You will hear a lumpety noise.
Get out of the cab and look above each rear wheel.
One or both will have straw bunched over the wheel.

Pull it away and the throw out beater will clear itself and the horn will stop.
Now you can carry on combining.

IF you had stopped the drum, the whole of the threshing mechanism including the Drum, Beater, Rotary separator, TF Rotor and the Throw Out beaters will jam, requiring up to a 4 hour clean out.

Doing it this way, you are going again in less than 2 minutes, because nothing actually stopped rotating.


There is another post-script. Don't try linking the lights together (part 6). This will blow the electric circuit boards. Not available any more!

 

[fermerboy]

Often thought of a rebuild on an old combine being a good option.
New concave, drum or rasp bars, all chains conveyors, fingers and sections, belts and every bearing replaced. Old bits laid past for spares. All done off season in winter, whole lot through the books as a machinery repair against tax. Our old Claas doesn't have so much electrics but no reason they couldn't be gone through as well, plugs etc available on web nowadays for not silly money.
Im pretty handy mechanically and also with electrics, rewiring a combine doesnt phase me really if it was a winter job.
Different story if you are paying for a mechanics time I suppose.
Am I mad to even think of it?

 

[Mursal]

I think a lot would depend on the base machine your working off.
A fair bit of work for one winter ..........

 

[balerman]

Often thought of a rebuild on an old combine being a good option.
New concave, drum or rasp bars, all chains conveyors, fingers and sections, belts and every bearing replaced. Old bits laid past for spares. All done off season in winter, whole lot through the books as a machinery repair against tax. Our old Claas doesn't have so much electrics but no reason they couldn't be gone through as well, plugs etc available on web nowadays for not silly money.
Im pretty handy mechanically and also with electrics, rewiring a combine doesnt phase me really if it was a winter job.
Different story if you are paying for a mechanics time I suppose.
Am I mad to even think of it?

APH used to do this with 8000 series NH combines,going further with a complete stripdown,new bearings and a repaint.I think they had trouble with metal fatigue,the metal around some bearings would give way eventually.After all,a combine is trying to shake itself to pieces its whole life.Needs to be a really heavily built combine to start with,8000 NHs weren't the stongest built,TX would be much better.

 

[bobk]

The previous 20 years is entirely dependant on how it was treated , how hard it's been worked and more importantly WHERE .

 

[Will 1594]

I would give Colin martinson at howden East Yorkshire a ring and ask him ,he runs around 25 NH combines of various ages and has rebuilt many , it would be worth a phone call or visit

 

[glasshouse]

I have a good 22 yr old mega, and have no desire to buy a lexion.

 

[bumkin]

I know the problem well. The solution is part 7 of this:
http://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/simple-ideas-make-a-new-holland-tf-combine-better.htm
There is a post-script.
Not only does this system warn you when it is about to block. If the horn sound permanently, it is blocked.

The procedure then is as follows:
Stop moving forward.
Stop the Header.
DON'T stop the drum, But throttle back to tick-over. You will hear a lumpety noise.
Get out of the cab and look above each rear wheel.
One or both will have straw bunched over the wheel.

Pull it away and the throw out beater will clear itself and the horn will stop.
Now you can carry on combining.

IF you had stopped the drum, the whole of the threshing mechanism including the Drum, Beater, Rotary separator, TF Rotor and the Throw Out beaters will jam, requiring up to a 4 hour clean out.

Doing it this way, you are going again in less than 2 minutes, because nothing actually stopped rotating.


There is another post-script. Don't try linking the lights together (part 6). This will blow the electric circuit boards. Not available any more!

my blockage was a school boy error first season combining beans and there was a patch under some trees and the stalks were still green and they balled up in the twin flow rotor at the back will try not to do that again there is very little way to get in there

 

[Two Tone]

my blockage was a school boy error first season combining beans and there was a patch under some trees and the stalks were still green and they balled up in the twin flow rotor at the back will try not to do that again there is very little way to get in there

TF combines don't like anything that is green.

NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT THE ROTARY SEPARATOR OR TF ROTOR INTO THE LOW SPEED SETTING

Despite what the Operators Manual might tell you!!!

If you do have to go under a tree that shades the crop so that it remains green, do so very, very slowly!

TF's will also start to block as the dampness comes down in the evenings. Especially if you are rowing the straw for baling, rather than chopping it (this is because the straw doors act like a break, causing a back-up of straw to the Throw out Beaters).

If you fit my warning flaps as shown as part 7 of the FW article, the horn will start to pulse, warning you that it is about to block. Slow down forward speed and the horn will stop pulsing.

However, after about an hour, you will probably find that you are back up to your original speed. This is because the dew has now soaked into the straw, rather that stay condensed on the straw surface, making it sticky.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mursal]

Older Deutz Fahr had the horn, factory fitted ..........
Always had to test it, just to make sure it still worked.

 

[bumkin]

TF combines don't like anything that is green.

NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT THE ROTARY SEPARATOR OR TF ROTOR INTO THE LOW SPEED SETTING

Despite what the Operators Manual might tell you!!!

If you do have to go under a tree that shades the crop so that it remains green, do so very, very slowly!

TF's will also start to block as the dampness comes down in the evenings. Especially if you are rowing the straw for baling, rather than chopping it (this is because the straw doors act like a break, causing a back-up of straw to the Throw out Beaters).

If you fit my warning flaps as shown as part 7 of the FW article, the horn will start to pulse, warning you that it is about to block. Slow down forward speed and the horn will stop pulsing.

However, after about an hour, you will probably find that you are back up to your original speed. This is because the dew has now soaked into the straw, rather that stay condensed on the straw surface, making it sticky.

Hope that helps.

knowledge is great after the event

 

[Two Tone]

Older Deutz Fahr had the horn, factory fitted ..........
Always had to test it, just to make sure it still worked.

I think that just about all straw walker combines have a system that alerts you. usually by a horn, if straw starts to block at the rear end of the straw walkers. Usually this is because the chopper has stopped or that the straw has bridged.

But as New Holland TF combines don't have straw walkers, NH didn't fit any warning system, to alert you that straw was blocking at the throw out beaters, which within about 3 seconds would block everything solid from the drum backwards!

That is why I fitted exactly the same system (x 2, one for each side) as used on a TX straw walker combine, to the TF Twin Flow rotary combine. I have fitted this system on 3 combines.

Farmers from all over the world have contacted me about fitting the same system to their own TF Combines.

You only need to block a TF once to realise how effective this system is at preventing ever having to do it again!


And yes, testing it every few days is a very good idea!

 

[Deere 6430]

We had a combine overhauled, best thing we ever did, gave us years of good service. Would highly recommend.

 

[tr250]

I have a good 22 yr old mega, and have no desire to buy a lexion.

I could sell you a newer better mega with a vario header if you don't want a lexion

 

[robinsjanis]

Hi!
Can anybody screenshot this farmers weekly article? I am looking into tf44 combine.
I am from outside UK and have little to no reason to subscribe to farmers weekly

 

[KennyO]

@Two Tone is the man in the know about TFs