What should I do to get my combine ready for winter storage?

[Peter Norman]

Now that harvest is starting to finish over a lot of the country, we put together a quick guide on preparing your combine for storage over the winter.

You can read it here: www.bwt.uk.com/news/how-to-store-a-combine-over-winter

Is there anything we’ve missed? What other things do you do on your farm to keep the rats and mice out of your combine?

 

[Darren]

Maybe get it proof read. Winter or winder?

I'd rather leave battery on, preferably with a trickle charger. Like to run it up once a month. Keeps seals, especially the air con system lubricated

 

[JWL]

The variation when we used to end the season was to not use a pressure washer but use a compressor, a road one if available and give the machine a good dry clean. Poke off all the crap on the ledges and traps, blow all the dust out from behind all the electrical panels making sure the whole combine was empty of any straw and grain.
Before it was parked up we would run some straw through that was soaked in waste oil and diesel to plaster the inside and straw chopper.
We would fire the engines up once a month, running the Aircon and briefly run the thrashing mechanism to stop the belts from gaining a memory in the same position for months at a time.
When it came to getting ready for next season, a good spraying with diesel or parafin then a pressure wash would have the panelwork cleaned off.
We never had new machines but they would be at least two or three seasons old but we then kept them at least another 6, it wasn't as if they weren't worked or led an easy life, mine did at least 2000 acres every year.

 

[John 1594]

Best thing to keep rats out of a combine...

one if not more feral cats. Place a bowl next to the combine with a few household leftovers in it, chicken bones etc..feed them every few days and they will get used to the combine being the dining table. Any mice or rats that happen to be round the combine will then be regarded as extra treats....

Apart from that, drop every flap and inspection plate you can, spend at least a morning going round it with a road compressor, change engine oil, slacken any variator drive pulleys as far off tension as you can, open riddles and throw a few bait blocks inside, couple in bottom of tank and some in the engine bay, cab and any other places they tend to congregate

pump tyres up, grease everything, retract as many rams as you can, grease those that you cant. Spray gear oil over the header auger and knife bed, then some in the main feed elevator. Drain a few pints of coolant out and top up with neat antifreeze

Big question though....with this crap diesel we have now....drain the tank completely or brim it to the top?

 

[Exfarmer]

ALWAYS fill tank to the top prevents condensation forming

 

[John 1594]

ALWAYS fill tank to the top prevents condensation forming

But...this new diesel does have a tendency to seperate and you end up with half a gallon of snot in the bottom of the tank when you get it out of staorage next year

its not an issue for stuff being used or filled regularly, but leaving it stood for 12 months, im undecided as to whats best

for the record i left ours bone dry last year with the cap loose and the sediment bowl removed. Changed filters before we got her out, brimmed her with fresh fuel and she struck up first time as ever

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I was told by my fuel supplier that I should put Exocet fuel additive with my latest red delivery. As I only have a small tank one 300ml container did the job. There's a percentage of bio fuel in most diesel, except very basic marine stuff, so I believe that I have done the correct thing.
Certainly food for thought in a combine tank which probably holds 300 to 500 litres?
SS

 

[Qman]

After dry cleaning with a compressor I spray oil inside the combine and over the shiny bits. Then I put some iodine in the spray of oil and diesel and spray inside. I have never had rats using this system.

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Funny this thread should come up. Spent the morning getting covered in crap cleaning ours.....

ALL access panel's off and thoroughly clean blow everything out.

We have 5 semi feral cats here.... Not much survives for long round here.

 

[Bumble Bee]

I use an industrial hoover instead of a compressor to clean the combine. Makes a much better job as it does not just redistribute the crud around the combine.
It also provides the added benefit of you not waking up looking like a mixi rabbit on a morning for the following week as all the crap gets expelled from your eyes.

 

[beltbreaker]

Send her North we will look after her for you, clean and polish her and maintain her until mid January when we will send her home to bed.

In seriousness do all of above (bar pressure washer) do that start of harvest 2017 and place mothballs throughout the engine cab and various bits with electrics as they do seem to keep vermin off REPLACE ANNUALLY!! Blow job not wet wash as weather too crap by the time we finish here plus a wet bearing is snookered next year.

Cheers BB

 

[Northdowns Martin]

I try and wait for a really windy day to blow off with road compressor. Make a note of problems, faults etc easier to do now than trying to remember in 6 months when servicing

 

[clbarclay]

If you are blowing off a combine then an Air Stream helmet (other brands are available) is worth every penny. I do use a leaf blower though, so end up in the middle of a chaff storm.

 

[4course]

weve hardly started never mind thinking of finishing!!

 

[Lazy Sod]

@john1594,
You should never feed chicken bones to cats. They can get stuck in the mouth and/or cause an injury.

 

[Mark C]

Moth balls in the cab and near any electrics, keeps the mice away

 

[John 1594]

@john1594,
You should never feed chicken bones to cats. They can get stuck in the mouth and/or cause an injury.

Bear in mind where i live, even if i didnt feed chicken bones, our cats would still eat them, as about 100yrs across from where the combine is stored there is a KFC

Most people today rather than throwing the bones in the bin tend to throw the bones out of the window, as they generally eat the chicken in thier cars


so the cats will have chicken bones as and when they please i suppose

they look well enough on it, and surely when these cats were wild animals and not domesticated ones....they would have ate all sorts of things, including bones?

 

[Brisel]

Where do you buy moth balls from these days? They are supposedly banned for being carcinogenic. To moths. eBay?

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Where do you buy moth balls from these days? They are supposedly banned for being carcinogenic. To moths. eBay?

Don't suppose you have any old fashioned iron mongers near you? That's where I get mine.

 

[Lincsman]

Not sure you should put any bait blocks etc in a combine, if they end up in the grain it will get expensive.