Know how to prepare equipment and keep it in top form for maximum harvest efficiency.
Use the following checklists provided by Kelley Manufacturing Co. to prepare inverters for digging and combines for harvest before the season starts. Use the list of in-field adjustments to dial in equipment for your field conditions, and use the factors that result in peanut loss to troubleshoot possible problems during harvest.
Pre-Field Operation Check Points
1. Check the rattler bar chain for wear and tension. The distance from the bottom of the rattler frame to the top of the chain should be two and one-half inches.
2. Set the knocker wheels. Adjust wheels to strike the bars with sufficient force to remove dirt. Avoid excess agitation; it causes premature chain wear.
3. Adjust rattler frame. It should be parallel to the 45-degree frame member.
4. Check PTO driveline. With driveline attached to tractor, raise and lower the inverter checking driveline travel. It should not separate in the up position or bottom out in the down position.
5. Check tractor and gauge wheel tire inflation for proper pressure as to the tire manufacturer’s recommendation. Make sure they are the same on the machine and same on each of the rear tractor tires.
6. Level the inverter with the tractor axle by sighting a frame member with the tractor axle. Adjust lift arms as needed.
7. Set inverter gauge wheels. Normal vertical position is with two holes showing above the mounting bracket for 8 x 10 tires and one for 8 x 8 tires. The stem located to the outside of the 2 x 5 frame is the correct position for 36-inch rows.
Factors That Result In Peanut Loss
1. Blade depth too shallow.
2. Dull blades. Blades are dull when they do not cut cleanly through the taproot. If they push on the root, they will drag the plant.
3. Vine cutter springs too loose or coulters too dull.
4. Conveyor pickup running too high above the lifter rods.
5. Tractor RPM or hydraulic flow too fast.
6. Vine flow not synchronized with ground speed and conveyor speed.
7. Inventer not precisely aligned with the row (indicated by tap roots leaning left or right).
8. For shank placement, the center of the plow standard should be located 12 to 13 inches off the row. For twin-row peanuts, use the center of the two rows as the measuring point.
9. Set the pitch of the blade. With the inverter on a concrete slab or level surface, set the tractor top link so that the machine rests on the blade tips and gauge wheels. Adjust the frogs to provide threefourths inch of clearance between the rear cutting edge of the blade and the concrete.
10. Set the vine cutters. Coulters should be set as close to the row as possible without cutting off peanuts. The distance will normally be one to two inches outside the front tip of the blade. The height of the coulter should be two to three inches below the plow blades, but never so low that they drag when turning at row ends. Make sure the springs are tensioned properly to cut.
11. Set the inverter rods. All recently manufactured machines have a decal attached showing proper rod location. Operator’s manuals have this information also. Again with the inverter on a level surface, measure and set the inverter rods to their correct position. Twin-row peanuts may require a slightly wider setting of the lower rods.
In Field Adjustments
1. Set the plow depth. Field conditions often dictate the proper depth for the plow. You should always plow beneath all the peanuts; normally this will leave about two inches of tap root showing below the root crop of nuts. Terraces, washes and hard ground may require varying from this. To set the depth, put the tractor position control lever all the way down and lengthen or shorten the top link to achieve the desired plow depth.
2. Set the proper ground speed. First set the tractor PTO speed at 70 to 75 percent of full PTO speed. Then select a gear that will provide 3 to 3 1/2 miles per hour of ground speed. Proper synchronization of PTO and ground speed is important. Too much ground speed overruns peanuts causing bunching. Too slow of a ground speed through the vines will pull vines apart and pull off peanuts. Adjust the bottom collar to control spring pressure.
3. Set the proper conveyor speed (Hydraulic Drive Models). The lower pickup and rear drive shaft of the conveyor should be adjusted between 110 and 118 RPM for normal operation. Approximately 15 gpm for 2, 4 and 6-rows. Approximately 30 gpm for 8-row units.
KMC’s new Unload-On-The-Go has the following features:
• Tank raises hydraulically providing easy access to threshing cylinders
• Vertically folding conveyor arm folds compactly against the tank for stability during
transport
• Wider conveyor belts provide fast unloading
• More tank capacity (3 1/4 tons) for more efficient use of Dump Carts
• Steeper angle on tank panels for better off load in wet conditions
• Stronger hydraulic motors
KMC’s 2015 Digger Shaker Inverter includes these features:
• Designed to allow for easier maintenance
• Rattler sections easily detach from main frame providing convenient maintenance
• Easy access to inverter chain drive for inspection and adjustment
• Swivel style coulters require less maintenance
• Quick conversion between chain and belt style conveyors
Combine Start-up Check List
1. Set tractor drawbar to correct length. For 1 3/8-21 PTO shafts, the distance from the end of the PTO to the hitch pin center should be 16 inches. For 1 3/4- 20 PTO shafts, it should be 20 inches. See decal regarding driveline lengths.
2. Check drive belts and chains. For spring-loaded belt idlers, set the springs to the recommended lengths shown on the decals. Fixed belt idlers should be set for a tight belt tension. Chains should have approximately one inch of movement in the longest span.
3. Check concave setting. The clearance from the end of a spring tine to the cross rod of its concave should be 9/16 inches for runner peanuts and threefourths inches for Virginias. Set the rear concave to just clear the teeth.
4. Stripper adjustment. Start with all strippers out. Set in enough to remove the peanuts from the vines. For optimum machine performance and sample grades, adjust a few times during the day. Do not set the strippers past the bracket unless absolutely necessary. This will cause the teeth to break prematurely. When one of the two tines breaks, most of the aggressiveness is gone.
5. Set the tailboard as needed to retain lightweight peanuts. On wide-body combines, in most conditions, it can be set all the way up, lower if hay starts building up.
6. Check the fit of the air lift ducts and liners. This is critical for low looseshelled kernels (LSKs).
7. Tractor PTO speed. Start at 900 to 950 RPM.
8. Separator fan speed. Maintain as high a speed as possible to obtain a clean sample but not so high that peanuts are blown out of the rear.
9. Set the delivery air. Begin with the air open, then adjust down to minimize shelling.
10. For green vines, timing of the rear three cylinders will eliminate wrapping.
11. Check the fit of air lift ducts. Check for proper alignment of tank duct to delivery chute.
