2014 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com November 4, 2014 43
height is set through a calibration process
in the field. The header height is important
in the monitoring of yields. During the
CIA presentation, the discussion included
how to do this calibration properly.
In order for the new generation of monitors
to do their job, the equipment has to be
calibrated starting with the header. Today’s
headers have sensors built in that will tell
the monitor in the cab what head is on the
combine.
Once the head is mounted, the hydraulics
and electrical hooked up, the operator
needs to calibrate the header height for two
positions, cutting, and not cutting. When
the combine is moving down the field with
the head at the cutting height, the sensors
and monitor are working to measure
distance traveled and product going into the
hopper. Using these two measurements the
monitor can then calculate the yield in real
time in the field.
When the corn head raises at the end of the
row, the sensors in the head communicate
to the monitor that it is time to stop
measuring distance traveled. This is a key
component of measuring the yield, and it
is important that the header be raised to the
proper height at the end of a pass.
Another important calibration is the sieve
calibration. Again this is done once. First
set the sieve, for example, to a quarter
of an inch top and bottom. Then in the
cab follow the step-by-step on screen
instructions to set the monitor to show that
accurate sieve setting. A similar calibration
is also done for the concaves.
Continued
→
