Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-07-30

. inc. When we consider that :
: there are 100000 farms in the
. United States, it is evident that
3 waste of only bushel set .
. would be an enormous loss in
= the aggregate.
sssessssssssssssssssssosss
If the thrashing machines of the
country wasted only three or four
bushels of grain out of every thousand
they thrash, the loss of wheat alone in
the United States every year would
equal quantity sufficient to furnish
normal supply of bread to a million
people for nearly half year. The pres
ent Importance of keeping thraShing
machines at their highest point of eff
cheney thus is easily seen.
1t is probably not possible to save
all the grain. even with the most eff
cient operation under the best field
conditions. However, the careless op-
orator who does not know just what
the different parts of his machine are
for, or who does not watch them close
ly while the separator is running, may
waste a great amount of grain unnec-
essarily. He, will surely have to make
frequent stops for repairs and adjust
ments. Every time a machine stops,
the whole crew, usually several men
and teams, must be idle until it starts
again, loss of time to everybody con-
cerned.
Failure to Separate.
If a machine fails to separate all
the grain from the straw, it is usually
due to one or more of the following
causes: (D The machine is not being
run at its proper speed, (2) it is being
crowded beyond its capacity, (3) the
cylinder fails to thrash all the kernels
out of the heads, (4) the separating
mechanism is not level, or 90 the
blast is not adjusted properly
Cracked grain is another source of
waste which may become serious.
Cracked grain may be due to excessive
speed of the cylinder, to the cylinder
being too close to the concave teeth,
or to grain being returned in the tail
ings elevator and run through the cyl
inder repeatedly. Loss both from poor
separation and cracked grain can be
prevented in a large measure by proper
adjustment of the machine and atten-
ion to it while in operation.
Reduce Loss of Time
The loss of time due to stops on ac-
count of breakage and wearing parts
getting out of adjustment, so frequent
with thrashing machines, can be great
~ reduced and the life of the separa-
tor heightened appreciably if the ma
chine is Overhauled preparatory to
starting the seasons work and all the
parts put in good repair and adjust
ment, and afterward watched intelli-
gently while in operation. If the grain
is to be thrashed rapidly and waste re-
luced to minimum, it is essential
that the engine should have sufficient
power and the belt pulley be of the
light size to run the separator at the
proper speed at all times. The speed
in revolutions per minute at which the
cylinder should run is invariably
stated by the manufacturer in the in
structions accompanying the machine
and is often stamped on the machine
itself. A variation of more than few
pc: cent either above or below this
stated speed is sufficient to impair Sc
riously the efficiency OF the entire ma
chine.
Since this is so important, the
thfasherman should be sure that his
engine will not only de1elop Sufficient
power TO drive the machine at the
proper speed with the ordinary load,
but that it also has enough reserve
power to maintain normal speed for
few seconds under a heavy load. Even
with the most careful feeding, occa-
sional choking will occur, and, if the
engine cannot maintain its regular
speed with a slight overload, more or
less loss of grain will be unavoidable
Don't Guess at Speed.
The operator should not guess at the
speed of the machine, for variation
Of ) per cent may reduce it's efficiency.
The only way to determine the speed
satisfactorily as closely as this is to
use speed Indicator. If speed indi-
Gator was not furnished with the ma
chine, a good one can be purchased for
50 or less. One of these will last for
years, and will enable the thrasherman
to determine at any time the speeds at
which his machine is running.
A thrashing machine cannot be ex-
pected to do good work unless the belt
ing and pulleys are kept in good condi-
ton The speed at which the different
parts should run and the power re-
quired to drive them are carefully cal
culated.
The pulleys must be kept in line so
that the entire surface Of the belt will
run on them if all the power is to be
transmitted. Also the strain on belt
is much greater if it is allowed to pro-
iect over one side of a pulley, and
thus be pulled across the rim. A belt
will not stay on the pulleys unless the
shafts are parallel. If belt is too
loose, there win be a constant ten
dency for it to slip on the pulleys and
the parts which it drives will not have