Combine Header Threshes As It Cuts

Combine Header Threshes As It Cuts COMBINES Headers 32-2-17 A friend of ours in England who regularly scouts out new products recently sent us photos of a new combine header that cuts, threshes, and chops all at the same time. The Eyre header was invented by agricultural engineer Bob Eyre from Alford, Lincolnshire. At first glance the 25-ft. wide unit looks like a deeper-than-normal header. In fact, the reel, sicklebar, and belt-type table are off-the-shelf units. But the header has a full-width drum and straw chopper behind the sicklebar and table, where the feeder auger normally would be. Threshed grain drops into a pair of small bottom augers which move the grain to the center of the table. From there, a set of rubber "flickers" moves the grain into the combine for cleaning. Right behind the drum is a full-width rotor with swinging knives that chops the straw and drops it onto the ground. So instead of feeding all the crop material from a 25-ft. swath into a 5-ft. wide feederhouse, the crop feeds evenly into the 25-ft. wide threshing drum. Eyre says having a full-width drum and chopper avoids bottlenecks and requires a lot less power while boosting productivity. The only things that can't be done on the header are sieving the grain, but Eyre has already patented plans for that side of the operation. Though the Eyre header isn't likely to go on sale for two years, Eyre plans to test the prototype header extensively on farms next summer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert J. Eyre, Chester Spring Sloothby, Alford, Lincolnshire, England LN13 9NS; ph 011 44 0 1507 463 123; fax 44 0 1507 463127; sales @eyreheader.co.uk; www.eyreheader.co.uk).

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