New idea corn picker experts needed

[nc460]

New idea 323 picker is about to be the end of me. It started off not wanting to pop the ear off the stalk, it would just break the top of the stalk off with the ear. I welded up the "pockets" and shaped them with a carbide burr. That solved the top of the stalk breaking issue. Then it wasn't wanting to pull the stalk all of the way down through the snapping rolls. So at the suggestion of past threads on here I added some rough spattery welds on the top section of the snapping rolls. The stalks fly through the snapping rolls now, but fodder and the brittle stalk tops builds up under the snapping rolls and wont clear out. If i stop every round or two I can reach under and pull it out with minimal effort. If left unchecked it will build up all the way out to the end of the snapping rolls and nothing can come in at that point. So I added some texture weld and spatter to the lower section of the snapping rolls hoping to have the stalk pulled through faster. We'll that didnt change anything. So I dont know what to do now. Tried head high, head low, faster, slower, pto speed and half speed, dry, after a drizzle and nothing seems to change anything. Corn is canopy high, 30 inch rows, 30k population. How do i fix it

 

[flying belgian]

New idea 323 picker is about to be the end of me. It started off not wanting to pop the ear off the stalk, it would just break the top of the stalk off with the ear. I welded up the "pockets" and shaped them with a carbide burr. That solved the top of the stalk breaking issue. Then it wasn't wanting to pull the stalk all of the way down through the snapping rolls. So at the suggestion of past threads on here I added some rough spattery welds on the top section of the snapping rolls. The stalks fly through the snapping rolls now, but fodder and the brittle stalk tops builds up under the snapping rolls and wont clear out. If i stop every round or two I can reach under and pull it out with minimal effort. If left unchecked it will build up all the way out to the end of the snapping rolls and nothing can come in at that point. So I added some texture weld and spatter to the lower section of the snapping rolls hoping to have the stalk pulled through faster. We'll that didnt change anything. So I dont know what to do now. Tried head high, head low, faster, slower, pto speed and half speed, dry, after a drizzle and nothing seems to change anything. Corn is canopy high, 30 inch rows, 30k population. How do i fix itView attachment 167263View attachment 167264

Been a long time since I picked corn with the New Idea. Some varieties of corn are just harder to pick then others. Might have to wait until a hard freeze. That's a lot of corn going through that thing. Maybe try going slower yet.

 

[Paul swpa]

I take it you have tried adjusting the rolls with the lever in the back? Other than ground speed changes, not much else can be done I think, though it has been awhile since I did much ear picking either. If most of the ears are as high as looks in picture I would run as high as practical so less stalk to get through the rolls. Also PTO speed can make a difference, we never ran at 540 rpm. Our tractor 540 PTO was at 2100 or 2200 engine rpm and mostly ran around 1500-1800 engine rpm as an example. Some years it could be a struggle 30" row at 32,000 population.

 

[rrlund]

Unfortunately those pickers just weren't made for corn like that. Too much trash. You'll probably have to wait until the weather defoliates it more, but then you'll have a nightmare of a time with stalks breaking off and piling up in the primary elevator. Next year you might want to plant a variety with shorter stalks and plant a little thinner plant population. I was just thinking yesterday that I've been real lucky so far this year that everything is going through.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

New idea 323 picker is about to be the end of me. It started off not wanting to pop the ear off the stalk, it would just break the top of the stalk off with the ear. I welded up the "pockets" and shaped them with a carbide burr. That solved the top of the stalk breaking issue. Then it wasn't wanting to pull the stalk all of the way down through the snapping rolls. So at the suggestion of past threads on here I added some rough spattery welds on the top section of the snapping rolls. The stalks fly through the snapping rolls now, but fodder and the brittle stalk tops builds up under the snapping rolls and wont clear out. If i stop every round or two I can reach under and pull it out with minimal effort. If left unchecked it will build up all the way out to the end of the snapping rolls and nothing can come in at that point. So I added some texture weld and spatter to the lower section of the snapping rolls hoping to have the stalk pulled through faster. We'll that didnt change anything. So I dont know what to do now. Tried head high, head low, faster, slower, pto speed and half speed, dry, after a drizzle and nothing seems to change anything. Corn is canopy high, 30 inch rows, 30k population. How do i fix itView attachment 167263View attachment 167264

We used to go 4 MPH and rated PTO speed in 36 inch rows. Plugging up under the rolls sounds like a variety/condition issue.

 

[Loosehandle]

Modern corn is tough, old style rollers just dont like it.

 

[m16ty]

I think it’s more your corn than your picker. I’ve got a 1 row New Idea (don’t recall the model) and I’ve never had it plug underneath like that. My only advice would be to maybe slow your ground and PTO speed down, give it time to clear out before more stalks come in behind it.

 

[nc460]

Unfortunately those pickers just weren't made for corn like that. Too much trash. You'll probably have to wait until the weather defoliates it more, but then you'll have a nightmare of a time with stalks breaking off and piling up in the primary elevator. Next year you might want to plant a variety with shorter stalks and plant a little thinner plant population. I was just thinking yesterday that I've been real lucky so far this year that everything is going through.

I cant really wait, its starting to blow some down. I cant risk losing it all. The picker has the optional primary elevator paddle, i had that exact scenario last year. I keep wanting a shorter corn. Told the seed guy and he said to try this, it was a grain variety and ended up being bigger than most silage corn around here. If you have a good variety number for ear pickers id love to know. I fight this fight every year. How early can a guy start picking? 18 percent moisture, 20 percent?

 

[rrlund]

I cant really wait, its starting to blow some down. I cant risk losing it all. The picker has the optional primary elevator paddle, i had that exact scenario last year. I keep wanting a shorter corn. Told the seed guy and he said to try this, it was a grain variety and ended up being bigger than most silage corn around here. If you have a good variety number for ear pickers id love to know. I fight this fight every year. How early can a guy start picking? 18 percent moisture, 20 percent?

You're OK with 20 as long as you have good ventilation in the crib. I've cribbed way wetter than that. Do you have any Amish or Mennonoites selling seed corn where you are? I get mine from a Mennonite. He used to get Masters Choice for me, now Red Bird. I'd have to look I up to find the variety. Even then, the weather is a bigger factor. Two years ago, I would have laid $1000 in somebody's hand if they could have fixed the problem if trash breaking off and laying between the rolls on my 325. I finally hooked on with a tractor that I don't normally pick with to get a speed that worked better. I didn't say it worked, period, it was just less frustrating than picking with the one I normally use. Still plugged, just not as often.

 

[flying belgian]

I cant really wait, its starting to blow some down. I cant risk losing it all. The picker has the optional primary elevator paddle, i had that exact scenario last year. I keep wanting a shorter corn. Told the seed guy and he said to try this, it was a grain variety and ended up being bigger than most silage corn around here. If you have a good variety number for ear pickers id love to know. I fight this fight every year. How early can a guy start picking? 18 percent moisture, 20 percent?

Depends on the crib. We had a pair of 6 ft cribs 75 ft long. We could put 22% corn in them with no problem.

 

[rrlund]

There've been years when I've threatened to set fire to a field to burn off the leaves. I had one catch fire one time and it was the darndest looking thing you ever saw. It left the stalks standing with bare ears. Not even a husk, let alone a leaf.

 

[NY 986]

Depends on the crib. We had a pair of 6 ft cribs 75 ft long. We could put 22% corn in them with no problem.

The winters are warmer and more humid where he is versus the upper Midwest. 22 percent would be too much and under 20 percent would be preferable.

 

[paul]

Dad was in charge of things way back when, so the details are a bit fuzzy…

But we had a year like that. We didn’t plant that variety of corn again.

Paul