Chopping corn & it's piling up

Just got a good start on chopping corn today after spending 1 1/2 days working on getting the chopper tuned up to give a good cut. I chopped 2 loads last night to make sure I had it set.

We were planning to start by filling the silo, but then after a little mis communication a bagger showed up without us being quite ready to go, which meant Dad hadn't rented the tractor we needed to run it. After useing our 285 on the bagger for the 1st 2 loads (We've done it before but it's SLOOOOOOW) Dad called the nieghbor to see if we could get their White 2-100. While we were having a family meal (brothers drove up from Madison and Plymouth) he came over with it and we were off to the races.

Last weekend we took 2 loads off just to give the girls something to eat, and today off the same 10 acre field I took another 8 loads and 2 more are standing on it. It was our last field we planted so we put in a shorter maturity corn (85 day vs 95 or 100) and it's still piling up. We've still got a long way to go and it looks like we're gonna need a second bag to make sure we can fit it all. This corn is up to and in some spots over the tractor's canopy. I took some outside rounds off another close by feild and it's well past the tractor and comes close to going over the wagon.

Great year here for us, even with the wind damage. So far a total of 13 loads off and we've only just begun....

Donovan from Wisconsin

Wow, you have enough moisture in the corn to chop it yet???? Been long over that here in southern MN, when we had the freeze it was all over, got a hot dry day with wind a week ago and it took the moisture right out of it. Now we've had so much south hot wind this week, took all the dry leaves off too, just stalks and ears left standing. Was fixing on the combine today, but I hear corn is in the teens for moisture, and even middle teens.

Sounds like it's working well for you. Always enjoy that smell when the neighbors make some.

--->Paul

No hard frosts yet, and it got planted later than normal due to wet spring. Also a pretty long maturity corn. Apparantly, this years gamble paid off.

The field I'm doing first was the last on planted but it's the driest due to the different seed. Still lots of moisture and green in the stalk though. I took pictures, but left the camera in my car.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Hi Don, we are chopping corn here too. But is slow going, down to one wagon as of Firday afternoon. Not sure just how, but my yougest son was hauling in wagons and some how broke the back wheel/axel on one wagon on the way in to the pit. 12 ton gear, and full of corn. What a mess, got it un loaded , and draged out of the way. So Sat. morning I started in after morning milking alone. I can do just a little better than 2 load an hour, but it is making an old man out of me. Didn't put silage corn in untill June 5, and with no frost it is just now getting dry enough to cut. I plant a silage type extra leafy corn and it is taller than the cab on my old 966. Always enjoy reading your post, as you and your Dad are farming in much the same fashion as my sons and I. Only real difference is I am the old man, and thaat feels wierd, I guess 50 is old. Got to go milknow, have a great day. Bruce

We had that happen to us a few years ago with one of our wagons, except I was still filling it in the field. The front spindle snapped off on the tandem and made instant scrap metal out of the back 1/2 of the gear. When we were done chopping I took it apart, and cut it all apart with the plasma cutter at work and had new steel ordered, and then welded up a new rear end for the running gear and used the old pipe and cross braces, and tandems after replacing the broken spindle.

Hey Don, I remember you having that problem and sharingall of those great repair photos with us. Just one question , it looks as though the tandams on your wagon, are on a fixed axle. Are wagon only has a sigle wheel,1000;20. So I was thinking, prehaps if we put back tandams on a walking axle would carry the load and handel the strees better. We have sometimes see when unloading (these are dump wagons) the front tires come off the ground before the silage starts to slide out. So prehaps rear tandams on a walking axle, would cure this too. What do you think? Bruce

The tandems do have some movement and we've never had them bottom out one way or the other that I know of. The problem with tandems is there is always so much stress on them while turning, espescially when the fields are damp but not greasy as then they sink in and don't slide like they would if it were really wet. If the fields are dry, they don't sink in so again not quite as much side stress.

I'd personally rather have an 8 bolt single rear axel running gear for most purposes under a chopper box, but those are pricey most of the time.

For your uses, can the back of the gears be slid back any more? gives them a larger turning radius, but it spreads the load better to the front.

Donovan from Wisconsin