Combines Direct Cutting Canola

[Big_Truck]

We use the Claas Vario head (don't know if its available with the Cat) where the sickle_pan can be pushed out by Hydraulic rams past the reel so as to minimise shatter loss.100% of our Canola here in N.Ireland is direct cut after spraying off with Ryglone,Don't know how you guy's justify the extra expense of swather_pick-up head not to mention the manpower_extra diesel!!!

 

[John_W]

Harvesting winter canola_winter rape is apt to be a real adventure, especially if it gets big and tall. The stalks stay nice and juicy and the branches of the plants get tangled together and are tough to feed. You need to use the reel to shove the crop into the header auger and then the reel shatter out the pods. Shatter losses can be terrible under some conditions. The canola in Canada is a spring crop and it is usually much smaller than a winter crop grown with good moisture conditions. They also usually swath it and combine it using a pick-up header. There is a German farmer that regularly posts on NewAgTalk who grows this crop and he has posted pictures or his canola_rape header. The sickle and platform is extended forward over a foot and so that the header is under the crop when the reel hit it. A vertical sickle is also used on the end of the header to get the cut crop to separate from the standing crop. Post on NewAgTalk or look for "Countryman". From what I know I would guess that a draper would be much better than an auger header because it is tough to get the auger to grab the crop and auger it to the center. You will probably need an auger or beater on top of the header over the feeder house to stuff the crop into the combine. This is fun stuff. Swathing before combining is a much easier way to do things.

 

[ndh]

Here in ND we cut alot of mustard with draper heads, which is a similar crop to canloa. Actually in Canada we have had a few farmers try drapers and it has worked ok. Shatter is an issue with canloa, especially at that stage. But the drapers do catch alot of the loss. One of my customers this year is going to try 15 acres here in ND of straight cutting canola. I wanna see first hand how it works before I say "it works" for sure.

 

[downunder]

I direct head my canola last season with a 36' Honey bee you will need the auger option to help it feed under center reel surport and hold it down on the center feed belt and get under the feed auger. I did lose seed by it being drag under the out side belts from the center you stop most of this by only heading in the cool of the morning or at night. Spraying also helps to marture crop so it all ready at the same time. In the future I'll windrow my crops.

 

[860rook]

There is a specialized header made for direct cutting canola. http:__biso.at.server153-han.server-routing.com_newengine_prog_SiteVorschau.phpIJid=160andtype=produktandproduktid=6 THe unit is out of germany. the link is from the great britain website distributor. there is a fella in Manitoba that now distributing for Western Canada and the U.S. i believe. Wheatland Conservation Area at Swift Current Sask is doing some research trials with it this fall, also comparing stripper header ability with oilseeds.

 

[Big_Al]

Hey Big Truck don't go critizing how we harvest canola here in Canada. Shatter is a huge issue so you swath the canola when it is still very green. You have a swath roller to push the wind row into the stubble and it then can cure out in the swath. Just because you straight cut canola in Northern Ireland doesn't make it the only way to harvest canola in the world. In fact you are probably still growing rape seed. Canola is a much better yielding hybrid of the old rapeseed. We have farmers here in western Canada who farm more acres then probably the entire size of your Northern Ireland.

 

[NCOKMatt]

I thought I would mention, in case anyone was interested, why we are looking at direct cutting canola. Winter canola is a new crop to our area (seed was available in limited quantities this past year),thus the investment in equipment to swath and pick it back up is not yet warrented. There is also concern about the weather conditions at harvest. With the high temperatures and low humidity we experience in late May early June there is concern over green seed. Under these conditions we are worried that the plants in the windrow will have insufficient moisture for the seed to properly mature.

 

[CNHTEK]

the truth of the matter is neither would really make any difference, the only header loss would be from the reel once the seed hits the header the crop mass will carry the crop along with it into the combine. The only exeption might be in a honeybee header where there is an open area arround the center draper. loss from the reel can be drastically cut down by desicating the crop before harvest.

 

[Big_Truck]

Big Al, Please point me out in my post where I criticised Canadian farmersIJ The word was "justify" not "criticised"!!! Anyway, we'll keep buying our lexions_MF with the Vario_powerflow headers to cut our "lower yielding" oilseeds and you keep buying your Case AF with the rigid header as well as needing a pick-up header and a trailed_self-propelled swather for your "higher yielding" Canola!!!!! As for your statement about N.Ireland farming can you name me the farmers in Canada who are farming 3.33 million acresIJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big_Al]

I stand corrected thanks for the geography lesson I did not know Northern Ireland had that much grain producing ground. Take Care