[windchill]

LOL, that's like telling a drowning man just to hold his head up.

I know your trying to help so

OK, for those that misunderstand I see that I should be more clear. There is no problem with chaff/straw collection as far as being out of the ordinary. The engine compartment is VERY clean due to the excellent factory air direction.

I have a backpack blower that I use everyday under ordinary circumstances. In the very bad crops and hot days I blow it off as much as every 2 hoppers (yes really!) depending on the need. That is also understandable as pea and lentil dust on a windy hot day d**n near is self combustible.

The big problem is chaff and straw bits getting in behind the rotor, building up and starting on fire from rubbing on the housing wall or discharge housing or whatever you want to call it.
You cannot blow this off, you can't even see it. I have had it built up in there bad enough that the rotor does not freewheel when given a push by hand. With help it takes me a couple hours at least to get that completely cleaned out.
I am not the only one as I have walked into a couple dealers scrap piles and looked at the rear of some rotors.

I really don't want to have to prove and defend myself to every one that my combine is a fire bug and that I'm not a few bricks short of a load maintenance wise.
All I was looking for was some "been there done that" guys and what they did to remedy it. some advice related to the specific problem. The topic started off pretty good

For the green blood guys, I am not bashing on the combine. I really like it other than the fires. That's a big issue though!
It fits my needs and does well for me.

However when the dealers and deere completely ignore my problem it has got me to the point that I would love to send them a picture of my new "not green" combine telling them "never mind I fixed the problem."
While that would be satisfying and maybe the best option i realize that they could care less. Only thing hurt would be my wallet. So I'm out to protect my wallet and drive a green and black combine for now.

If you've read this far sorry for the novel

 

[southern72]

Hey Do not worry too much about what some people have to say it gets pretty frustrating. These forums are quite useful but you do have to weed through some posts some time. It seems like some people are invincible super heroes, but karma does eventually catch up to those people. It is just like when you are talking to those cocky drivers that are by far the best on the road everyone else is morons to them but I think it says something about the intelligence level of the person and they will find out some day accidents happen to even superstars like themselves.

As far as your problem goes you are far from the only person having it. It seems very common on certain machines. What makes those certain machines different from the next is a mystery. I would really like to know what happens in your case. I took the cover off one of my machines yesterday to try and see for myself how the problem occurs and have been thinking ever since. Is there a possibility that there are differences in how far the rotor on individual machines are located in comparison to the rear wall? If you wish measure the distance of yours and I can do mine on Monday. Take it from the very outer edge of the Flange on the rear of the rotor, to the wall. I hope I am explaining this measurement so you understand me but if not ask for clarification and I will try again.

 

[jd95guy]

LOL, that's like telling a drowning man just to hold his head up.

I know your trying to help so

OK, for those that misunderstand I see that I should be more clear. There is no problem with chaff/straw collection as far as being out of the ordinary. The engine compartment is VERY clean due to the excellent factory air direction.

I have a backpack blower that I use everyday under ordinary circumstances. In the very bad crops and hot days I blow it off as much as every 2 hoppers (yes really!) depending on the need. That is also understandable as pea and lentil dust on a windy hot day d**n near is self combustible.

The big problem is chaff and straw bits getting in behind the rotor, building up and starting on fire from rubbing on the housing wall or discharge housing or whatever you want to call it.
You cannot blow this off, you can't even see it. I have had it built up in there bad enough that the rotor does not freewheel when given a push by hand. With help it takes me a couple hours at least to get that completely cleaned out.
I am not the only one as I have walked into a couple dealers scrap piles and looked at the rear of some rotors.

I really don't want to have to prove and defend myself to every one that my combine is a fire bug and that I'm not a few bricks short of a load maintenance wise.
All I was looking for was some "been there done that" guys and what they did to remedy it. some advice related to the specific problem. The topic started off pretty good

For the green blood guys, I am not bashing on the combine. I really like it other than the fires. That's a big issue though!
It fits my needs and does well for me.

However when the dealers and deere completely ignore my problem it has got me to the point that I would love to send them a picture of my new "not green" combine telling them "never mind I fixed the problem."
While that would be satisfying and maybe the best option i realize that they could care less. Only thing hurt would be my wallet. So I'm out to protect my wallet and drive a green and black combine for now.

If you've read this far sorry for the novel


If its a huge known problem, how come our combines or the ones in my neighborhood haven't burned up from straw wrapping around the rotor. I assumed everybody blew their combines off but after reading someone not blowing their 2388s off in this thread I had to ask. There has been 2 50 series that burned up around here but those fires were caused by static electricity up on top of the fuel tank near the battery and computer box. Noticed JD moved those 2 things down by the right rear tire so if they ever did spark it wouldn't start the fuel on fire.

 

[jdtech101]

not sure what is wrong with your dealer their i work for one in arkansas and i had a customer with the sam problem in soybeans only and you could walk behind him at night and watch the smoldering crop come out we talked with or deere rep and i took rotor out and put the bondo in and deere payed for it and it hadnt started on fire again yet. it didnt make sense to us either thier fix but we will see how long it last back their.

 

[himarker]

I havent heard of or had first hand experience with rotor fires. I work for deere, and around here we farm dryland hillside wheat. Not a lot of wrapping happening. I have pulled apart some rotors during overhauls and seen some buildup behind the rotor, more specifically around the output shaft of the rotor gearbox. i have heard of the "bondo" trick and heard mixed results. Personally i wouldnt do it due to the fact of rotor imbalance, especially if a chunk of that stuff falls out. If it was mine, i would make sure that the 3 strips of metal (looks like 3/8" keystock) is smooth and does not have sharp ends(crop will grab and begin to wrap). Also make sure that you do not have too much of a gap between your rear bulkhead and the rear of the rotor body. Thats my $.02, hope it helps

himarker

 

[simmo]

Hi guys Im new here but last year we had a lot of fires when harvesting lentils. We were having trouble with fires starting on the front of the motor in a 9760. I ended up mounting a camera and watching chaff build up on a ledge under the exhaust manifold touch it then start blowing off. It would start fires on the gearcase, step by the toolbox or any spot that held chaff on the front of the motor.
I would go down wind and have no problems but as soon as i went into the wind the chaff would suck up the right hand side and come threw the radiator and build up, i could see it on the monitor every time.
We had the 9760 for 5 years and had fire problems the last 2, which was also when we got an portable air compressor and started blowing it down everyday.
The local deere dealer also pulled out 2 or 3 rotors out of 60s an 70s because fires were starting in there as well. I think there was a ledge in the back which they filled in to make it either flat slightly sloping so nothing built up in there which did the job.
Was a shocking couple of weeks to get lentils off , bout 2 weeks straight 37c so most people were going at night and first thing in the morning. There were fires on J deeres starting in discharge beaters, under the floor above fuel tanks, on the choppers steps, motors, and rotors. Some people i heard were blowing then off every run up and back.
I was bout every hour depending on the view threw the camera an how much was on the motor.
Fires were touching the red ones too with one 8120 burning down.
But when we were back on wheat or barley no one had any problems at all.

So I reckon sometimes no matter how careful you are in the right (or wrong)conditions every color can burn

Cheers Simmo

 

[screamin9860974]

We had the same problem with our 06 9860, our dealer did the bondo and it lasted for about 250 hours then started catching on fire again. Just get a new rotor

 

[Don Boles]

Which is different how so?

Don

 

[thor1ststech]

I have removed a couple rotors because of fires. One was that Deere had the rotor too close to the rear wall and nothing could get out once it built up tight and the other had about 80 feet of wire wrapped in it. You couldn't imagine how tight it was wrapped. Wish I would have taken pictures but the customer was right there on my butt to get it out the door.

 

[hopeless]

We have a '06 9760sts with numerous smoldering/burning ember issues the last couple of years and it didn't matter what the crop was. This was a custom cutter combine its first year of life...farmer owned the 2nd year and ours now for years 3 and 4. We would get smoke and embers so bad coming out around the rear of the rotor inside (when we removed the black "triangle" cover plate and also alot of smoke and embers coming out around the gear box that drives the rotor (outside of the rotor cage). Our local JD dealer said to get an air hose and start blowing out the chaff that has accumulated around the gear box of the rotor (you won't even be able to see this chaff but it's "hiding" in and around the gear box). He said after you have blown for and hour.....blow for another hour!!!! This sounds rediculous but that is what we did and I know we blew chaff out of there that was from the custom run 4 years prior. We have had zero problems since doing this. To speed up the removal of the chaff...instead of chasing it from one side of the gear box cavity to the other.....I put a 1" shop vac hose in the one side of the cavity and blow into the opposite side of the cavity with the air hose...and then switch sides and repeat and repeat and repeat....
It sounds like your smoke and embers are coming from inside the rotor.....but when everything got hot back there.....the result was....we had embers and smoke inside the rotor cage too. Hope this makes sense and helps...we have had no worries since.......Happy Harvest.

 

[hhsmd8330]

what crops was this happening in mostly?

 

[gopherchoker]

there is a actual fix as fail kit available from deere. tell your dealer to enter a dtac case.

 

[gopherchoker]

also it DOES NOT involve bondo. if bondoed bondo has to be removed

 

[syphon1]

I was at a deere combine clinic a few weeks ago and the service guy there acknowledged that there were problems with rotor fires, especially in peas. He recommended running the rotor about 100 rpm faster than the normal settings and the concave a bit tighter so the crop moves through the machine faster. Also there are discharge beater speedup kits available from other manufacturers that help.

Had a 9860 sts catch fire twice in the same day last week doing peas so we tried what he recomended plus we installed a speedup kit from precision and it seems to help. haven't had it catch fire since. hope it stays that way.

 

[bussard]

we have had a few sts go up with this same problem, local insurance companys have special high risk premiums for deere sts, if you buy the case, you dont have to blow it off every day and get the crop in a week eailer with less losses..... no braINER

 

[deaner]

what if you moved the rotor forward a bit so that there is room for the crop to get out when it gets in?

 

[syphon1]

I think if you move the rotor forward your're just giving the trash more room to get in.

We had the inspection cover off the back of the rotor and it looks like the inside of the rear wall of the rotor is tapered inward. The wall behind the rotor (that holds the gearbox) is tapered to match the inside cone of the rotor. It seems the trash builds up between those tapered parts and catches fire. We forced a thin metal air nozzle (1/8 -3/16) between the rotor and the back wall and blew it out while turning the rotor. you would be surprised at how much crap came out of there.

 

[screamin9860974]

There's a groove on the back of the rotor the keeps it from throwing that dust out, it eventually packs in there and catches on fire, especially in low rpm applications or very dusty situations. We had this problem on am 06 9860. The local dealer pulled the rotor and filled the groove with bondo or something similar and it lasted for about 600 hrs. We were able to finish the last 100 acres last year without having to pull the rotor again. I'm not sure what was done to do fix the problem this year, I no longer work on that farm.

 

[kthwht1680]

If you go to a certain salvage dealer in Kansas, they have 3 burnt John Deere combines fenced off so no one will bother them. When I asked why they were fenced off they said the were owned by an insurance company who was taking on John Deere. They thought the had to many that had caught fire to easy and the insurance company had decided they had paid for to many of them.

 

[sam1]

Had the same problem in peas. we put a speed up kit on to the discharge beater. Precision sells it all it is is a smaller pulley and a shorter belt. It started to smolder after that only once but it took just about all day where before it did it right off the get go and every half hour. we also got in in behind the rotor with a very thin extension on a blow gun and really cleaned it out there was lots of packed dirt in there and it's been good so far no more throwing flames.