Are you ready for harvest?
The key message heading into harvest is simple: prepare the machine, measure the losses and keep checking as conditions change.
Harvest is one of the most important and time-critical periods of the farming year. After months of managing a crop to optimise yield, getting the harvester set up correctly can make a significant difference to how much grain makes it into the bin.
At the recent GRDC Harvester Set-Up Workshop at Moorlands, growers worked through practical ways to prepare for harvest, with a focus on reducing harvest losses, improving harvester efficiency and capacity, and getting the most from harvest weed seed control (HWSC).
The workshop also covered practical approaches to measuring losses, reducing harvester fire risk and managing harvest operations.
With harvest approaching, it is a good time to work through the key areas that can be checked before the header enters the paddock.
Start with the harvester, not the paddock
Harvester set-up is about more than simply entering crop-specific settings into the machine.
Before harvest, take the time to inspect the machine and front, check wear, and make sure everything is operating as it should.
The front of the machine is an important place to start. Worn knives and guards, incorrect cutter-bar settings, or poor feeding can all contribute to losses before the crop even enters the harvester.
Check:
- knives and guards for wear and damage
- cutter-bar condition and height
- belts, chains, bearings and moving components
- feeder house and crop-flow components
- augers and fingers
- seals and doors
- sieves and cleaning components
- sensors and loss-monitoring systems
- fire suppression equipment and extinguishers.
The GRDC Harvester Set-Up Guide provides a useful starting point for working through harvester settings and identifying where losses are occurring: Harvester set-up guide – GRDC
Don’t guess your harvest losses, measure them
One of the key messages from the harvester workshop is simple: you can’t manage what you don’t measure.
Loss monitors can be useful for identifying changes in machine performance, but physical checks on the ground are still important for calibrating and validating what the machine is telling you.
A practical approach is to:
- Measure losses early in harvest
- Identify where the losses are occurring
- Make one change at a time
- Measure again
- Record what worked for the crop and conditions
- Continue checking as conditions change
Crop type, grain moisture, yield, crop structure, ground speed and weather conditions can all affect harvester performance. A setting that works well in one paddock may not be the right setting in another.
GRDC resources include a Harvest Loss Calculator and practical videos demonstrating how to measure losses behind the harvester:
Harvest Loss Calculator – GRDC
Harvester Forum: Part 1/8 | Understanding harvest loss and how to measure it
Take a closer look at the front
The header front is the first point of contact between the machine and the crop, making front losses an important part of the harvest equation.
Check the condition of knives and guards before harvest and replace worn components where required.
A worn cutting system can affect how cleanly the crop is cut and gathered, potentially contributing to losses and reducing feeding performance.
It is also worth considering whether the front is appropriately set up for the crop and conditions. Crop height, density, lodging and uneven terrain can all influence how effectively the front gathers the crop.
The GRDC Harvester Set-Up Guide provides a useful starting point for working through harvester front set-up and operating techniques to reduce grain loss in the front: Harvester set-up guide – GRDC
Think about capacity as well as losses
Minimising losses is important, but harvest efficiency is about more than simply getting every grain into the bin.
A harvester that is continually overloaded, blocked or operating below its potential capacity can increase harvest time and costs.
Think about the balance between: Ground speed + crop flow + grain loss + grain quality + fuel use + machine capacity.
Changing one setting can have flow-on effects elsewhere in the machine. For example, increasing ground speed may improve capacity but can also increase losses if the machine cannot process the additional crop effectively.
The goal is to find a practical operating point where the machine is performing efficiently without creating unacceptable grain loss or damage.
Make harvest fire prevention part of harvest preparations
Harvester fires can damage machinery, destroy crops and infrastructure, and put people at risk. Therefore, fire prevention needs to be part of the pre-harvest checklist, not something considered once harvest has started.
Dust, chaff and crop residue can build up around hot components, while mechanical or bearing failures can provide an ignition source. Dust and trash build-up, and bearing failures, are major contributors to harvester fires. The frequency of clean downs may need to increase in dusty crops or conditions.
Before harvest:
- clean down the harvester thoroughly
- check for dust and residue build-up, particularly around hot components
- inspect bearings and moving parts
- check belts, chains and other components for wear
- make sure guards and covers are correctly fitted
- check fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems
- have a plan for what to do if a fire starts
- monitor the machine regularly during harvest.
The GRDC Back Pocket Guide includes tips on how to reduce the risk of harvest fires and how to recognise what can cause harvest fires: Reducing harvest fires: The Back Pocket Guide – GRDC
Make the first paddock a test run
The first few hours of harvest are an opportunity to check whether the machine is performing as expected.
Rather than setting the machine once and leaving it for the season, use the first paddock to establish a baseline. Check. Measure. Adjust. Check again.
As crop conditions change throughout harvest, continue to monitor performance and make adjustments where necessary.
A simple pre-harvest checklist
Before heading into the first paddock, ask:
Machine
- Is the harvester serviced and mechanically sound?
- Are knives, guards and other wearing components in good condition?
- Have bearings, belts and chains been checked?
- Are loss monitors and sensors working?
Front
- Is the front correctly set up for the crop?
- Are knives and guards in good condition?
Losses
- Do we have a way to physically measure grain loss?
- Do we know where to look for front and rear losses?
- Will we check losses again when crops or conditions change?
Fire
- Has the machine been thoroughly cleaned down?
- Have hot spots, bearings and moving components been checked?
- Are fire extinguishers and suppression systems ready and working?
- Is there a clear response plan for a harvester fire?
The key message heading into harvest is simple: prepare the machine, measure the losses and keep checking as conditions change.
More resources
The GRDC Harvest Resources hub brings together information on harvest preparation, harvest losses, fire prevention, harvest weed seed control, logistics and other harvest topics.
Useful resources include:
- GRDC Harvest Resources
- GRDC Harvester Set-Up Guide – Optimising Harvest Losses
- GRDC Harvester Forum – Understanding harvest loss and how to measure it
- GRDC Reducing Harvester Fires – Back Pocket Guide
- Front loss reduction – Kojonup GRDC Harvester Forum
- New vs Old Knives and Guards – MacDon
- Harvest Loss Calculator
