Combineing legume seed

Rob30 · #1 07/14/12, 05:56 AM

I am interested in any info people have about combining red/white clover and trefoil seed. I have an antique combine (massey 35). It have a seed cleaner/ seperator attachment that I was told could be used for legume seed. I am not planning to sell seed just useing it to overseed pastures. I would also like to do a grass seed mix if I get a really clean pasture.
I know most people have fancy new combines, but people were taking off seed in the 50s when my combine was built. So how did they do it?

geo in mi · #2 07/14/12, 07:06 AM

You will need to find a manual for the MH 35 combine. Don't know how the Massey is set up, but the Allis-Chalmers had a spinning cylinder with beater bars that dashed the seeds of various grains against a set of beater bars in a stationary--but up and down adjustable--concave part. The combination of number of bars, the clearance between the cylinder and concave, and the speed of the spinning cylinder was different for each kind of grain seed to be harvested.

Also, the grain sieves, or screens, were different for each type of griain being threshed. They had different size holes in them which allowed the seed to drop through, while the stems and chaff went on out the end of the chute. also, the manual will give instructions for that, as well as some idea of fan speed to set to blow out chaff without blowing out the seed.....

This may help: Amazon.com: Massey Ferguson Massey Harris 35 Self Propelled Combine Operators Manual: Massey Ferguson Manuals: Books You don't say if yours is the self propelled, or PTO version....

That's why the A-C was called the "All Crop". The Massey will be similar, but will have a set of instructions. Hope this will help.

geo

Molly Mckee · #3 07/14/12, 09:49 AM

Many of those old combines put almost as much on the ground as they harvested, but for what you want to do it might work.

oneokie · #4 07/14/12, 12:25 PM

Not familiar with the MH seed cleaner attachment. JD had an addon small seed cleaner that was mounted in the grain tank. An extension was added to the clean grain elevator to raise it to where it would feed the small seed attachment. That attachment used screens with different sized and shaped holes to allow the desired seed to fall through and be bagged.

IIRC, that attachment was made by Hart-Carter. An internet search may turn up informaton.

From personal experience, cutting and windrowing the crop to allow it to dry is the best way to go. Direct combining can be a pain due to uneven moisture content in the crop.

ETA: A start; http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=hart-carter+scour+kleen&gbv=2&oq=hart+carter+s&gs_l=hp.1.2.0i30l3j0i8i30.1672.10984.0.16437.19.15.2.0.0.0.1282.4250.3-3j1j0j2j1.7.0...0.0...1c.CRHBC5B0zoo

poorboy · #5 07/14/12, 01:59 PM

Knew a fella back in the 70's what had a big Oliver with cab that he harvested grain with..he also had a very nice old AC pull type just setting in the corner of his large quonset equipment shed..hit him up about selling me the Allis and he jist grinned and led me over to a pallet of red clover seed..
he dipped out a handfull of seed and showed it to me.."see how clean it is" This ole Allis does such a clean job that i don't have to do any further cleaning on it..Don't use it but about every Two years and that'll pay it's keep as long as I'm farming"

ksfarmer · #6 07/14/12, 04:54 PM

Combined alfalfa seed one time with a MF 300 combine. I cut it standing, but probably windrowing to dry would be best, if you have a pick up head. I had a lot of hulls and trash but took it to a seed cleaner and ended up with a lot of clean alfalfa seed. I ran the cleanings through a fertilizer spreader onto a field and there was enough seed in the cleanings to get a very good stand of alfalfa. Sold the clean seed for a tidy profit.
As best I remember, I had to close the cylinder as much as possible, close the seives as tight as possible and cut back on the air. I'm sure I lost a lot of seed, but got a lot too.

big rockpile · #7 07/14/12, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneokie

Not familiar with the MH seed cleaner attachment. JD had an addon small seed cleaner that was mounted in the grain tank. An extension was added to the clean grain elevator to raise it to where it would feed the small seed attachment. That attachment used screens with different sized and shaped holes to allow the desired seed to fall through and be bagged.

IIRC, that attachment was made by Hart-Carter. An internet search may turn up informaton.

From personal experience, cutting and windrowing the crop to allow it to dry is the best way to go. Direct combining can be a pain due to uneven moisture content in the crop.

ETA: A start; hart-carter scour kleen - Google Search

Drying is the way to go,Clover seed will still seem not dry enough but it should be ok if you use it this Late Summer or Fall.

big rockpile

Rob30 · #8 07/14/12, 08:12 PM

I am not trying to sell the seed. I want to use all the seed for over seeding my hay fields and pastures. Even if it does not clean up perfect I wilol add the seed to my manure when I spread it. Ideally I would like it to be clean enough to spread with a fertilizer spreader.

oneokie · #9 07/14/12, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob30

I am not trying to sell the seed. I want to use all the seed for over seeding my hay fields and pastures. Even if it does not clean up perfect I wilol add the seed to my manure when I spread it. Ideally I would like it to be clean enough to spread with a fertilizer spreader.

What kind of fertilizer spreader? A hitch mounted pto powered? A pull behind with the drag chain like is used for dry fertilizer? A manure spreader?

For use of the last 2, your seed will not have to be very clean.

ETA: If you have access to one of the spreaders used for dry fertilizer, personal experience says to have the spreader on site and empty the combine tank into the spreader and spread the seed right then. There will be enough green material in what you combine to cause it to heat in a hurry. It does not take much heat to kill the germination of most types of seeds.

Rob30 · #10 07/14/12, 10:11 PM

Thanks that is good to knosw. I am planning to use both a manure spreader and a cyclone type 3pth fertilizer spreader.

rambler · #11 07/15/12, 02:52 AM

Swath the clover into a windrow. Wait 5 or so dry days. Combine.

The combine nees the right screens, the right settings, basically everything as tight and small as you can make it. The wind you have to play with, small seed but heavy for it's side, so lower wind but more than you'd think.

Be sure the seed is dry enough, that's why you windrow it, let the plant dry down so there are no wet bits in it.

If you have the 'seed cleaner' attachment thing on the combine: Those actually clean out tiny weed seeds from your good grain. In this case, you will want to keep the small seeds, and 'throw away' the bigger stuff that will fall into the combine grain tank. Depends on how the cleaner is set up, but you might be catching the weed portion as that is where the cleaner seed will come out.

Then a fanning mill will clean the seed good. You would need the right screens. a fanning mill is basically the combine all over again, in small scale, and you get to micro-manage the settings and you start out with a semi-cleaned seed from the combine so you can get it super clean.

--->Paul

bruce2288 · #12 07/15/12, 11:00 AM

After combining clover seed, take care that it does not heat. Spread in swallow layer on a concrete floor, or sstir and aerate often.