stop Sickle Plugging
when harvesting soybeans

The most common cause of sickle plugging is having too small of sickles a.k.a. “snake heads” installed on the bean platform. In higher-residue or no-till environments, these smaller sickles are likely to plug, preventing the flow of residue. For this reason, Marion recommends installing 3-inch sickle bars on the bean platform.  In performance comparisons between the CASE IH head with 3inch sickles and the Deere header with 2inches between snake heads the wider sickle spacing prevents plugging.  

Choose the Widest Sickle Distance to Reduce Plugging

soybean sickle plugging illustrated
soybean sickle plugging illustrated

Can a draper head solve the issue?

Symptoms of auger-fed platforms:

  • Bunching up of soybean plants on the sickles in front of an auger-fed platform late in the evening or in damp/dewy conditions
  • Excessive shatter loss at the head

Marion’s Tip: Draper heads perform better than auger-fed platforms in all conditions.

Troubleshooting checklist
for SOYBEAN Harvesting

Click any item to watch the video of Marion talking through the combine tune up tips

Problem Description

steps to correct problem 

Video Tutorial

Cracked soybeans

Increase rotor speed until the first cracked soybean appears in the grain tank, the slowdown by 10 RPM. 

Field Fire

Start harvesting on the downwind side of the field. This helps spread straw away from the uncut soybeans in case of fire. 

Foreign Material in Grain Tank

This could be caused by improper adjustments with the top or bottom sieve, fan speed or transport vanes. Watch our videos to diagnose the culprit. 

Horsepower Loss/drain

For Case IH combines, adjust the transport vanes to the advanced position (bottom of the vane facing forward). 

Material Congested at Head

Likely related to cross auger adjustment on auger-fed platforms, ensure clearance is set to 1/16-inch between the flighting and tray. 

Pre-Header Loss

Synchronize reel speed to ground speed so that the reel runs at 10 times ground speed. For example, if ground speed is 4 MPH, reel speed should turning at approx. 40 RPM. 

Shatter Loss

This happens more often with auger-fed platforms versus draper heads. Hear Marion's thoughts on how to reduce this problem. 

Short Straw in the Grain tank

Close the top sieve until the grain tank has 99% clean soybeans. 

Sickle Plugging

This could be caused by a few factors, including sickle size. Click to watch Marion's three recommendations on solving this problem. 

Soybean Plants Congested at Auger

If running an auger-fed bean platform, ensure the cross auger is properly adjusted. Watch the video to see Marion's full setting recommendations. 

Soybean plants leaning away from header

Ensure plants are efficiently entering the header with the correct reel speed. Watch for full details. 

Uncut soybean stems

Run 3-inch sickles on your bean platform to reduce the amount of uncut soybeans and plugging at the head. 

uneven Spreading of Residue

Are you seeing piles of soybean chaffe in piles or tramlines in the field? If so, make sure you are harvesting on the downwind side of the field to help evenly spread residue. 

Unthreshed Pods in Grain Tank

Improve the threshing power of green soybean pods by installing concave cover/filler plates in the first 12 inches. 

Unthreshed Pods on Stems

It's important to have concave clearance set correctly to reduce the amount of un-threshed pods. 

Unthreshed Pods in Return or Tailings

Concave cover plates help reduce this problem. Watch the video for Marion's full explanation on how to solve this common issue. 

Click any of the links below to access the full SET of combine tips & Training Videos! 

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