Deckplate Solution

Story Behind the Invention

Inventors Brian R. Obbink and Nicholas Obbink of Armstrong, IA have created a deck plate bracket that enables a combine harvester to compensate for diameter variations in corn stalks as they are guided into the combine harvester.

Harvesting grains is one of the most difficult jobs to master, particularly with older equipment that is difficult to use or maintain. Combines are equipped with specific attachments, or heads, depending on the type of grain that needs to be harvested. These heads can be mechanically adjusted with the use of hydraulics. With corn harvesting, the corn head includes a deck plate that is actuated by hydraulics in order to adjust to the size of the corn stalk, the width between the deckplates. This maximizes the amount of grain that passes through the harvester. However, Inventors Obbink knew it would be extremely beneficial to provide an automatic adjustment for the deck plates to separate the ear of corn at the stalk, while minimizing any separation or degradation of the husk, in order to better conserve the corn when it is further processed by the combine. In turn, they developed the Deckplate Solution!

Users will simply mount the unit between the existing hydraulic deck plate control rod and the deck plate adjustor arm. A rubber torsion actuator allows 2 inches of travel - 1 inch each way. As it opens and closes, it keeps the deck plate tight to the stalks, preventing butt-shelling and grain loss. The secret is to set the hydraulic adjustment to the smaller stalks and let the device open and close around the wider stalks. This closes all the gaps, preventing kernel losses at the deck plates. This system also picks the ears with all or most of the husks intact, further preventing grain loss.

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