Thursday, September 21, 2023

We got some rain early this morning!  It seems like it has been weeks and weeks since the last rain, and even though it was only .12″ (3mm), it was quite welcome!  The skies remain cloudy and that will help this little rain soak into the soil, instead of the bright sunshine baking it out quickly.  So, we are pleased to have the dust settled.

The weather read-out in the office this morning.

I had my first breakdown of the season yesterday.  I was down for about 3 hours with a problem in the DEF system of the JD S780 combine.  It was the kind of failure that causes the engine to default to idle-only, so I stopped and called for service.  Kevin at Hutsons  tracked down the needed part, a DEF coolant valve, down at Poseyville.  So, off I went on a just-under two-hour round trip to get it.  When I returned to the field, Hutson’s service tech was already here, and had the old valve removed.  In about 30 minutes, I was up and going again!   This was the first time I’ve ever experienced a DEF-related breakdown.  I’ve heard about them, but now I’ve seen it up close and personal!   Thank you, Hutson, Inc. for the quick response.

This was my warning screen alerting me that I was soon to be out of commission until a repair was made

And this is the part that failed, a gizmo that circulates coolant through the DEF tank to warm it it cold weather. It was stuck open, and allowing the DEF to get too hot.

I got going again, just in time to help Brandon finish off the work at the Dunn farm.  The wet bin at home was filled, so we brought the combines home to fuel and grease them in advance of today’s work.

We had planned to cut soybeans today, but this little rain will keep us in the corn fields today.  Perhaps tomorrow, we will switch over.

Have a great Thursday!