I've been plugging away at shelling out the 2 cribs of corn that I picked last fall, using my John Deere No. 6 Sheller. Had 2 breakdowns - nothing serious though - a gib key vibrated out of the sieve shaker arm and a roller chain that was worn out jumped off, got twisted and had to be replaced. The sheller did a nice job but it was hard for 1 person to keep the unit full when the crib got close to empty (I had to stop the sheller a few times so I could catch up). It was just fun to get out all of the vintage equipment and step back in time for awhile!
I could have got it all done in less than 2 days with all of the set-up and cleanup time included. As it was, I stretched it out over a couple of weeks - just shelled a load every now and then as I had the time. I'm also busy baling hay right now so that always goes first if it is ready.
Looks like a good set up. I am planning on picking some corn this fall and a fellow picker wants to come over with his picker as well. The only problem is that the owner of the corn wants it shelled. I have a sheller unit on the NI but my picker friend doesn't so we are looking for a sheller to use.
I think the corn yields are going to vary a lot this year around here. There is a fair amount of good-looking corn but there are also quite a few damp/drowned spots and places that had poor emergence. We'll know when it's in the bin (or crib)!
