Richiger EA 910, Operator'S Manual

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“B” shows the curved shape that the front part of the bag should adopt - Figs. 41 & 42 - in order that the plastic
sheet does not come in contact with the sweep augers or their protection grids with risk of ripping open and losing
contents. The curvature is formed by the grain mass weighing down the tip of the bag as it is rolled in. When grain
does not accumulate there, the plastic will tend to go up to the roller in a straight line - Fig. 43 - dangerously close
to or actually touching the augers, with possibility of bag damage. With grain that flows easily (e.g. dry wheat), if the
sweep augers are set with their normal low clearance to the ground (see “C” below), it can happen that due to quick
passage, no layer of grain is left between the sweep augers and the floor. With no grain weighing down the bottom
part of the bag and grain being unloaded at a very fast pace because it flows freely, it might not accumulate at the
front as in fig. 41 but take on the shape shown in Fig. 43. In this case, sweeper height (“C”) should be increased to
permit some grain to pass beneath the sweepers without being gathered so that it can weigh down the bottom of
the bag and collect at the front (“B”). However, if sweeper height is excessive, too much grain could accumulate
there and project forward, making contact with the unloader's wheels (Fig. 44), a situation that should be avoided.
The weight of grain contained within the curved shape “B” can reach tons. For that reason too it is important to pay
close attention to grain level within the bag and prevent it from climbing above the roller as this will add even more
volume and weight, the problem compounded by a large amount of grain that will immediately be pulled up by the
roller along with the plastic, forming huge lumps of rolled material. If it goes unchecked, this progression could
cause failure of mechanical components.
“C” is the clearance between sweep augers and bag bottom (or ground). This distance should be small so that the
sweep augers lie low inside the bag and are well covered with grain, which ensures adequate delivery to the
discharge auger. The clearance is set via clamp stops placed on the hydraulic cylinder rod. Since the augers
should not touch the ground as this would endanger bag integrity, the convenience of placing the bags on terrain
as flat as possible becomes clear. If the ground is rough, this will force operation with sweeper augers placed
higher up than optimum because a rut will cause the unloader to dip, with the consequence of sweepers bumping
against the ground and ripping the plastic. Especially with grain that clings together and flows badly, it is important
to place the sweeper augers as low as possible. Generally speaking and in average conditions, low may be
considered to be a clearance of about four to six inches from auger flighting to floor.
“D” indicates the slope or angle of grain inside the bag. Materials that flow easily will form a shallow slope Fig. 41
-, whilst those that do not will tend to form a steeper slope - Fig. 42 - that in extreme cases will flow only with great
difficulty and could keep the augers uncovered and visible (or partially visible) while the machine is working,
instead of fully covered with grain which constitutes the most desirable situation. Free flowing grain will typically
cover the augers with a foot thick layer of grain. In relation to this, it is very important to remember that quick
starting the augers deeply immersed in grain will most likely result in shear bolts that snap or transmission
breakages. When labor is interrupted, PTO
must not be restarted when augers are deep inside grain . The correct
procedure is to unwind a certain length of plastic by hydraulically turning the roller in reverse and then advancing
forward with tractor and unloader the distance it takes to extricate the augers from the mass of grain. When
reinitiating work, augers should not be thrust into the grain by the tractor, but should be pulled into the mass of
grain by roller action.
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