The best way to fasten a lacing is to punch a hole where the next row of lace holes would come when the belt is cut off, and after passing the lace through this hole, bring the end around and force it through again, cutting the end off short after it has passed through. This hole must be small enough to hold the lace securely, and care should be taken that it is in position to be used as a lace-hole the next time a series of holes is required.
New belts stretch a good deal, and the ends of the lacing should not be cut off short till the stretch is taken out of the belts.
Belting that has got wet will shrink and lacing must be let out before belt is put on again. Tight belts have been known to break the end of a shaft off, and always cause unnecessary friction.
Cotton or Gandy belting should not be punched for lacing, but holes made with a pointed awl, since punching cuts some of the threads and weakens belt.
The art of becoming a good feeder will not be learned in a day. The bundles should be tipped well up against the cylinder cap, and flat bundles turned on edge, so that cylinder will take them from the top. It is not hard to spread a bundle, and in fast threshing a bundle may be fed on each side, each bundle being kept pretty well to its own side, while the cylinder is kept full the entire width. A good feeder will keep the straw carrier evenly covered with straw, and will watch the stacker, tailings and grain elevator and know the moment anything goes wrong.
No threshing machine will save every kernel of the grain, but the best results can be attained only by care and judgment in operating.
It is easy to exaggerate the loss of grain, for if a very small stream of grain is seen going into the straw it will seem enormous, though it will not amount to a bushel a day. There are practically a million kernels of wheat in a bushel, or 600 handfuls, and even if a handful is wasted every minute, it would not be enough to counterbalance the saving in finishing a job quickly.
Of course, waste must be watched, however, and checked if too great. First determine whether the grain is carried over in the straw or the waste is at the shoe sieve.
If the waste is in the conveyor sieve, catch a handful of the chaff, and if grain is found, see whether the sieve is the proper mesh. Too high a speed will cause the grain to be carried over. If too many teeth are used in the concave, the conveyor sieve will be forced to carry more chaff than it can handle. The blast may be too strong and carry over grain, so adjust the blinds that the blast will be no stronger than is necessary to clean the wheat well and keep sieves free. If grain is still carried over, the conveyor sieve may be adjusted for more open work, but care should be taken not to overwork the shoe sieve. Be careful that the wind board is not bent so that some grain will go into the fan and be thrown out of the machine altogether.