Farmer Is Caught In
Combine Header Auger

An 84-year-old farmer was killed while cleaning dirt out of an old combine header. The man had purchased an older self-propelled combine the previous year and this was his first time using it to harvest beans. He had obvious difficulty adjusting the cutting height of the combine, frequently cutting too low and clogging the header with field dirt. The farmer had apparently disengaged the header using a control lever in the cab, then climbed down and proceeded to clean the sickle and auger of dirt. He left the engine running because it had a bad battery. While he was cleaning out the dirt, the header apparently slipped into gear from vibration. The reel pulled the man's left leg into the auger, then threw him around to the right side of the machine where he was found unconscious lying on the sickle with significant leg injury and loss of blood. The chain driving the reel and auger broke leaving the sickle still running. An emergency crew used the jaws of life to cut through the reel to access the farmer, but he died enroute to the hospital. According to an implement mechanic, once fully disengaged there is virtually no chance of this clutch slipping, however it requires a significant pull on the clutch lever to properly disengage the mechanism. Beans in this combine tank were not separated properly indicating the combine was not adjusted correctly before use.

#1 The operator should disengage the header and other moving parts as well as shut off the engine before cleaning, maintenance, or working close to the combine.

--Batteries must be in good condition so one can easily shut down the machine.

#2. Machinery dealers should ensure their machines are in safe working order when sold.

--Operators should be familiar with controls and safe operation of their machine.

--This combine had obvious wear and tear — a bent sickle bar and poor header clutch linkage.