Teresa Zimmer
Every combine make and model is different, and the concaves should be too. Razors Edge Concaves from Thunderstruck Ag Equipment are designed around the combine, offering a tailored harvest solution that enhances threshing performance across various crops and conditions.
The bar spacing pattern on Razors Edge Concaves is different based on how the material flows through each combine, while other concaves have the same spacing and configuration for every combine, whether it be a John Deere, Case IH, New Holland or Fendt.
“This allows us to harvest all crops without changing concaves, without using cover plates and without putting inserts in. We’re able to harvest in all crops and all conditions with one set of concaves,” says Jeremy Matuszewski, president and founder of Thunderstruck Ag Equipment in Winkler, Manitoba.
For example, a John Deere single rotor combine typically overloads the left-hand side, with material hitting the concave section right at the front of the combine. Matuszewski explains, “We created a bar spacing pattern that allows farmers to get max threshing where the material hits the concave section but then, with that same variable pattern we open up the concave section we are forcing the material to unload where it normally doesn’t unload so that we can increase the separating area by evenly distributing the material across it. By doing this farmers are able to make the combine go faster, significantly reduce rotor and sieve loss while decreasing fuel consumption.”
The Many Game-Changing Benefits
The innovative design of Razors Edge Concaves results in numerous benefits for farmers, including less fuel consumption, better sample quality, reduced combine loss and increased ground speed. “All of that without having to change concaves, so you also save time,” adds Matuszewski. “And as we all know, time is money, especially during harvest.”
Matuszewski feels that one of the biggest benefits to farmers is reduced fuel consumption due to decreased rotor speed which is is especially important to farmers around the world due to increased fuel costs and tax.
And in canola, capacity is key, as most combines can only go two to two-and-a-half miles per hour to avoid losses out the back. Matuszewski says Razors Edge Concaves allow farmers to increase their speed by an extra mile per hour while keeping losses under a bushel per acre. This increased speed means fewer hours on the combine, resulting in less depreciation and maintenance, and more time saved during the busy harvest season.
Razors Edge Concaves have proven to be a game-changer for farmers. “There are so many things that happen when you design a concave around the combine. I’m not sure why nobody’s ever done this before, but it’s really been something that has been a game-changer for us,” says Matuszewski.
The Inspiration Behind the Innovation
Several years ago, while selling a different concave, Matuszewski found himself questioning why no one had designed a concave built around the combine. “This eliminates so many of the issues farmers have,” he says. “It seems so simple, yet sometimes the greatest things are the simplest things.”
The prototype concaves designed by Matuszewski were jokingly named “Razor’s Edge,” inspired by the AC/DC album featuring the song “Thunderstruck.” The name stuck due to the sharp edge on the concave that helps thresh tough crops. A technique called laser cladding creates this razor-sharp edge.
Field-Tested and Sold Across Continents
After extensive testing in Australia and North America for two years, Matuszewski launched the Razors Edge Concaves last November. Thunderstruck Ag Equipment is currently selling the concaves for John Deere, Case IH, New Holland and Fendt combines in Canada, Australia, Denmark, Greece, Brazil and the United States. Matuszewski is hoping a trip to the Agritechnica farm show in Germany this coming fall will open up the European market for them.
Farmers can see the new Razors Edge Concaves at upcoming farm shows, including Ag in Motion in Saskatchewan, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Ontario, Cypress Farm and Ranch Show in Medicine Hat, and Agri-Trade in Alberta.
For more information on Razors Edge Concaves, visit thunderstruckag.com.