6000 & 7000 Cracker Plate Installation

If you are having a hard time with your spiral floor cracker plate on your 6000 and 7000 series John Deere® forage harvesters, then it is time you switch! Our K62425CP (7200-7500 series) & K51112HP (6000 series) Kooima® Ag cracker plates help the kernels crack, and the leaves get chopped up better. This cracker plate works well for ear corn and wet silage if you choose not to run a kernel processor.

To start the installation process, you will first need to remove the old, spiral floor cracker plate. The new cracker plate will go in the exact same spot. There is a lot of adjustments on the cracker plate. There are holes on both sides of the cracker plate.

You want the cutter head knives underneath to have about 1/16 to 1/8” clearance between the cutter head knives and the cracker plate knives. This will help the kernels get cracked and the leaves get chopped up. The placement of the holes allows you to adjust the cracker plate to get the right amount of clearance.

This cracker plate works very well if you decide not to use a kernel processor roll, but you can use this cracker plate with a kernel processor roll also. If you do have a kernel processor roll, this cracker plate really isn’t needed.

To take out the old cracker plate, you will start by taking out the bolts. If your cracker plate has deflectors on it, those will need to be removed also. Then you can take the spiral flow plate off.

Install the new cracker plate in the same place as the old one. Hand tighten the bolts to hold it in place. Check the placement of the cracker plate by moving the drum to see where the knives are in comparison to the cracker plate.

Again, you should be looking for 1/16 to 1/8” clearance between the knives on the cutter drum and the knives on the cracker plate. If you have newer knives, you will most likely want to use the smaller bolt to allow a little more clearance for the bottom. As the knives wear down, the cutter drum diameter shrinks so you can adjust the cracker plate up to get the proper clearance.

Allow Kooima® Ag to help you with your cracker plate needs. Call us at 800-522-8874 or email us at sales@KooimaAg.com.