Ok - have burnt now for 24 hours. Running slightly less intake air than before. Also think I broke my outlet air snap disk and that may have caused my latest shutdown problem. So far so good!

I have had a problem with my auger a couple time had a piece of stalk get wedged in there and would not let the corn pass so I had to empty the hopper and pull out the auger. So now I clean my corn better and bought a corn cleaner to assist me in doing that!

Do you clean your corn at all? I almost have to stick by my original reply in that you are having a problem with your auger gearbox. Have you ever replaced it?

I remember having a similar problems before mine went out completly, I had even taken it off trying to shim it up because the plastic gear gets worn and if you push up on the motor shaft it would catch and run again for a bit. With mine I figured it was working OK until it would get a peice of stalk or cob in between the auger and the tube and put just enough added stress that it wouldn't turn it. Push on the bottom of the motor shaft and see how much play there is, mine is about a year old and there is about 1/16" up and down play.

The only other possibilty would be the corn is too dry? (Based on your plier test) Hope you get it figured out soon, it's no fun not being able to start it and walk away.

I had even turned my feed rate up as high as it would go and that didn't do anything to help it.

Has been burning good for 4-5 days, so I ain't messing with it! I think my problem was the fines buildup near the auger. I watched inside the stove for one whole light/burn/burn out cycle about a week ago and the feed auger motor never skipped a beat once, so pretty sure that isn't it.

Great that you have the prob under control before Christmas, Scotty.

Oh, and I don't clean my corn. Probably should, but it is quite clean. Newer Deere combine to a grain cart to my wagon, so not a lot of chaff or cracked kernels. If it happens again I'll start cleaning.