K2 & A330 Corn Head Questions

(Sorry for the long post, but thought it helpful to have info)
This will be the first corn harvest for me and my K2. I was in an area that got way too much rain this spring, so I'll have lots of nubbins to harvest other than over the tile lines where the corn is better. I'm in the process of setting up the head and combine to collect as much of the grain as possible. I put the lap bars on the cylinder, have rasp bar concaves on the machine with concave bars available sitting on the shelf. I have the Round end deep tooth chaffer in the machine and a Shallow tooth round end chaffer available on the shelf. K2 has variable speed header drive.
I'm using the A-C, Operator's Manual for Adjustable Row Corn Heads for my settings. I realize changes will probably have to be made in the field once I get started, but would like to get things close to start with.
While searching online for some help on timing the gathering chains, I came across an article from 2011 entitled "Cut corn head casualties" on a study by Kevin Bein of Gleaner and Iowa State University. Some of their recommendations are contrary to what I'm reading in the Op Manual. I would be interested to hear from others who run this series corn head and have first hand experience.
     1. Op Manual shows to stagger the flights on gathering chains, the Study says to have them opposite each other.
     2. Op Manual says to have stripper plates 1/8" wider at the rear, the Study says to have them 1/8" wider at the front.
     3. Op Manual says to start with 1 3/8" stripper plate gap, Study found a 1" gap to be ideal in the corn being harvested.

I would agree with 1 " on the stripper plates. 1 3/8  is too wide for nubbins.  I thought the stripper plates  should be wider in the back so the stalks don't  become tighter as they go back and wedge in the stripper plates.  I don't think 1/8" either way will cause a problem.    Pete

Having the stripper plates wider at the front than the rear??? Let me know how that works!!!!!!!!!!! you'll have constant plugging at the rear when stuff jams in-between the stripper plates. Same front and rear or wider at the back.....7/8" front 1" rear.

Stripper plates should be 7/8 in front and 1" in rear to start with. And I have had to close them all the way down in front in a very bad year, but always leave the rear 1/8 to 1/4 wider than the front or it will constantly choke.

I have had situations where the gathering chain lugs worked better offset, and sometimes better straight across. But once the slip clutch slips, it is off again. So I don't even change them anymore.

The stripper plates being wider in the rear than front is true for every corn head I have ever had, from the old orange flat chain heads all the way thru the hugger head I have now.

tbran wrote: unless you have an unusually unworn corn head - you biggest gain will be getting the corn to the snapping roll blades. Does your head have the spirals just before the blades? If not that is the biggest improvement you can make. The flute must be the same diameter or larger than the front of the snapping blades. This will feed the corn into the blades and avoid the push over snap back action that flips ears out and also causes a lot of butt shelling. .

The head was in pretty good condition, I just had to replace a bearing and get the stripper plates loosened up so I could get them adjusted. The snapping rolls do have the spirals out front, and they are even with the edges of the blades. I read that the blades are reversible, but both sides look the same to me, so either they're fairly new or have been reversed and are worn the same. I think I'll buy a new one to have something to compare them to. Thank you for the helpful information.

not all are going to agree with me on this, but I have always run the stripper plates open more in the front than the back (on all the different makes I've run thru the years) and then run the knives close together, this has allowed me to gain a little more speed, maybe 1/2- 1 MPH or more. the knives have always pulled the stalks down before they got to the back, popping the ears off about the middle area. I don't worry to much about where the gathering chains are, they will grab sooner and pull into the head, and with the forward motion it works great! like I said above, go to the field and play with the different settings, you'll soon know what works and what doesn't! also every year can be different as to the feeding into the heads, so don't forget to make changes as necessary! plus with them open in front it helps guide downed corn stalks in better, they don't tend to want to break off as fast thus losing corn to the turkeys!