Double Windrower Built Out Of Gleaner Combine

Double Windrower Built Out Of Gleaner Combine COMBINES Conversions “Building things out of combines is a disease I have and it hasn’t been cured yet ” says Dan Crick Menno S Dak He recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a double hay windrowing machine he built last winter out of a 1998 R62 Gleaner combine     The combine operates two 16-ft MacDon disc mowers – an R80 mounted on front which Crick already had and an R116 on back that he bought new He removed the wheels and tongue from the R80 before mounting it on front of the combine     Previously Crick built an articulated double windrower out of an old Massey 850 combine Vol 29 No 4 He used it for 13 years until the combine caught fire last year “I ran the wheels off that double windrower It was sad to see it burn up but it was worn out anyway and I had been thinking about building a new one ” says Crick     The Massey power unit rode on only 2 wheels and operated a pair of MacDon 16-ft hydro-swing sicklebar mowers - one up front and one pulled behind and off to one side Crick used the machine to cut about 2 000 acres of hay each year “The machine worked good but I wanted to work even faster to reduce hay drying time ” he says “Also if either swather breaks down on this model I can unhook it and keep cutting with the other one ”     The new double windrower is 50 ft long which is considerably longer than the old one says Crick “Because of the extra length the machine doesn’t turn as short and it’s also more difficult to fit into my shed ” he says     Another difference is that the combine driving the new double windrower rides on 4 wheels and is not articulated Also it uses disc mowers that can operate at higher speeds than the sicklebar mowers He says the Gleaner is a perfect match for the higher speeds     “The Gleaner has a 4-speed hydrostatic transmission like many other combines but it can go 12 mph in third gear Most other combines have to be in road gear to go that fast and that puts too much strain on the hydrostatic transmission especially when you have to slow down ” says Crick     He bought the used Gleaner from a dealer and was able to sell several thousand dollars worth of parts off it He removed all the threshing components repositioned the engine          The combine came mounted on dual wheels but there wasn’t room for the windrow without running over the crop Crick solved the problem by switching the wheels so they dish out instead of in resulting in a wider stance     “On a Gleaner combine the drive axle is attached to the frame The combine doesn’t have any suspension but with its wide stance and big tires it rides good even at high speeds ” he says     Everything on the combine is belt-driven “The engine belt-drives the main clutch shaft which belt-drives a pto shaft that operates a hydraulic pump on the front swather The rear swather is operated by the gearbox from a Deere silage chopper which drives the swather’s pto ” says Crick     The new double windrower works fast and fuel efficient says Crick “Under the right conditions we can mow 40 acres of hay per hour And we haven’t cut anything where the combine used more than 1/2 gal per acre ”     Crick says the farmer who had owned the Gleaner before trading it to the dealer was an older guy who had taken great care of the combine and installed a lot of new parts in it “When I told him I wasn’t going to use it as a combine again I think he was heart broken However I recently stopped by his farm and showed him photos and video of my double windrower and he was impressed Now he’s very happy about it ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dan Crick 28862 433rd Ave Menno S Dak 57045 ph 605 387-5460 or 605 661-5460; crickds@gwtc net

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.