Small Header On Big Combine

Small Header On Big Combine COMBINES Headers 8-3-9 Not many farmers mount a 4-row header on an 8-row cornbine but, Bob Nelson and son Tim did it in Carlinville, Ill. "It was a spur of the moment decision," Tim told FARM SHOW, noting that when they traded their Deere combine in for a 1978 IH 915 they had planned on buying a 6-row header for it but, at the last moment, decided to try to adapt the Deere 4-row to the combine. For a total cost of $35, Tim says they adapted the Deere header to the IH combine so that it can be mounted with just 2 bolts. They also speeded up the entire header by swapping drive sprockets so that they're able to harvest as much with the 4-row as with a 6-row. "We're able to travel at about 6 1/2 mph, harvesting around 1,200 bu. per hour. We wouldn't get any more with a 6-row head. It also saves us a week to 10 days during harvest by letting us get into muddy fields where we couldn't operate with a heavier 6 or 8-row header," says Tim. In addition to adapting the head to the combine, the Nelsons also had to swap wheels on the machine. They turned the tire dishes in so that the wheels would fit inside the width of the header, swapping sides so the tread would still go the right direction. They also took the combine ladder off the side of the machine. Tim says that a new 6-row head for the machine would have cost $15,000 or more while the old head was worth little in trade. "It may be worth it to hang onto an old 4-row head for use in the field when conditions are muddy and then switch back to a larger header when things dry up," notes Tim.

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