Combines Flex Drapers

kip

Guest
I've run a Macdon draper header for three years and absolutly love it. It matches up well with my R75. Rocks are actually less of a problem with this head. The side and center drapers, plus the center auger are hydraulically driven. So when you do catch a rock, the head stops before any damage is done. Most rocks will never make it that far because the side drapers are tilted forward which tumbles the rock to the front of the head and it lands in a blank spot in front of the center draper. If your rocks are extreme, you can also buy a rock guard that mounts behind the sickle, much like a Johnson bean saver. You have to buy the Macdon adapter to make everthing work right. The adapter has your float control and tilt built into it. When I priced mine three years ago, the Macdon brand was $4-5000 cheaper than the same head in Case red or NH yellow. Find your nearest Macdon dealer and save some money. Once you own a draper you will never go back to an auger head. They are just way more adaptable to changing conditions.
 

tbran

Guest
we just put an 8200 w_lat tilt in the field, 30' SCH, ProDrive, orbit reel, full finger. Rolling W Tn hills. No way anything could do a better job cutting and feeding. Cutterbar actually needs raising a bit. Customer had a non lat tilt 800 before. lat tilt and orbit reel are the major reasons for such a smooth cut.
 

gleanermanitoba

Guest
Can't comment really well on Mac Don as I have only run one once for a bit on a demo with a combine and it was not a flex draper. I run 2 honeybees and think they are great, not perfect but great. As was stated below rocks and drapers are a good match becuase the rocks fall into the sump in front of center canvas. I believe the honey bee floats better than the standard mac don as the honeybee is suspended on leaf springs all the time whreas the mac don rests on a craddle arm until one side is lifted meaning only2 pivot points on the mac don where the honeybee can actually have the pivot point almost anywhere. If thinking new honey bee has a floating cutter bar as an option on this header now to give some more flex to things. One nice feature on the new honeybee is if you change brands the only change you need is to adaptor plate itself which is bolted right in to the header frame, this can be done by ordering a new one or pulling out a torch and welder whichever you choose. On older honeybees the hyd. pump may need to be changed as some machines have different feeder speeds = differnt pump output, the new ones are variable displacement so they can be adjusted to your machine. I know people with the mac dons and quite like them to , just my experience.
 

silverluv

Guest
I don't know how that 8200 can cut any shorter than the 800 or the 8000. It still uses the same skid plates don't itIJ We run air reels on ours and the crary cutting systems. Maybe I would be surprised if I tried one. I just think that the flex draper does a really nice job, but I am concerned about rocks. I did not know if any one knew much about the adapter and what a Bish adapter could do if I were to get a used Case IH or John Deere one. Thanks again guys. I don't mean to knock the gleaner but I just don't feel that they have it in the header business anymore when it comes to cutting soys. I am probably the only person that would even think about putting a red header on a silver combine. I do think that Mac Don has something here and it would only add to the monster gleaner. I have trouble driving slow when the machine is begging for more speed. I have tried some different colors and nothing will handle the tough conditions like the natural flow system. I wonder if the new class eight can handle those types of conditions since it has the same style bars and helicals
 

JJ

Guest
I totally agree gleaner does not have the head to cut soys in tough conditions, and they never did, from the 300 through 8000. I agree a different head for cutting beans would be desireable on a gleaner.
 
 
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