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CASE IH 3162 Draper head issues/ questions

11K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  3 Blue Silos 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

2 years ago we purchased a Case IH 3162 30 ft draper head.
For the most part we like the head but have had countless issues with the head scraping the ground on the underside of the center of the head thus causing the head to "plow" or push dirt and soybean stubble up hence plugging the head, causing stress on the sickles, belts, etc.

We have had our dealer come out to keep making adjustments but to only hear... that is about as goo as we can get it, and 30 minutes later we are again pushing up dirt piles.

Is there a magic adjustment to making this thing work as it should or are they (3162's) just a poor design based on the center drive system and added weight to that area.
If anyone has had this struggle and found a way to overcome it, please respond to this post.

Thank you all
 
#2 ·
To be blunt,
It will not float or skim lightly along the ground.

The only fix is to get a flex Macdon or HoneyBee.

Even a rigid of the above will be better than that front you have.

You can’t give those fronts away in OZ. Nobody wants them.
 
#3 ·
We have the new holland version of the same header and get along great with it. There are turnbuckles underneath header that pull on the knife arms to float it. Every arm has a turnbuckle so you can get more pull up on the center section more so it’s lighter compared to the ends. I find calibrating it correctly takes the most work. Having the ahhc sensitivity turned to higher end of the range in the monitor helps. I also find in flex mode I run my knife pressure at least at 4 almost 5 on header so it takes 1 finger to lift the knife so I calibrate the header like that and I don’t push dirt.
 
#7 ·
LOL.
That is funny.
I do have a question for you on the Mac Don.
I few guys around hear are saying the Mac Don is the head of choice.
What model of head are you referring to?
Also, what experience do you have with them?
Just asking for curiosity sake.
I have been toying with trading the 3162 towards a fd75 if this issue couldn't be resolved.
But maybe I should not jump too soon.

Thank you for your time and reply.
 
#8 ·
Depending on the head there are a number of updates from CNH that they will pay for, some of them have to do with the float on the 62 series, make sure your head has been updated. Also make sure you have your face plate angle correct, it almost sound like it might be tilted to far back which is allowing the drive to touch vs. the knife skids.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I suspect jegster10 is right. The 3162 can and does work fairly well. Interesting to see strong opinions about this header, the MacDon, and the Honeybee. I'm sure they all have their good and bad points.

The FD75 and new FD1 are fantastic headers and work very well if they are configured and set right. The wing balance mechanism is a bit tricky to understand and tweak, and although they should be said pretty well from the factory they aren't always. The FD75 and newer are easier to set the flotation with a supplied torque wrench. Different soil types will also affect how they work. Usually if it's picking rocks or pushing dirt, the header is way too heavy and needs to be lightened on the main springs. And the springs need to be adjusted differently for rigid operation.

Compared to the MacDon, the 3162 and the Honeybee airflex are simpler to operate, at least in theory. There's no messing with the wing mechanism and balancing the sections.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for that reply.
I am aware that the updates are done and complete or as I have told by Case IH
But that is interesting about the angle of the Face Plate.
We have a 5130 machine...all be it the smallest of the Case fleet it is a carbon foot print to the 6130, 7130. But nonetheless it may have a variable we have not yet configured.
Thank you again.
 
#14 ·
The last mcdon I had was a 2014 fd 75 purchased new. I had the mcdon guys themselves set the thing in the field. I even purchased headsight for it to try to run a little higher off the ground on beans. I have some very hilly and rocky land, but it gets rolled. I cut half of an 80acre field at a 30 degree angle to seeding and only did every other pass. On the roughly 40 acres, I picked up 20 plus rocks in the trap, and broke 2 guards and 3 sections. I then demoed a 3162 to do the rest of the field. I averaged 1.2 bu per acre more, no broken sections or guards, and not one rock! Plus I averaged 11 acres per hour more. The Mcdon is a superior head in small grains, but in beans the case wins hands down. I now push a case around
 
#18 ·
3162 issues continue

Thanks for asking.
Today I met with the dealer and district service manager.
This is what we discussed...

They (Case IH) know there is an issue with the "Series 1" 3162 head with the center flex area being heavier than the out flex areas.

Their answer on the new models is the installation of air bag as an assist and they say it works great. (Unfortunately they said at the time of purchase our new draper head will shave the beans to perfection. "NOT!!!"

I inquired about that method being adapted onto our model.
Case said they could "make it work". As you would expect.... that does not sit well with me.
After that comment I went into the mode of.... The head never worked right since we bought it and still has warranty.
We just want it to perform as advertised.
Honestly getting pretty frustrated about the whole deal.

On top of it, the dealer wants nothing to do with our head for trading reasons and for good reason.

I will say this.... St. Joseph Equipment in La Crosse WI (where we bought the head) are awesome and have stood behind me solid throughout this whole debacle.
Undoubtedly top notch company!
Unfortunately, their hands are tied until the mothership (CaseIH) will honor what they sell!
 
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