[farmer1849]

We just bought a 1992 R42, what size grain head will work best? From what I understand only a 500 or 800 series will work on this machine. We have an opportunity to purchase a 1998 815 grain head. I know you have to keep this machine full for it to work best. We farm smaller acreage so speed is not an issue for us. what size heads are other R42 owners running?
Thanks

 

[tbk]

I think a series 3 or 300 for a rotary machine ought to work as well. I'd guess as far as how wide a head, it would depend a lot on the crop! Likely, a 18' flex head would be a good all around width, though a 20' would likely work as well. Might have to run pretty fast to make a 15' or 16' head keep your machine full.


Just curious, has your machine got a Deutz or the Cummins?

 

[farmer1849]

Deutz. I live in NW OH, the 2 heads we are considering right now are either the 815 or there is also a 520 near us.

 

[mattalx]

I'd say go with the 520, I've had lots of 500 series headers. You can always pull the hydrostat back, it only pushes so far forward....

 

[Fishdog]

I ran a 820 with a Crary air reel on my R42. I did speed up the head because it was not cutting as good as I would have liked. The combine handled this this size of head.

 

[amos]

I have a R52. We were sold a 315 with it when we bought it...have a 320 on it now. Only use it for soybeans but in good conditions the knife can't keep up with the rest of the machine. The 3 series are good heads, some modifications help them out a lot, like one piece stainless feather sheets.

 

[tbk]

Amos, how are things going up there in the "Great White North"?

 

[amos]

Finished planting. Early corn got hit by frost last Friday not. Looking like going to replant about 40 to 50 acres. Had been real dry till yesterday, had a real nice rain. Going to get some spraying done the next few days as most equipment is cleaned up and put away and likely in couple weeks baling hay.

How are things in your area?

 

[tbk]

Seems a little slow getting all the soys in around here. The tiled ground hasn't been a problem, but soil temps just haven't been all that great so emergence has been slow. Lots of untiled ground yet to plant. Corn and beets are up and looking good, some frost damage to some corn on the muck and low ground, though not near what I've heard you guys have had. Heck, I have some oats that got dinged on some frost prone ground!


To my knowledge, no dry beans in yet (though maybe in the Valley) the ground is just too cold. Picked up seed in Ruth yesterday and hope maybe by the end of next week. Guess a guy needs to grow a few just so he can say he's got something to worry about!


Wheat came through the winter pretty good, at least much better than last season and I saw my first field of cut hay yesterday.


And that's the crop report from Sanilac County, Michigan!


How far are you from Staffa? I drove over to get some seed oats this spring, Rosebank Seed Farms, Roger Fell?

 

[amos]

About 70 mile drive to Staffa, maybe a bit less. I am south of there and west, right in the SW corner of Middlesex County. Not familiar with the fellow you got the seed from.

The frost that got me was all high sand knolls, in my most frost prone farms, and I planted them first this year to boot. Just south of the river from me though their muck ground got clobbered hard and also to the east around Komoka I saw a few hard hit muck spots.

The last of my beans started poking through yesterday morning and the rain we had after lunch time has sure made them pop up in the heat today.

Wheat is awful scarce around here as the fall was not a good one for getting it planted. Beans were late coming off and November was worse for snow and cold than December. Going to be another year where straw sells for more money than hay I am figuring. Saw some guys baling corn stalks the end of last week for bedding, never saw that in the spring before. It was more common twenty years ago in the fall.

 

[fhb]

The 815 will have some advantages over the 500 head but certainly a 20' head would be better for full capacity. I'd buy the one in the best shape. If you have mostly beans Add an air reel to really make it work.