[ghsghs]

Does anyone have much experience cutting sunflowers with a TR98. As we're considering it for this fall and have heard ranges however no specifics from experience. Realize conditions will determine some, but there should be a narrow guideline. Any advantages of combining flowers with a rotor rather than a walker machine. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[fordboy]

i know you mentioned using a row crop head, i would discourage a 6 row as i doubt you could keep the machine full. we were picking up 100 bushel milo and it wasnt keeping the combine as full as i wanted it to.

i have seen a couple of guys out our way using 98's and 99's to cut flowers, because they said they wont burn up as easy as the new combines. if you do cut flowers, buy a good air compressor and blow off the combine at least every hour

 

[wheatwhacker]

What head do you plan to use? I have never combined them with a TR but have combined many flowers with various other machines and both a rotary and a conventional will do a very nice job with some fine tuning. Also would you be harvesting oil or confection flowers? Big key blow off the machine at least once a day. This will help prevent combine fires.

 

[mp]

I ran a TR98 on 950 acres of sunflowers this year. I used a 30' 971 head, with 9" pans on it. Did a wonderful job. Blew it off twice. Keep watching, but just never had any buildup.
Several long time sunflower growers here have gone to the new JD rotaries, and have quit sunflowers, because they keep trying to burn up their combines. No problem with the 98's. Also, no way a 6 row head will be big enough. You want at least 30', unless all your flowers are going to be 2500#/ acre or more.