20 ROW CORN HEAD

[BANDITFARMER]

Been thinking about going to 20" row corn and want to ask you guys if you think a JD 95 Corn Special would handle a 6 or 8 row 20" corn head. I had a 55 with a 3 row in 196bu corn and it handled with no problem so I figured 150 bu corn (the first year) in 20s is not far off and the 95 with 6 or 8 row would work, Or maybe not? Looking to get some ideas from you guys that have done this and have some experience in 20" rows. I figured this is the best to ask this kind of question. Bandit

 

[rod in nebraska]

does your combine have a qiuck tach throat, for a newer style head, did not think jd made a old style 20 inch head, it should take a 8 row, but it would be a load fpr it, same width as a 4 row 40 inch rod

 

[BANDITFARMER]

It has the quick tach feeder house on it, JD did make a 612 or 613 (6x20)for the 95 and a 812 or 813 (8x20) for the 105 and these heads are realy hard to find. I have run across an 8x20 AC head that I could adapt it to fit the 95 and its cheep enough. I think with the seed spacing in 20" rows I think the 8x20 might work and if nothing else I can only was 6 or 7 rows if need be. Just need to get this figuared out before spring planting. Bandit

 

[Joe Graunke]

I'm looking for a 8 row 20 inch gleaner head to put in my collection
Joe

 

[Moline_guy]

A few years back there was a narrow row head for a 105 for sale in the local farm paper. If I remember right it was an 8 row 22 inch, unless it was a 20" and advertised as a 22". I think it was the quick tach type. Until then I didnt realize there was that narrow of factory equipment made. I guess there was some experimenting with 20 or 22 inch rows back in the 60's but it didnt catch on because of weed control in the narrow rows. Cultivating was difficult and chemicals werent available to provide adequate weed control at the time, is what some old guys in the neighborhood said.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

I have seen several Gleaner 20"corn heads for A or A2 4x20 and E and K 4x20 and a 8x20 for a C2or G. I have a 335 JD head (3x30 or 40) that I could add 2rows to make it a 5x20 easy enough but the thing that concerns me is the weight of that head making it a 5 row. A 435N for a 95 weighs about 6800lbs and is just to heavy to use, And the Gleaner 8 row head I am looking at is about 4000lbs and that makes a big difference for the combine. I like the idea of the 20" row corn with a 34000 population would work out good, As far as I can figure. This is a whole new ball game to figure out going to 20" rows. Planter is no problem its the corn head that's going to be the hard part. Bandit

 

[Brokengun]

massey made a 62 corn head that was a 6- 20" row head . They are rare.

A friend of mine had one for a 410 massey combine, he said that it took the same amount of corn as a 3 row wide head.

So if you had a 8-20 head it wouldnt put much more corm through the throat of your 95 than a 4 row wide head.

I have cut down a 4 row wide head into a 4 row narrow before ands it not that hard.

I say go for it but you must take pictures and share them with us. Ha!

 

[Nathaniel Watts]

Those old JD heads were 612(95) and 812(105). They had the feederhouse attached to them like the other heads. I would think the possibility of finding one these days would be very slim.

 

[Nathaniel Watts]

Heres a pic of the 812. It seems to be built like the 313.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

There was a post the other day asking about corn head chains if they are supposed to be timed together or not? Look at the picture and these are all timed together. And just think of the cost of replacing all those chains @ $187 each for 16 of them. Oh my wallet hurts! Bandit

 

[spacechem]

Back In the Day, Allis Chalmers was more innovative than JD was, so they were more involved in narrow rows, no-till, etc. That's probably why you may have better luck finding a Gleaner head.

A comedian once said, "Every place is walking distance if you've got the time." So your 95 separator will 'handle' 8 rows if you drive slow enough (or only take 6 rows). I think your problems will be elsewhere:

1. Can the cylinders lift it?
2. Is there enough weight in back to counterbalance?
3. Will the final drives/axle carry the load?
4. Do you have enough grain tank capacity to get from one end of your fields to another?
5. Is your unloading auger long enough to reach past the head to unload?

For all the trouble you'll probably have in finding a 612 (or 812) and then [u:30970c1c86]maybe[/u:30970c1c86] you can find parts, you could put that effort into mounting a 643 and narrowing it to 20". Parts are going to be very easy to find for that one.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

The 8x20 corn head is about 3400lbs and the JD 435N I junked was about 6700lbs so picking it up wont be a problem. As for the tail end it wasn't a problem with the 435N on it but I am on flat ground. With the 8 row on and the grain bin extensions (JD) I don't think the weight will bother it and it has the JD heavy rims. And as for the unloading auger, I run a 16ft grain head (see pic) and that's not a problem. My biggest field is 25 acres and is about 1400ft long so if I fill up before the end I will love it. This is something we have been talking about for a few years and I think is a better idea than upping the seed population on 30in rows. Space the seeds out farther in 20in row and the plant gets all the fertilizer you broadcast and it gets a better root system and more moisture to use. This just seems to be a better idea. Bandit

 

[fixerupper]

The 635 I had on a 105 weighed in at 4200 lbs. and it made the back end a little light. That head was all she wanted in 150 bu corn. Jim

 

[fixerupper]

I ran across a 813 at a salvage yard back in the early eighties. I didn't know such a thing existed at the time and the salvage yard owner said he wished he would have never seen it because nobody wanted parts from it. Jim

 

[jwmfarms]

Get in touch with your local Great Plains dealer and talk to him about a twin-row planter. We sell them here in eastern Va., planted some test plots this year. Same population, variety, fert. application, and starter rate. Only difference was 30" twin-row vs. 30" single row. Total twin-row plot area was approximately 12 acres. Twin-row showed a 45bu./ac. yield advantage. I know this isn"t a post about combines, but it will probably be easier to do this, and keep using your existing corn head, than finding or building a new head. You don"t have to worry about handling the weight of any extra row units either.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

About 10 years ago I had 8 AC planter units and a planter frame and built a split row planter. On 30in centers 3" left and right and cut the population on the units in 1/2 to spread the population from 1 row to the two rows. It worked OK the first year with no real improvement in yields. 2 year I changed the population on 5 acres and did 5 acres with the same as the year before, At the end of the year the light population was standing good and made 42bu an acre, And were I increased population they were matted down and a real pain to cut and made 44 bu an acre but took longer to cut. Each year I tried this I used the same soybean seed for the testing and really saw no benefit in planting this way and I did try for 6 years to make it work but the added cost of seed I didn't see the need to go any further. My best beans were in 20" rows and were easier to cut than drill or 15" rows. That is why I want to try 20" row corn with a 34000 population. With what I have read up on corn root systems and what I know from experience I really think this maybe the way to go. I wish there was someone close to me that I could talk to and ask questions to about my ideas on this. Bandit

 

[jwmfarms]

The secret to the twin-row concept is the ability to time the units, so the plants are staggered. This allows them to make better use of light, water, and nutrients without competing with each other as much. If you can't stagger them, competition could actually cause a decrease in yields.

 

[NW MO Poppers]

We have several customers planting in 20 inch rows. More switch to it every year, for the reasons you mention and a few more: Harvestability is WAY better. First, the corn stands much better in wind/dry conditions. Second, corners are easier to harvest (I know that sounds wrong, but trust me, its true). Also, much easier to go across the rows if you need to cut out a ditch or something (we have steep hills). As far as yield, it seems to not have picked up dramatically in corn (hard to do a side by side as a guy usually makes a wholesale change, and compares his yields to what the neighbor "says" he got) but EVERY ONE of our customers who have switched have said their beans are MUCH better in 20 inch rows. I am very seriously considering switching, would have already but I will have to do the same thing you are (make my own head/planter) cant afford new stuff. My 2 cents.