4400 corn head drive

[Scott NY]

has any one out there had trouble with lower feeder house shaft flexing and throwing off drive chain to corn head,replaced shaft with new one and it still aint right ready to add a pillow blck bearing out near the end of shaft

 

[Mike Aylward]

Scott, what size corn head are you running? I am assuming it is a 2 row wide or 3 row narrow with the right hand drive. If so, do you have the drive shaft support for your corn head? You will need the right one as each one is different. Hope this helps. Mike

 

[Scott NY]

3 row narrow and yes it is right hand drive looking in parts book and tech manual, aint heard of this support before

 

[Mike Aylward]

If you don't have a manual for your corn head you can look at the John Deere parts site. It should be listed with the corn head. It will be a boxed, "L" shaped bracket that bolts to the rear of the feederhouse and slides over the end of the lower shaft with a bearing on the outside for support. Mike

 

[Anonymous-0]

Scott,

#1.Make sure the head is attached to the feederhouse properly, I would unhook it and back the machine away from the head to do this. Clean the blocks on top of the feederhouse and the sockets that are in the head frame, and clean off the face of each un it with a putty knife.
What I am saying is that maybe the head and the combine didn't mate properly...
#2.Check to bearings by running the machine slowly, see if the shaft has any run out. It should rotate without any orbit (run out).
We have a 443, and 2 4400 machines, never had any trouble as you are having, did have the left hand bearing go bad on the lower feederhouse shaft, but I went ahead and ran it to finish the field that day.
#3.Make sure that the short shaft on the head that has the half of the coupler sprocket moves in it's bearing flange, I think that it is supposed to, at least ours does, You have to lift it or maneuver it after you slide the coupler over to it to wrap the double chain to make the coupler lock.
It should work without the barnyard engineering that you speak of.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

Hi I think you are missing this bracket, if it is not there your chain will not stay on and will leed the shaft fatiuge and most likley brake off at the bearing.

 

[Scott NY]

thats it exactly, thanks to both you and mike, priced it all today at dealer,over 400, the new shaft was over 300, makes a 4 row head look better all the time

 

[BANDITFARMER]

Hay if you have the 3 row now I would call around to some combine junk yards close to you, thay may have one for $100 or so, alot cheeper than buying another corn head. Dose your 4400 have the rims that are dished to run 30 in rows? Some were factory to run a 3 row narrow so you dont run on corn stocks. Hear is a picture.

 

[Scott NY]

mine are dished out,34 inch row planter,tight fit,but dont wantem in narrow already had one wheel of the ground doing beans turning on a side hill

 

[BANDITFARMER]

I know what you mean!! About 30 years ago I had a JD 45 cuting beans with rice tires on at the far end of the field , turned to the right on a small grade heard a loud pop and over she went! Dam fools who put the tires on streched the lugs and they broke. 55 bu ont the ground, wheels in the air and me ------ as hell!!!!! Needless to say that was all for the 45 !! I love flat ground now !!!! LOL

 

[Scott NY]

born and raised on hillsides of southwestern pa thought i knew the limitations till iwas turning to the right, combination of dead furrow, rocks and mud,not good when the motor roared and machine shook,wheels are staying wide