Gleaner Combine

[Wyatt-The-Ih-Guy]

I?ve always wondered about the gleaner combines.
I?ve heard that they are a good combine and do a
decent job. I?ve never seen one work in person so I
don?t really know much about them. If any one has
any info or experience could u possibly put it in
here?

 

[centash]

What model? Conventional cylinder types were built up to 1987, the rotary models from then til current. There have been 4 different Gleaners on this farm for over 40 years. In spite of anything you hear about any model of combine, there is no such thing as a poor combine....just poor operators....

Ben

 

[JMS/.MN]

Much simpler in design, especially the older, conventional ones. EX: 00 series JDs have twice the number of belts as on an F2. Yes, I counted them. Much easier to repair with the simpler design. No one else has real rock door protection. Had Gleaner since 1976.

 

[GreenEnvy]

I had both a Gleaner L2 and a JD 7700 for a time. I counted the pulls/belts too and the Gleaner actually was pretty close to what the 7700 had. Difference was Gleaner didn't stack the pulleys on top of each other. The Gleaner was nicer to run but wasn't as reliable. I would have kept it but the unloading auger fell off. Pawned it off on the one remaining local guy that still ran old Gleaners. I think he had 3 of them running and two more for parts. He bought mine for the engine and straw chopper. Now all of them are sitting in the fence row since he moved up to a R62.

 

[paul]

Well, I?ve owned 6 since 1980. Most were well used when I got them.

Good machines, I think.

I have several dealers in the area, parts for the old ones are fairly common yet.

What do you want to know.

Paul

 

[SVcummins]

The big secret to a good or bad combine is maintenance and the next is learning how to adjust one . I?ve liked the gleaners I?ve ran an r62 and an r72 I wouldn?t trade my John Deere for one and I?ll probably never need another combine In this lifetime with grain prices the way they are pretty hard to make a machine payment cutting 6$ Barley and 5$ wheat

 

[Mark (EC,IN)]

"there is no such thing as a poor combine....just poor operators...."

Tell that to someone who owned a MF in the late 70's and early 80's! (-:

 

[JMS/.MN]

I didn"t realize I didn"t know how to count- but then I didn"t take my shoes off. How did the auger fall off? Left it full and extended running down the field? OM says not to do that.

 

[SVcummins]

We had a 750 with yellow wheels and loved it the transmission was just a bit finicky it was a gear drive but not any worse than the 6600 gear drive we had

 

[rrlund]

Used to be,if you had a combine around here,it was a Gleaner. Anything else was just settling for something less. They were invented by a custom cutter to be simple and rugged. I've run a G and an F a lot. My Oliver is pretty well worn out and I want to park it while it still works. I'm in the market for a K or an F right now. Just waiting for the right deal.

 

[Alvin 41]

I've been following the latest on newest (all big and <$300k) combines and find Gleaner still claiming to be the simplest ,lightest, and cheapest to own with as good performance as any. Would like to visit the small town factory ,Hesston KS., where they and the Massey Ferguson rotary's are made.

 

[VicS]

We still run a L2 it is our second one. It was trouble free last year. But is worn out. Yes our auger has fell off. But it was worn out. Put a aftermarket twister thing on. They are getting old. Ours is a 78 .

 

[GreenEnvy]

Auger was empty when I unfolded it. Honest Gleaner guys will say it could happen (see below in the thread). Also, I counted chains/sprockets too and the L had more of them than JD. Add all of those up and the JD doesn't have "twice" as many belts or chains as the Gleaner. I'm not saying Gleaner combines are bad. They would be my 2nd choice for a combine from that era. My opinion is they were built a little bit on the light side but their ease of serviceability offsets that. Our neighbor to the north of us ran a JD 7700 gasser and a Gleaner C2 during the last 12 years before the sold out. My uncle worked for them for awhile and they were in the middle of overhauling the C2. The first job they made him do was put the C2 back together. You could stand in front of it and see right through it when he started on it.

 

[GreenEnvy]

I'm with Mark on this one. We had 760 silver cab belt drive transmission. One of the many problems we had is we would blow the transmission belt about every 200 hrs. The whole cab would vibrate in depending on which position the variator pulleys were in. Eventually took the pulley off and took it to a machine shop to get a balanced. They ended up drilling 10 holes right across from the factory ones.

 

[GM Guy]

Kind of a broad question, but in general they will give an amazing sample, will be efficient and easy to work on, and be fairly modern on features compared to their competitors.

On rotor machines, CIH guys are amazed by stuff like variable speed feeder houses and self tensioning feeder chains, Gleaner has had this stuff since the 60s and 70s.

Electro-hydraulics is cutting edge stuff for the late 80s early 90s competitors, standard issue since 72 on the bigger Gleaners.

12 row ready (with no additional rams or weights) since 79, JD and CIH really didnt have anything that would hold down a 12 row until the 2000s without a bunch of ballast.

They are not perfect (no machine ever is) but I feel they edge out their competitors on many levels.

I run them on my small operation, and I run other colors when I work for others during harvest, and I have yet to run something that doesnt make me happy to go home to my Silver Savers.