Gleaner F Info

[Ferguson Farmer]

I’m looking at a gleaner F. Chevy inline 6 engine. Comes with a 4 row corn head. The insides/threshing components seem to be solid. It needs some loving but it’s not the worst. Anything in particular to look for? How much fuel will it use per hour?

 

[the tractior vet]

I’m looking at a gleaner F. Chevy inline 6 engine. Comes with a 4 row corn head. The insides/threshing components seem to be solid. It needs some loving but it’s not the worst. Anything in particular to look for? How much fuel will it use per hour?

That one runs a 292 GM 6 . Now as to fuel lets put it this way it sure is no Toyota and with gas prices depending on where your at it will show you how fast your wallet gets skinnier . In good corn pushing it five to six gallon and hour is a guesstament . Way back when still picking corn with a New idea super picker with a 12 roll bed on a spiced up Farmall M picking in second gear 20 gallon gave you four hours of run time . My Massey 300 combine with a two row 38 corn head would DRINK around 40-45 gallon in a long day usually starting around 9-9:30 in the morning and running into the night filling every truck we could get and every gravity box we could scrounge up and stop around 10-10:30 at night once everything was full . That one ran a 225 Chrysler slant six . My Massey 410 ran the same engine as the F and we went thru around sixty gallons in a long day..

 

[Keith Williams]

I’m looking at a gleaner F. Chevy inline 6 engine. Comes with a 4 row corn head. The insides/threshing components seem to be solid. It needs some loving but it’s not the worst. Anything in particular to look for? How much fuel will it use per hour?

I had a K - KKS K corn and soybean special, it had extra screens to get a cleaner sample.
For Corn it needs the large (20") pully and belt.
The main shaft bearings are the hardest to change they are deep in on those shafts.
Most of the other bearings are pretty easy to change.
Get a parts manual and look over the bearings used. Many are a common 7/8", 1", 1 1/4".
Look over the belts, Many are variable speed and have a variable width pully on one end or the other. If the belt is too worn, you run out of adjustment range.
Check the rasp bars for ware, they have groves that thresh the grain. You can reverse them to get additional life.
For corn it helps to have filler plates between the bars.
Check the rattle chain for missing or broken cross slats.
Check the clean grain cross auger under the machine for pin holes or complete ware thru.
Spin the unloading auger to make sure it is not bent.
Check the fingers on the feed. The guides ware and the fingers get bent.
If you can run it, run the machine at speed and look at each chain and look for a vibration or a pulse. The indicates a bearing is going bad on one of the shafts. Same with belts.

I stocked an assortment of bearings and parts that were common and had good luck being able to run at night while I had a day job.
It cost a couple hundred to have an inventory, but it saved me a lot of extended down time.

That is some of the stuff.
HTH
Keith

 

[Mike Fitz]

As a former F owner whatever you see that needs work is only half of what needs work( a true statement on any old combine really) Mr williams comments are spot on. In my opinion the F gleaner was at its design limit when built and was prone to a lot of failures from being pushed too hard, we had endless bearing failures (a cutting torch will be your friend) the hydraulic system is under designed, the manual transmission is less than desirable, the 292 was the best part of our F, seemed to be indestructible. If it has the orange corn head they were a pig to work on compared to JD or IH heads I've worked on. If you have 20 acres to pick and a willingness to spend quality time with your tools go for it, if you need it to get a job done on time and on budget think carefully.

 

[DanielW]

I'm no superb expert on the F as I've only had mine for a year. Bought it for $370, had been sitting in a shed for 23 years without moving or turning over. Took surprisingly little to get the Chevy going again and drove it the several hour journey home. The fuel consumption would be the last thing I'd worry about. If you're considering an old F, I'd guess you're not doing hundreds of acres, and I'd also guess much newer combines are out of your price range. The Chevy might use 20-30% more fuel than a similar diesel combine from that era and price-range. But diesel is 20-30% more expensive. So kind of a wash. And the 292 is indestructible, dead simple, and parts are easy and cheap to find. Even if it is a little thirstier than others, for the amount of acreage anyone's covering with an F these days, the fuel cost difference per year will be a minor concern compared to all other expenditures.

Apart from that, I can't add any more to what Keith says. Bearings are standard, readily available, and cheap enough (as long as you don't order from a dealer). Same thing with pretty much all belts, except the main traction drive belt. And Gleaner was always great for designing such that belts and bearings are (comparatively) easy to change. But you still want to find out they're bad and have them changed prior to the season starting, and if all belts and bearing are dried out or pooched it can still get expensive. Auger and elevator bottoms would be what I'd look at most. Mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems on any of those Gleaners are dead simple and easily repaired. But if it's started to rust and wear through, it'll be a never-ending headache. I'd far rather buy a non-running combine that was solid than a running/tested F that was showing rust and wear.