Harvesting downed corn

[Russell Moore]

Hi all
Due to all the rain and winds we have hade here I have a lot of corn layed over
I have tried the corn head on some of it and it so crossed up the corn head plugs up often
My question is can I use the small grain head and just cut a partial swath with it
Thanks for any advice

I’m useing a F2 Gleaner if that matters any

 

[Dugger]

(reply to post at 23:19:20 10/27/18)

Tried that once
It will tear a grain head up
And ruin the reel
Better see if you can find an attachment for the corn head
Dugger

 

[flying belgian]

If you can fight your way one swath through the field, then take one row after that. Might seam like an endless job but it is better then nothing. How big of field? DO NOT, I
REPEAT, DO NOT UNPLUG A RUNNING CORN HEAD.

 

[IowaJohn]

Patience with a cornhead. I've battled down
corn when getting 10 acres was a good day.
Yep you'll be out of the cab more than in.
Like was said make darn sure the cornhead
is off when you're shoving stalks towards
the auger. I'm not sure what a gleaner ch
looks like but if it has a cowling on the
snoot like a Deere take them off it'll
slide in better.

 

[RedRoundhead]

Couple things that have helped me in the past;

Harvest in as dry weather, if possible. The corn will then slide
easier - if damp or wet, it will stick to the snoots - even that
minor amont of resistance makes a world of difference when
plowing thru a tangled mess.

Constantly raise and lower the head by a few inches, every 5-
10 feet of travel : it seems to help pull the corn stalks straight-
ish. Or, it uproots them, lol. You never know.

Remove any possible snagging points on the snoots. It is
most helpful if the tangled mess of stalks can slide with
minimal obstructions.

Good luck - down crops suck.

 

[JD Seller]

Well trying to use a Gleaner grain table would not be a good thing to do. You will tear the header up.

Buy your self a corn head reel. You can usually find used ones for $500-1000

 

[centash]

Remove the ear reflectors, raise the tip of the snouts and run the header lower and
make sure the stripper plates are wider at the rear of the header. Expect to pick
up a stone or more, so set the concave door accordingly. You can also move the
lower front idler on the gathering chain out so it is more aggressive. Going one
direction can help but doubles your harvest time. The Gleaner black frame headers
and newer will do a decent job in picking up down corn, just be patient.....very
patient.
Ben

 

[Russell Moore]

Thanks for all the advice
I’m going to remove the ear deflectors and go from there
We only have 20 or so acres to pick like that but that’s enough headache

 

[paul]

Yea. There is no joy in it.

Need to go when it?s dry, any dew from the morning or when it sets in around 5pm, you are done.

Need to drive into the lean if it is leaning with the rows.

If it is leaning across the rows, you can combine 3 rows (assume a 4 row head) and leave the leaned over outside row empty. Head won?t plug nearly as bad with that one empty row, as the outside row is the worst for plugging.

I had 70 acres of it, a mess a couple years ago, we had a microburst of wind 4 days before harvest started, blew so hard it moved a gravity box sideways, I hardly ever saw the header that year. Got my cardio workout, up and down the ladder couple times a round. Wore out the feederhouse slip clutch.

Be safe, don?t be tempted to leave the header run or to get under the combine head unblocked. It?s not worth it.

Paul

 

[Super A]

Reels and corn savers work. Sell the combine when you're done. Joke used to be around here that if you have to use one, make sure your combine is insured and burn it at the end of the season!

Al