Combines Corn harvesting question

If this isn't a poly head, you can remove the raised ear savers, you also need to open stripper bars wider than usual, allow the stalk to be pulled down before it breaks, slowing the head does seem to help.You can also set the lugs on the gathering chains so they are straight across rather than staggered. If it's a steel head try spraying slip plate, that seems to help too.

I have seen my neighbor with a 6 row poly Case put the header down on the ground and drive across the rows into them almost straight on from the side they are pointing to. Then pickup at the end of the down area spin around and go back for another round. He picked all the good stuff around and had about 4 acres like this, took him two hours and was rather slow. It caused a lot of trash to run thru the combine and had to unload a few piles of stalks off the header. It left hardly anything on the ground except for a mess of uneven stalks, looked pretty rough but yet effective. This is the instance where a 20" or 15" header would really pay off... I feel lucky and have never had to try this, we plant a lot of Garst corn around here and have never had down corn, we are lucky, most of our creek bottom ground is in 25-35 acre plots with drainage ditches with treelines all around to block a lot of damaging winds. Pick your good stuff and go after this last, Good luck

I picked after a hurricane had same trouble . I had to start on the side of the field where the wind came from . Sometimes could only go one way. corn varieties made the most difference. there is no perfect cure just take your time.

Just finished 40 ac that was down bad.Hugger steel head. In worst places went with the direction corn was laying(across rows). Where not so bad, took five rows so end snout wouldn't have stalks hanging over it. That worked about as good as anything. Some places went into the corn against the way the wind blew. When all done we didn't leave much in field. Rest of corn is standing good. It was just one number.