Combines Gleaner E F G questions and general combine Q s

[max]

The E is a great little machine. If you grow soy beans the flex head works good to cut close to the ground. The F may have air in the cab. F has more power then the E or K. Most of the big combines out there have done a lot of work. I myself for a small farm would look for a machine that has the least amount of repairs. I have had only E's and they are easy to repair and do a lot of work. We did have a 90 but traded for the E. Never was sorry. Good luck!

 

[John]

Go with an F series, they are very easy to run, maintain, get parts and heads for. Not too big yet not too small for any operation. The F is a great 4-30 thru 4-38 machine. The flex head lets the cutter bar(sickle) raise and lower an extra 6"(float) beyond the actual header height. This makes for great ground hugging for soybeans. A WOBBlE BOX takes a lot of wear, tear and vibration out of the sickle, well worth the money to get a Grain Table with a Floating Cutter Bar(flex head) and Wobble Box sickle drive. The G Series were known for trouble in this neighborhood, not a machine that I would even look at with its local record. E_K, CII_F series, and M series were all good Gleaners. The CIIs, Fs and Ms are all very abundant here.

 

[John68]

hello, and thanks for hte fast reply! where are you located that those combines are abundantIJ I shoudl have mentioned that I am not exactly located in an area associated with BIG FARMS. I am 20 mins southwest of Pittsburgh, PA. I am in valley that has "fingers" and the soil and climate is not suitable at all for soybeans. Just 1 hour west of here in Ohio, there are huge farms with tons and tons of soybean, but on this side of the Ohio river, nothing... I have a hard time finding big machinery around here. I might have to settle on an E Gleaner, as there is one in driving distance (it's 1 hour away by car, probably 3 hours of driving time on the combine to get it home ) That's one way to find out a lot about yoru new machine, pay for it and then drive it 3 hours down the road, and keep looking back to see what falls off.

 

[John68]

I am probably gonna look at the E. anything I shoudl be aware ofIJ any common problemsIJ I know form experience with our pull type, that taking an airhose and a shopvac to it at least once or twice a week during cutting season is very important. we almost lost it due to a fire. (As far as air conditioning, I think that if the engine is a 1970's chrylser engine, I could probably go to a salvage yard around here and pick the A_C off of an old Dodge truck and fit it onto the combine, in my "spare time" with some "spare cash" you know how that goes! Thanks for the reply. I love hearing your opinions!

 

[T__langan]

I would look into an "F" series Gleaner for your needs. The "E" and "K" are a bit small for a four row corn head and the F's have a wider tread setting for better stability in the hills. IF you want one that won't overturn easily, get an F2 or F3 with 23.1-26 drive tires. They are wide and low - we had an F3 with those tires and the combine would slide sideways down hills that had overturned old narrow combines in the past (added bonus is space in the cab for extra pairs of underwear when that happens!). A flex head is for soybeans - the sickle floats along the contour of the ground. Unless you grow beans, I would stick with a "rigid" direct cut head. Flex heads put the cutterbar farther ahead of the auger and that can cause problems with smooth feeding of crop if you encounter green material (weeds, grass) that are not uncommon in small grains, at least around here. Good luck to you and feel free to jump in anytime with input and_or questions. Tom langan

 

[John]

located in Iowa, where the F is the small machine. Go online to Ironsearch.com and Fastline.com and choose the areas near you for the search engine. Fs are very common everywhere from my travels all over the nation and Canada. I owned a 76 F diesel several years ago and it was a real gem. I moved to an M2 to handle a 6-30 head and when it ran out of cleaning capacity I now own an N6 hyperized. I don't think I will out grow the 6 series Gleaners.

 

[keith_williams]

I have a K gleaner. Corn_Soybean special. With 2 row wide corn and a 12 foot ridged grain head. Hume reel, vaiable speed and Header height control on grain head. Unit is located near Wellsville Ohio. I have moved to Evansville,IN. So am not using it any more. Keith Williams

 

[John68]

do you have an email adressIJ I could talk to you more about it through emails. or email me at jphillis68@hotmail.com thank you!