My platform had the poly when I got it. Everyone else in my area uses poly too. I used to have a JD454a row crop head, and the poly on the shoes was the only way to get it to work.
Dave,would encourage you to put the poly on as not only does it make the cutter bar glide over the ground better, it also saves on runner wear ..your CIH dealer should have a cut to fit kit that I prefer to cutting your own pieces from bulk material
