Combines harvesting sunflowers

Thank you very much for your time to respond Kurt

Here is my list ranked from best to poorest ( my opinion). This is for 30" rows. Ray-Mac or lee-Way (these attach to a grain table after removal of reel as do the sunflower pans),sunflower pans (your only option for drilled flowers and lower cost),JD row head, direct cut with milo guards. The first two options greatly reduce the amount of mog (think corn head),with the Ray-Mac or lee-Way being far superior in down crops. Row heads will work but they cut off the stalk and they are horrible expensive to maintain. The last option is just that. I have used all of the above and am very pleased with the Ray-Mac.

do you know a dealer for the ray-mac or lee-way productsIJ thanks

I have a 30' 810 IHC head for sale with Intersteel 9" pans and drum reel all ready to cut sunflowers located in NW Kansas call 785 821 4309

Ray-Mac, Inc. Gwinner, N. Dakota 1-800-542-4416 lee-Way was the predecessor of the ray-mac head. www.ray-mac.com

I agree with you that the leeway is better than a JD all crop head but other than the maintanence the all crop head does a better job than pans in all conditions. You forgot to mention the cadillac of all sunflower headers, it is the most expensive but is also hands down the best sunflower header available,The Sunmaster series sunflower head built by Westward Products, http:__www.westwardproducts.com_pickups_headers3.htm . They work great in all conditions and the biggest advantage is they have the least amount of harvest loss due to their shaker pans. There is also one other option which I only know from second hand experience, it is called CornSol which is built by Golden Plains Mfg, you install these attachments to your corn head in place of your factory deck plates. I have heard that they don't work so well in wet or green flowers but like I said I have never been around them. So here would be my choices: 1. Sunmaster by Westward Products http:__www.westwardproducts.com_pickups_headers3.htm 2. 3 way by Ray-Mac (lee-Way) http:__www.ray-mac.com_products_index.html 3. JD all crop header (be sure to get an A model) 4. CornSol by Golden Plains http:__www.goldenplains.com_cornsol.html 5. Sunflower pans (lucke Mfg.) http:__www.luckemfg.com_sunflower_systems.htm ) Just my 2cent, JHarvest

On the Ray-Mac head, what turns the augers on the row unitsIJ Can you put them on a draper head or does it have to be a rigid head

The row units are powered by hyd. orbit motors. I run mine off the reel drive curcit. It came with a pump that drives off the feederhouse jackshaft. Don't know about mounting them on a draper head as they are fairly heavy but I would bet someone has.

Never been around the sunmaster, looks like it should work well. Was in France a couple of years ago at the SEMA show and saw a complete head that looked really slick.

We have always used a row crop head but next year we are going to try pans as we have some growers on 22" rows who are going to plant them. As far as fires we have never had one we always run a drag chain and we blow the combine clean a couple times a day. If you are looking for a row crop head I have a 853 for sale with lots of recent work done to it. I have it converted over for a case so all you would have to do is get an adapter plate for other brands of combines