Combines HElP cutting Sorghum with 9320

[riceman]

I would invest in a set of milo guards. There's a place in Hutchinson, KS that makes what I would say are the best ones out there. Kinda looks like a picket fence that bolts on top of the cutterbar. Seems like our set for the 30 foot head was around $700 or so. I try to get the center of the reel right over the sickle. I'm not familiar with the 9300 series heads...are these flex heads or rigidIJ Mine are both 8000 series flex's. We pin the flex up like if you used it to cut wheat and get along fine. The air reel doesn't really help much because the heads weigh so much. I usually turn mine down low or completely off to keep the dust down as much as possible. Hope any of this rambling helps.

 

[John_W]

Here is a link to a seller of Milo Guards in Kansas.

 

[Mlappin]

The 9300 series are flex heads. We do have it locked up just like with wheat. SO far we like the sorghum as a option on some of our real light ground, and having this 9320 head we can leave it set up for sorghum and won't have to spend any time switching for differant crops. Any ideal why it was throwing heads right over the back of the headIJ What went over would just barely clear the back.

 

[riceman]

What reel are you runningIJ We have one header with a Crary air reel and one 25 foot with a standard pipe reel. You might be running the reel too fast or too low. Maybe even both if its throwing over really bad. Just an idea, but if you can't make it stop throwing heads over the back, why not raise the back sheet of the header up someIJ A foot of expanded metal might work and it would still be see through. Whats your ground speedIJ Since its only a 20 foot head I'd imagine you are moving along pretty quickly. What sort of yeilds are you makingIJ

 

[Mlappin]

We have the U2 reels on both heads. If we run the reel slower then we had more dropping off the front and if faster then either was carried over the reel or even more over the back of the head. Father and I already talked about adding a foot to the back of the head. If we get the sorghum guards then maybe we can run the reel slower and eliminate all or most of the carry or throw over. We were running about 5 to 5.5 mph, and it went anywhere from 80 to 110 BPA. We did have some areas that had to be replanted, thinking that cutworms or armyworms were the cause of it, yields would have been better but had a few areas that were really questionable when rest was replanted, than after picking it decided it should have been to. With as dry as it was here and as light as the ground is, both father and I feel that sorghum was really the crop to have in this year, as we had beans right across the road and they were quite disappointing.

 

[Mlappin]

Should have added that any faster and then it couldn't get in the kwik-cut sections fast enough to be cut off. Were thinking about going to the SCH sections and guards next year.

 

[riceman]

It sounds like our yields are about the same as yours. I was cutting with a 8780 and a 25 foot header in 100 bu. average milo running around 4 or 4.5mph. I had the gaurds on and wasn't having near the trouble you are so I'd say that might be your main problem. For a 20 foot head they shouldn't cost much more than $400 or so, so thats the way I'd go. If you would take my advice, stay away from the ones that have wires and just go straight for the plastic picket fence looking ones. We like milo here in NE Arkansas because its usually the first thing to come off. I started planting in mid April and started cutting in mid August. We had around 500 acres, some irrigated and some dryland. Corn yeilds in this area aren't very high but we can grow 100 to 160 bu. milo on an average. One 160 acre notill dryland field make 116 and our irrigated made around 150bu. We had some dryland that didn't do too well and went around 75 to 80 but still pretty good considering the land it was on. Is charcoal rot big in your areaIJ We had about 20 acres that went flat on the ground from it.

 

[Big_Al]

Mr. Mlappin I have a set of those milo guards everyone is talking about on this thread. I had two 30' headers but sold one I had milo guards for both headers. I would sell you the set for one 30' header for $400.00 they are located in centeral Kasnas if you are interested please post back here so I can contact you. From the sounds of your problem these milo guards would solve a lot of your cutting problems.

 

[Mlappin]

like I said in earlier post if we would have replanted more of the one field it might have went around 140 or better. Where it was good it was GOOD, the rest was average or less. The ones that were suggested in this thread earlier were the wire ones but then they had plastic boots that would snap over them to get the picket fence look. Do you know of a differant brand I could look intoIJ Only our second year with the sorghum so can't really say if the charcoal rot is a problem or not, sometimes in a really odd year I have heard of it in beans sometimes, but not often. Have had a lot of people ask what we had planted in a few of those fields, because it is not a real popular crop around here. Most of the light ground around here is either irrigated or in alfalfa.

 

[riceman]

There was a fella on here a while back that had listed the phone number of the company in Hutchinson that makes the plastic ones. The number is 800-658-1714. Don't know if that number is still working or not.