Combines Price of Air ReelsIJ Or just a really good head

Can addition of air reel make a old beater head perform better than a new headIJ What is it you have for a head nowIJ

Hi 93! We have a 816 flex head. I can pick up a newer one for less than $10,000. 16 footers are not that common, and that is the size we need for some of our plot work in intercroping, and it is easier staying in our controlled wheel traffic cutting wheat also, plus it works fine in 6 row 30" beans and milo. I would not mind to upgrade a bit while I can. I was told by an area AGCO dealer I have spoken with that the 16' heads are not available any more. We plan on keeping our machine 20 years or forever which ever comes first. I am curious, what did you figure out for your combine situation, are you still thinking about upgradingIJ OR did you do itIJ

I run an 825 with a Crary on my R62 currently. I had a 320 on a R50 before it. The 320 came without an air reel and we installed one later. I think it is one of my best investments. The tines were clipped on the original reel but I have only clipped a few in 10 years of air reels. I haven't had any gearbox trouble and there is never any beans dribbleing off the cutterbar. In wheat and soybeans both I run the reel higher than ever was possible with original reel. I use alot of wind on beans but almost shut it off in wheat. The latest thing around here is rolling the soybeans either right after planting or when the beans are 3". It eliminates rock damage and corn rootballs hanging in the cutterbar. I had one 80A field not rolled that I broke 2 sections on. All the rest was rolled and I did not break another one. They are still sharp. last year with rolling was the first year I never used the reverser once! When I think of combining back when we had the F2 and the floating cutterbar I just cringe. I would suggest that unless you have a lot of rock dammage on the old head that you could rebuild most any thing on your 816 and installing the aireel would pay for it all. PS keep track of the pivots at the base of the fingers in the auger. Pull them in and out. They can do a lot of dammage when they wear out.

Well, ya I did it. Traded my 93-52 for a 98-42. Feel like I got a good deal on a very nice machine but now am watching the bill go up as I make it my own,ie; yield monitor, HP adjustment, wheel spacing and the cost of geetting the threasher the way I want it, ie; chrome concave, helicals and discharge bars. I also have a 816,which I did order the aws for. Cost of $6,650. I had to laugh when you said they don't make the 16' head any more. Just another obsolete machine I own.I am almost PO'd at Agco for dropping the class 4 and 5 combine. It's the right size for my farm. And my size is right for American agriculture. IMO Oh well. Wonder why CIH and JD can still make a mid size machineIJ

UMMM, Can I ask you when you bought your Air ReelIJ The price I got quoted was $8895! (plus $660 for install) That is $2245 difference!!!! (air reel alone) For that difference I will drive over to Iowa and buy one there, and install ourselves! I agree, AGCO would have had a nice nitch in the market if the would have kept the R52. Build a 100 or so a year. I believe that would keep people interested, and smaller farms would move over to AGCO's when replaceing their older class 4 and 5's of any color. As far as green and red, I think their small machines are larger than class 5 now, I am probably wrong, I dont pay much attention to them. I am glad you made a choice! It is funny it is hard to get over the hump of making a big decision, then when you do you feel better about it. BUT then come all the small things that one feels need to be done to make it your own, and better. That is where I am at. I want our machine to be better. May I ask what serial number your 98 isIJ Ours is R48003.

Morning! Thank you for the information it is helpful to hear how others have done with purchasing an accessory! We dont have any rock where we are at, fortunately. The wheat is a big deal for us, we raise wheat for a registered seed producer. I work really diligently with the combine each year to get them a nice clean sample that does not have any cracking or scuffing of the grain in it. I would help greatly if we could run less material through the processor, and shutting fan down would help on our losses during wheat harvest. I have to run it pretty good to get the chaff and short stems out, which puts some on the ground. Most of the time the machine acts like it is getting over loaded, and if we could not take in as much straw to do a good job then we would way ahead on that alone.

This isn't an reel it's a AWS wind system. The kind that sticks out ahead of the reel. www. awsairreels.com

OH! Ok, that would be less money. I have wondered which would be a better way to go. I suppose if your reel and tines are in good shape then the wind system would be better. But if your reel is needing some TlC then the air reel is the way to goIJ I was all over the price if it was for an air reel!