Combines Variable speed header drive pulley

I assume you are talking about the driven sheave on the feeder countershaft as opposed to the drive sheave on the pivot shaft. Unless Im totally off base, which seems to be the case more often than I like to admit, the VS header driven sheave is the same as the VS cylinder driven sheave except for size. The op manual calls for daily greasing of the cylinder sheave and then run it through the speed range to distribute the grease. Maybe it is a good idea to grease the header sheave the same way and as often. Tom in MN

Some are going on twenty years with no service. I would think that every few year would be OK for you. Sometime toward the end of the days for that system they put in a zirk so it would not need to be disassembled to grease. Them bearings turn very slow on the N6 for the shaft they are mounted to turn the same direction but only slower than pulley.

Do you have to grease the header variable speed sheaves on the 62's and 72's every day when you have then locked outIJIJ I was told that you have to unlock the sheaves once a week and run them in and out so that the cams get some grease in them, greasing alone won't get the job done. Its kind of a pain to do this so I am wondering if its real necessary or not.

Yes you do have to unlock sheaves,to get the grease onto the sliding part of cams.It should be done more frequent than once a week.It would be a bigger pain,to replace guide pins in drive sheaves,belt,lower sheave,hub,cams,and spring.All this would be done when you would rather be using the combine.Also on new combines,there are two zerks to be grease-one on outside (has always been there) and the one on the inside that was added a couple of years ago.

Of course it would be a good idea to cycle varible from time to time. There isn't any operators around here that do and we have little trouble from lack of grease. If you have good operators you wouldn't have to lock the ring each time you do it on these newer machines. Just be sure that varible is slowed up all the way and no one hooks the small hose to coupler when something other than corn head is installed.