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Northeast MO | We are considering trading our current Deere 630F for a draper. There are no drapers in our area and wondered how owners like them. We do have a few terraces, but mostly concerned about how they perform in muddy conditions. Is it a problem to put on one a Deere combine, or should we wait for Deere's flex draper that is supposedly coming next year. All we will use it for is soybeans, thanks for any input. |
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Flora IL | No go with the draper!!!!! Uncle traded his 35 ft deere for one and has been very very happy.. In wet conditions u might need to adjust a bit but nothing bad. They run or can run super light on the ground. Ran 2 974's for 4 years and traded one off for a fd 70. It did better than the other in wet conditions but could have been operator.
Also they have made several nice changes... It flexes well and unlike the deere flex the reel can sit right on the cutterbar and the platform hinges in 2 spots... Reel hinges in the middle as I'm sure u have seen. U can start earlier and go much later than your neighbors with grain heads.... Good luck! |
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S. IL | Stay clear of a draper unless your fields are table-top flat or you have a flex-draper. Any slight depressions out in the field will leave beans in the field which add up quick. |
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South Eastern ,ILL | The Mac Don draper header is one of the top" best" purchases I've ever made. I traded a 635F for an FD 70. It makes cutting soybeans a pleasure and would not go back to an auger header.I'm using a 40 ' on a 9770. Should have bought one sooner. |
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S. IL | Wow, are your fields level? |
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N.E. Iowa | I'm guessing in 5 years the only thing being bought will be drapers. One of our guys got a 35' macdon last season for his Gleaner. He runs in the hills and praire and would never go back to auger head. He was running beside a Deere and CIH one day and it started to rain about 4:00. CIH pulled out at 4:15 Deere pulled out at 4:30 he finished the field at 7:30. The beans picked up 2 points of moisture but they fed in great. Deere and CIH were running auger heads. |
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nc north dakota | The fd 70 is a flex draper.
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Red River Valley | We gained over 2 mph going from a HB draper to the FD 70's when we were running gleaners, best thing since sliced bread... |
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Central Kansas | <p>A FD 70 is a flex draper</p><p>Edit: somebody beat me to it. </p><p> </p>
Edited by cattlefeeder 3/7/2010 21:43
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West Kentucky | Couger, I think you either need to give them another shot or if you still own one, find someone who knows how to adjust them. Our fields are from slightly rolling to terraced and I hope to never go back to a regular header. If draper headers are adjusted properly, they are a dream to run. You can cut longer, faster, and usually better. Not to mention, you will all but eliminate shatter! However, if they are not properly adjusted, you will not like them at all! Chris from JL Equipment in Princeton, IN is the best I have ever seen at setting them up. He is also very good about talking you through problems over the phone. We can buy them local, but will probably continue to buy from 120+ miles away just so Chris is available it assist! |
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Central KS | We ran 974 Mac Dons before going to the FD 70 this year. Both were great heads, but noticeable improvement in the FD 70. Hope I never have to run an auger head again. They feed well and I was very impressed with the way they follow terraces. Had a little trouble late in the year with mud, but have since learned of some adjustments that should solve those issues. Also they will be $$30-35,000 cheaper than the deeres if they ever do come out. Have not heard much good about the deere flex drapers so far. A local custom cutter demoed some of them and did not give a shining endorcement at all. |
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EC ND | we have 2 of em and will NEVER buy a auger header again. the 2062 is on our 2188. it makes that combine a completely different combine. they may cost more than an auger but WELL worth the money! |
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| Here's my take - the MacDon can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending upon how it's set up. The guys who are happiest with them are the ones who commit themselves to knowing and understanding how it works and are willing to make the adjustments to get it tuned. If that's not you and you don't have the patience or the mechanical aptitude or desire to understand the header, stay with the auger head for now. That said, the MacDon really is a joy to cut with. Do you roll your bean ground? That makes a world of difference. The terraces and rolling terrain are not big deal but what can give these heads some grief are things like deep sprayer ruts or pronounced ridges in the field that run parallel with direction of cut. One just has to realize how the header works and adapt your cutting style/field practices to match it. If you try to cut over the top of a 6" ridge from a heavy sprayer track, for example, the head is just going to plow right through it instead of allowing the cutterbar to flex to conform to it. The cutterbar itself is in rigid sections so it cannot possibly conform over this like you are accustomed to doing with a conventional flex cutterbar. The head will drastically improve your feeding to the combine and you'll probably discover that you can run much later into the evening that you ever could with the auger head. Moral of the story is that the key to success with the MacDon header is you, the operator. |
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| We have one FD70 and still run 2 635F. Run on wheat and beans. I would say we are somewhat pleased with how the draper is working. It definetly feeds nicer and is cuts as close as the 635's in most conditions. We are concerned about the long term durablity of them. It almost seems like if they are an item that you needs to be kept new. And then if comes down to is the extra cost really worth it? I guess I'm just saying that for us, we are not completely convinced they are. |
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S. IL | Didnt know a FD70 was a flex draper.
Attached is the problem we had with a NON-FLEX draper - they don't drop down into lower areas to get all the beans. We never have this problem with a regular 30' flex-head. I have heard others with the same problem, so thats why I think if you have rolling ground you need a flex-draper.
Maybe all you guys want is capacity and don't care about the beans in the low areas?
Edited by Cougar 3/8/2010 09:02
 (Draper Beans Left.jpg)
Attachments
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 Draper Beans Left.jpg (88KB - 215 downloads)
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Princeton, Indiana | About all Chris does is work on MacDons. He is good. |
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Mac Don FD70 experience
