South CarolinaCutting our soybeans, tired of hearing them pop the window and seeing them fly through the air. We plant 30" rows and I have been thinking of buying a used row crop header. I have tried different reel speeds. reel height,ect. with no luck, just the nature of the beast. Beans are dry but stalks still green in places. Makes for tough feeding.
Looking at 853 and 853a heads. Any pro or cons would be appreciated on either head.
We used to plant drilled beans but since we quit growing wheat we plant our beans in May and there is no yield advantage in 30" over 7.5" or 15" on our farm. We are also saving a bunch of money on seed costs.
Thanks in advance for the input.My neighbor uses one and it works great for him. I would use one but I have started planting 3-8" rows on top of a 38" bed.

S.E. South DakotaGet a A model.Easier to work on.Ran a 653 and a 653a for years.I have not been around one for 10 years.Last year we ran one parts were pretty high.

Central Illinoiswe use a 653a, worked great this year. Of course we spent many hours replacing all the lower gears and stationary knives. Everything else was replaced 2 years ago. There are a ton of moving parts on the things, so look closely at the head and see what needs worked on: gears, belts, bearings, knives, chains, spindles, the list goes on.
As far as running, make sure leaves on ground are dry enough. They tend to ball up and cause problems. You also have to be on top of steering and keep right on the row or you will lay em over quickly.

North Central IowaDefinitely look for an "A" series head. The hoods open easier to access the drive chains and belts. The old style ones bolted the hoods on so it was a major undertaking to get at the stuff you need to check daily. The belts use a heavier chain as well. The shafts on the rotary knife drive are splined rather than hex, there's several other improvements over the old series heads. I'd suggest adding automatic chain tighteners as well, they eliminate a lot of the daily maintenance if you're not having to tighten chains and belts. I also had roto shoes on mine, I believe they came from Shoup. They seem to float a little better than the factory skid shoes. I ran a couple of 653A's until this year when I bought a 930F. The 653's were a little small for my and I plant with a twelve row, so reducing ground speed was the goal. That part worked, but I sure hate hearing beans popping on the windows while running the platform.sure hate to admit it but the 630 sits on the trailer while we run the A Between down branches and lodged plants the rowhead seems to get them and you don't get that shatter. I sure don't enjoy the mainteance and upkeep but I like all the bushels I can get.


Gresham, NebraskaJust in case we run into an extreme harvesting issue.  That head will pay for itself several times over in one day.  Haven't needed it since we started running a draper but I like having it around just in case.


SC KansasWhats more important,upkeep from all the moving parts or flex head and put up with some shatter and have more freedom to cut however you want. I've been plowing mud for several days in beans and can't imagine coming close to staying on the rows with a row head. Only consider an "A" model.

South Central MNHave you considered one of the add-on air reels? We've got one, and it doesn't completely eliminate that popping off the windshield, but it sure does help. Might be cheaper and easier to maintain than buying a rowcrop head. I wouldn't know; I've never used a rowcrop head.

Clark county IllinoisAgree with what everyone said about the "A" model.

I would have used mine this year, but the fields are too muddy. The combine is displacing too much mud for the 653A head. A bigger one might be doable. Dryer dirt would be better, yet. : )


Whiting, IowaThere are still several people running row crop heads here. We ran them for years. Nothing will feed better than them. We went to a platform with an air reel this year. It feeds good, but you still have some shatter. We would have needed a platform to cut around the wet holes the last couple days if we were still running the row crop. Each one has it's advantages.

Central KansasUse a straight "853" here. An "A" model would be nice but this was the only one available at the time I needed to purchase it. Works good for me. Last year spent about 6k on it for a rebuild and now it runs as smooth as a singer sewing machine! Feeds nice but not real good for going around a sharp curve...............you'll lay all 8 rows down.dvswia
Posted 11/10/ 07:58 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: no argument from me

Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

View Details

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

For more information, please visit Xinwanda.

Additional reading:
Low to Medium Head Heavy Duty Slurry Pump
Essential Guide to Digital Level Transmitters for Accurate Measurement
Unleash Strength: The Ultimate Heavy Duty Slurry Pump Guide
7 Essential Benefits of Using a Rope Roller Machine for Fitness
7 Essential Benefits of Using Metallurgy Electric Hoists in Industry
Key Benefits of Ya Li Pears for Health Enthusiasts
What Are the Key Benefits of API Spec 5CT?

Loss Evaluation of Soybean Harvesting on Four Types of Headers

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:   Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference Sponsored by ASAE The Seelbach Hilton Louisville, Kentucky 13 - 15 February  AETC.(doi:10./.)
Authors:   Yasumaru Hirai, Mark Schrock, Devanand Maski, Randal Taylor
Keywords:   Soybean harvesting, Header loss, Rigid header, Flexible header, Row crop header, Milo guards

Soybean header losses were evaluated on four header configurations: rigid header, flexible header, row crop header, and rigid header with milo guards. The former three headers have commonly been used for soybean harvesting. The results of field tests showed the lowest loss in the rigid header followed by flexible header, row crop header, and rigid header with milo guards. The evaluation results were different from those previously reported, which typically found the least loss with a row crop header followed by flexible header and rigid header. The difference of header losses among four headers was not statistically significant. For the effect of the milo guard on header losses, the advantage on all kinds of losses, which include stalk, stubble, lodged, and shatter losses, was not shown.

For more row rotary crop headerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)