4WD Gleaner M2?

Is there such an animal? I have looked at a lot of Gleaners plus read the sales literature. I don't recall seeing a 4WD in the L,M,F series but a fella here locally has one on Craigslist.
Out of my range anyway

Dave,
I understand that you could add a "MUD HOG" kit onto some combines of that time. The kit added hydrostatic rear wheel drive to 2 wheel drive combines. You could switch it on and off as needed.
That looks like a VERY nice machine. Looks like a quality corn head too.

That would make someone a great unit with the addition of a 15 to 20 ft floating grain head. It may be a little more than you had been thinking, but it looks like it has been really well taken care of. I wonder how many hours are on it?
HTH
Keith

Dave, Have you considered a k2 gleaner to get you started, I use to farm 150 acres with one and got along great with it, gear machine available with gas or Diesel engine. 1979-1980 I believe we're the long tail units. Not sure when they quit making them. I still see them around with both heads for 5 k range.

Just about every Gleaner F2,M2,and L2 sold new in my area was 4WD from the factory..Heres my neighbors new L2 with RWA mudding out beans for me in Nov 1979..It had 0 acres on it when he pulled in to the field..It only had a 15 ft header..He was done with his beans and had just traded for it....He wanted to see how it would do in the mud..

I don't think I have ever seen anyone pick beans in mud like that! Pretty amazing pics. Definitely show the value of the RWA. Always seems to be dry when the beans go off around here and I don't remember why. I do know the tenant usually plants wheat right after a bean harvest so he must be earlier in the year harvesting. Others around here are out picking in the cold. Never grown soy in my life so not sure how that works.

I would go look at one of those in a minute. Per the handy dandy Gleaner reference a fella sent me a while back there were 3000 made between 1977-81. Looks like it is smaller than the F2. Probably suit my current needs and, like you said...get me started affordably. Haven't seen one around just yet but I check listings every other day or so.

I agree on all counts. Problem is you can get a much more modern machine for a lot less money. Like the F3 with two heads that sold around the corner from here in March at an auction. It was the local "big bucks" auctioneer and even he couldn't squeeze more than $4800 out of it. Buyers premium put brought the gavel down at $5280.

At least you know it is hydro transmission. I know they made them, don't think I've ever seen one around here.

Really, the problem here is the combine bottoms out and sits on the frame in bad mud, so the extra traction would be marginally helpful. What we need here is more rubber on the dirt, like duals. Or just fatter tires.

So in my dirt I wouldn't get real excited about the need for 4wd on a combine.

My F combine with the skinny tires sunk a lot. It also couldn't get out because the belt would get wet from flying mud and slip bad.

My F3 with the taller, much fatter tires walks over a lot more mud with ease, and it holds more in the hopper, and has a 2 foot wider header so carries a lot more weight. But it does much better in mud because of the wider tires. The hydro keeps a pretty good power to the wheels to keep going, no slipping.

The M3 also walks over mud - this fall we got 5 inches of rain in 4 days, I went back to combining a few days later and didnt think much of it. In a low spot the chopper plugged up, I got off the combine and my foot sunk into the squish. Wow. I looked around, and the combine was leaving a pretty good track, but it was walking over the mush. I was so busy watching the new to me combine operations I wasn't paying attention to ground conditions...

This was with a 20 foot head, much heavier combine, and I wasn't being careful on keeping the hopper empty; I was actually testing out how many rounds I could fit on the new combine..... Oops!

Anyhow, it was no problem, never spun never sunk, just walked over the mush. With the wide fat tires. My old f with the skinny tires would have sunk in that. I know, I had many times, this was the same field I got stuck in twice in one afternoon.....

The key here is what a person is doing. With a tractor the skinny tires are used to pull a load, and work down to firmer ground below to pull from.

A combine only need to carry itself over the ground, not pull any big tillage tugs. So a big fat tire will carry you on a combine.

Different needs.

The rear wheel assist on a combine has its place, but I'd just look for the bigger size rims and tires on the front axle and figure that will do good? Not worry about the complexity of a 4wd setup to maintain.

Every area is different, I'm talking about my soils and conditions, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt of course!

Paul

I'd also say there is some room to negotiate on that CL combine. The 4wd might add $5,000, but with only one head you lose a couple grand of a bean head and a grand of a dummy head, I'd put it at $15,000 without seeing it any better than a picture and no hours listed....

Paul

I dunno...sounds about right to me. I know my tractor is a featherweight these days at 9 ton and the tires that carry it are 20.8x38 which I have sometimes seen listed as "combine tires". I have BAD mud right now and the tractor is 2WD but it walks thru it as long as there is no load. I put the duals on to help with the load and I find it funny...it may not move forward but it won't go down neither. I love Michigan weather, it keeps things interesting.