863 corn head

Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member
Yes...still at it! Looked at an 863 today. This is an old head, I know. Gear boxes look OK. Couple sprockets maybe need to be replaced. Two of the chains seemed to be at the limit of the tensioners. The knives on the rollers seem to be about a good 1/2" apart...so some wear on these but it is even wear. I think this is all fixable if the price is right. Really, I went thru it all and wear seems to be of the normal use kind. The snoots are in good shape, not all trashed.

Now onto the worst thing I could find and that is the auger bed. Couple of ugly patches, some pretty good denting and, in general, the metal is fairly thin after 3 decades (at least) of corn harvesting. I was looking at poly liners for the auger bed and have also found metal liners for the bed for a little more. Anyone use these? If I can get the thing for a decent price, replace the worst of the worn parts and put in a auger bed kit would this be a good option? I don't have $5-10K for a newer one right now. Thinking this might get me thru a year or two...then sell it and trade up?
 
"The knives on the rollers seem to be about a good 1/2" apart."

You might want to look at that again.....I set mine as close as they will go and not hit. IH had the original chopping head.

They do get close and far apart as they turn, so you need to roll the head over to check.
 
I had an 844 one time and the rolls almost touched like you said. Was a breeze to plow after combining.
 
Mark, maybe we are misunderstanding each other. The pinch roller knives, when they came together in the center, were very worn. Instead of nearly touching they were a good 1/2" apart. I feel these need to be flipped over or changed completely. Seller thought they were OK but we are looking at a late harvest and I would rather change them now than in December. I am mostly wondering about lining the auger bed with poly or something else. There are kits. Hoping someone has used them and give a review for me.
 
The knife edge on the snapping rolls must run very close like 1/16", if they dont it will not grab & shred the stalks, this was important at the top & bottom of the rollers, if the bottoms or noses are loose in the bearings (brass bushing) the top end does all the work. The top ends have steel insert square couplers that will wear & let the edges exceed 1/16. This was the design for all the 8/9/10 series corn heads.
 
Yes! That is what I am talking about. I do not see the auger bed as being very efficient. Has a couple of patches, a couple of cracks and dents that will likely cause problems. I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about the poly replacements. Have to think they would improve performance.

As to the knives, I know they are useless. I talked to the seller about it. From my perspective, they all need replacing. I know about the brass bushings too but did not see any sign that any of these had gone bad. Knife wear is pretty uniform over the length of the rollers. In addition to knives, it will need three gathering chains replaced. A couple sprockets (the ones out at the snoot ends) need to be replaced as they have a lot of play. Cosmetically, other than the auger bed, it is nice for it's age I guess. I am looking at about $1000 in parts to make it right I think. That is just the repairs I know about. We are going to have to work on price.
 
Here is another link for a poly liner kit. $269. http://www.lundellplastics.com/agricultural_products/exoplate_liners/cornhead_trough_liners.asp.

The auger is easy to remove so you can get to the trough
 
Thanks, I think the bushings and inserts are good from what I can tell. I am going to give it another look over and then offer on it maybe...if it looks good.
 

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