Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
OK...well I have made a few but didn't want to clutter up the place with all my fruitless travels. This time, however, I bought a corn head. Looked at about a zillion, seen prices that would make you ill on some REAL junk. Finally found a good solid unit for a good price. It is an IH 863 with all the of the problems you would expect of a unit of that age. Start with the auger bed...needs a poly kit. A couple of the gathering chains are at the end of their adjustment and need to be replaced. Some of the roller knives need to go but not all. A couple of the idler sprockets need new bushings. Sprockets are mostly good...maybe a a worn one or two could use a bit of dressing to clean up the ends. The unit is overall pretty solid with good snoots and not a lot of damage. I budget about $1000 in parts but I get to do the work so if any problems come up at harvest it won't be a mystery how it works. The seller worked with me on the price to allow me cash for repairs. He is replacing a missing shield and going all thru it to make sure all the adjustments are loose and working as part of the deal. Looks like we will be picking the corn. I will get video when the time comes. Try to get some pictures of the combine and head when I can. Just thought all my mentors would like an update. I think I found a good combination of honest unit and ethical seller. Thanks!