Gleaner F2 and F3

Super Steve · Jul 8, 2016

I'm going tomorrow to look at an F2 and an F3. Just wondering what I need to be looking for on each of them.

I know about the serial number break on the F2 and asked the seller what it was but he didn't know off hand. He says its the long shoe but is a gear drive, weren't the long shoes hydro's? This one also has newer, bigger tires on it. That is a pro as well as a con for me. Being on 4x30s it will be tight in the rows and if we have a wet fall I will end up running over the next row. This one also only comes with a 13' flex head, I would need to buy a corn head which would put me almost to the same price as the F3

The F3 has a few more hours but looks just as good from the pictures I've seen. What were the upgrades to the F3 over the F2? This one comes with both the 13' flex head and a black A430 corn head.

Bob Bancroft · Jul 8, 2016

What size tires? I think the tires on my F2 were 23.1x26. They worked well with the 4x30 head. My F2 was a later, longer one, and a gear drive. Hydros were uncommon around here. I never had a F3, but looked one over, and noticed they had changed the clean grain elevator drive. That was a limiting factor in heavy, wet corn, just like on the old E. With the K2 it was not an issue, then I found out they used the same elevator on the K2 and F2!

Super Steve · Jul 8, 2016

the guy with the f3 said it has the 23.1x26 and I forgot to ask the guy with the f2 but they are considerably wider. I'm guessing they are 28L's. My cousin runs 28s on his 8600 white and he has about 2 inches to spare, in mud he ends up sliding and running over rows.

Bob Bancroft · Jul 8, 2016

Yep, I think the 23" tires are the right size for the machine. Mine did very well for a 2 wheel drive machine. But it's not a heavy machine. Switching from moldboard plowing to a chisel plow made a difference in how firm my ground was too.

A difference I forgot to mention, you may already know. I think the F3 was electro/hydraulic controls, like on the bigger machines.

JMS/.MN · Jul 8, 2016

I ran an F2 for around 20 years, cut the rims to add a ring, put on 28L-26 tires, behind a 430 corn head. I did move the planter marker arms a few inches to get more leeway, but that worked fine. F3 would have electric/hyd valves, so you can run a flex head like a 315, etc. F2 would be just the auto header height control for the older bean heads....still a good option. Don"t confuse that with a true flex head. VS floating cutterbar with auto height control. Serial number break on the long shoe F2 is at 39201. No, they are not all hydro then. Mine is a gear drive. In a wet Fall, the wider tires will carry better, and maybe let you follow the row better.

Doug Wi · Jul 8, 2016

I've got both and like and dislike things about both of them. You don't mention if the F3 is a hydro or gear. Mine are both gear and the 3 has a5 speed tranny vs 3 speed in the 2. The 5 speed gives a better speed range. The 3 has an electric separator clutch vs an over center lever on the 2 which I like better. You can bump it a little to turn stuff abit whereas the electric clutch is on or off. The header raise and lower and the variable speed control are on one joystick type lever on the 2 whereas on the 3 both are controlled by rocker switches. I like the joystick better. This is all fairly minor stuff. Either will be a nice unit.

Gleaner F2 and F3

Super Steve

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Bob Bancroft

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Super Steve

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Bob Bancroft

Well-known Member

JMS/.MN

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Doug Wi

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