Beginner hydraulics question, MF 300 and dummy/pickup he

Newdesertfox · Jun 27, 2021

I just purchased a MF 300 that from what I understand was one of the last ones off the production line in very good condition. It came with 4 heads, and one of the heads is a rigid bean/grain head (first time combine so may be using wrong term) Anyways what Im hoping to do is harvest red clover seed for cover cropping, and at least around here a lot of people recommended swathing and then using a pickup head. On the 300 it has what I remember a single hydraulic line on the right to help with the flex head or something. And what Im wondering is if it has a 2nd hydraulic return line or if it could be easily added to run a hydraulicly driven dummy pickup head, I saw one at auction and thought maybe I could mount it to the rigid head after removing all the other components off it, as I wouldn't be using as already has a flex head. Any thoughts or inputs on the idea? I know tractors etc, but never touched a combine till when I went over this to buy it. Any help would be great, thanks!

the tractor vet · Jun 28, 2021

Well i ran a Massey 300 for about seven years , now mine was NOT one of the last . I did not have header height control like most of the newer ones had , BUT they all have two control valves , on for the header and one for the reel Both are single acting valves meaning ya have Hyd . power UP and gravity down So no return lines . Could a return be added i guess so .

Butch(OH) · Jun 28, 2021

I had a mid production 300, last year of non quick attach and it was like yours. Two spool valve, one for remote for reel lift other one for header lift and both single action.

rrlund · Jun 28, 2021

You're wanting to run a hydraulic motor on the pickup then? I don't think it would have the capacity and that the oil would over
heat pretty quick.

Newdesertfox · Jun 28, 2021

Ah gotcha, I didnt think to consider that and can completely understand that being an issue. Is it possible to change a hydraulic pickup to belt driven with a welder and some gears mounting it to the rigid head or do those hydraulic units usually need a lot more power to run then what belts or chains could supply?

ss55 · Jun 29, 2021

Most times you can fabricate brackets to mount the dummy head directly to the feeder house and power the dummy head from the same drive shaft as runs the other heads.

paul · Jul 5, 2021

Just to help with the terms a little:

A dummy head is the entire head for the combine, a rigid platform head with the pickup belts on it.

What you might have seen at the auction was the pickup belts and frame attachment only, without the actual combine head?

So you would be looking for a way to attach that pickup to the rigid head and power it,

Paul

Beginner hydraulics question, MF 300 and dummy/pickup he

Newdesertfox

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the tractor vet

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Butch(OH)

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rrlund

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Newdesertfox

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ss55

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paul

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