Looking for All-Crop 66 pickup header.

Found a good All-Crop66 about an hour away, without screens or pickup header. Since I've been growing buckwheat as cover, I'd like to start windrowing and harvesting it for seed.

Anyone got a line on such a thing?

Thanks,

Greg

I've got a windrow type header for an AC 60 that might fit a 66. Located over in south central Missouri.

I think would have to change the complete platform as the 60 has straight sides and the 66 has flaired sides. Never raised or saw buckwheat but Back in days gone by in harvesting red clover seed it was mowed, raked and run thru the 60 with just the cutter bar. No problem picking up the winrow. It was thought it had to be dried in row befor harvesting. I could see we were loosing a third of seed. Got Dad talked into trying direct cut and gained that lost seed. We still had to dry seed spreading out on a floor or wood flat bed wagon just a few inches thick and twice a day would stir it around to help with drying. Several years ago there was a start up company wanting to contract acres for buckwheat and next year when I was ready to try raising some company was gone. But it would have been direct cut as well. One year a neighbor thought he was going to be smart and swath his wheat crop to get it to dry down faster for double croping his soybeans. Got rain and lost his entire wheat crop, don't knoe if he ever was able to do the double crop beans. I believe you are ahead to just plan to direct your buckwheat. I believe it will work just fine. Has been no swathed grain around for 30? years. Does not make any sence in this part of the country. And for those that believe you have to swath to led weeds dry take care of the weeds early on and not let them grow that you have to dry them out.

Greg,

Found these numbers/names for AC salvage yards nearby on a AC forum. Maybe it will lead to a find...

Northside in Red Bud, Ill phone # 618 282 2455

Austin Farm Salvage 660 679 4080. Butler, Mo.

Where you live in So. Ill? I am in Salem.

John

They do not interchange---different widths. Also, the 60 had a raddle chain vs the rubber belt of the 66, which saved grain that would be loosened as it passed thru the pickup.

Thanks for all the info. I will check out the salvage places close to me, the one in Red Bud is right down the road, I'm outside of Waterloo.
As far as 'needing' the pickup head, I dont have any firsthand experience with harvesting buckwheat, its just something I've heard at a conference. I usually just till it in... but that seed is getting mighty expensive. Paying around a dollar a pound... Figure I could pay for a harvester pretty quick in just saved seed alone. Anyway the stems on buckwheat are pretty succulent and leggy, I've heard guys say they get wrapped up pretty quick when green. That and all the seeds dont mature at once, setting them in a windrow gives it all a chance to dry out a little,and mature some of the seeds. Also heard rain wont hurt it much when windrowed, unlike some other crops.
This is all new to me, so I am learning by going. Definitely appreciate all the good advice on the forums.

He wants to harvest buckwheat and that stuff is odd compared to other grains. It has a big stalk and you can you can have dried seeds and new flowers on the same stalk. I don't know if it can be direct cut without some type of drying. Having it hit with a frost in the fall is one way to get it dried and then be able to direct cut it.