John Deere 45 - which corn head?

TS_NEIL

New User
I'm new to the forum and I'm trying to get into cash crop farming for the year 2020. I have the opportunity to purchase an old JD 45 combine (round back) that my grandfather used to run before he sold it to the neighbor (grandfather never combined corn). It has been sitting in a shed untouched for the 10ish years since he sold it. I'm sure it'll need a bit or work but that shouldn't be a problem I cant handle. I am wondering, though, what kind of options I have as far as corn heads go for the 45. I'd like to plant 30" rows b/c my brother is willing to help me plant and spray - is there a way to get a 30" 2 row corn head for that 45?

if not, what options am I looking at? Im hesitant to go wide row because all of my brother's equipment is 30" and getting his help is the only way I can get over the financial start-up hurdle.

thanks!
Neil
 
Well I am pretty sure that you can not fit a JD 45 down two narrow rows of corn. You would need to be at 60 inches on the wheel centers and I do not think you can do that. So your looking at needing a three row narrow header. I think they offered a JD 335 header that would fit a JD 45 combine. I have never seen one on a JD 45. They were more common on the JD 55 combines. I am pretty sure the JD 45 would NOT have the capacity to run a three row narrow head in todays high yielding corn. The best way would be to find a adaptor feeder house that would allow you to put a JD 343 corn head on the JD 45 combine. That you could find but it would not be cheap. I also wonder if the JD 45 would even lift the JD343 header.

You have not stated how many acres your looking at to harvest??? If it just a few then you could just use a wide row header by using half of it. Not the ideal way but for a few acres it would work for now.

Truthfully unless you just want your Grand Father's combine back I would look for a JD 4400 and a JD 443 or a JD 3300 and a JD 343 header. You can buy a JD 3300 for $1500-3000. The trouble with the JD 45 combine is your going to spend more for any narrow header than the combine is worth and when your done you would have a machine that would be severely limited in use. So it would be more a collector or sentimental piece of equipment.

I am sure Tomstractorand toys will see this and chime in. He is more up to date on what you can find in narrow row heads for the older combines. The trouble is they where designed in the time period that corn yields where half of what we have today. Plus wide rows where the row spacing that the majority use. So narrow row equipment is very limited for machines from that time period.
 
I started out with a 45 and now have a 95 and a 105. I once parted a round back 45 that had a 313 three row narrow head. Like JD seller says below with today's corn you are not going to be able to harvest three rows. If you do locate a 313 make sure the feederhouse is 26 inches(I think that is right). A 313 on a 55 will be 30 inches. You will need to get manuals as there are other parts you will need. I think JD seller has the right idea in either harvest one row at a time with a two row wide head or look for a newer bigger machine. If you have good corn I would not consider a 55 as it will be maxed out with 3 rows of 200 bu corn. I do use my 95 diesel with a 4 row but only because the tires straddle two rows of corn and we like to bale our cornstalks sometimes in the fall but often next spring. The 105 with the big tires mashed two rows down flat but handles the 4 row much better. With limited parts for the old 5 series machines a 3300 or a 4400 would be a good machine. If you put a 3 row narrow on a 4400 you have to have the wheels in the narrow position and if you have hills you will not like that. Tom
 
Forgot about the JD 313 header. I still do not think he will be able to go slow enough to run good corn with the JD 45 and a three row head.
 
I agree with you 100%. I am wide rows still but have considered going to a six row narrow planter and I would then put a 343 on my 95. My neighbor makes fun of me as he says he has to hold up a finger to see if I am moving when shelling with the 95.LOL Tom
 
Thank you all for your input - I really appreciate it! Sounds like I either need to figure out a way to go wide rows and pick up a 2 row head or keep an eye out for a 3300/4400 to go narrow row.

Thanks!
Neil
 
I've got a 45 with a quick attach feeder house and a 343 head on it. The feeder house is a decently hard to find piece. You see them on other people's combines but you don't often see them for sale. I was told you had to swap cylinders to lift the 343. Cylinders off of a 55 would work. There are not any 5 series combines left around me really. I have a parts 45 and ended up taking the cylinders off it and welded some more brackets and used 4 cylinders to lift the 343. I've only ran this setup one year in corn so far. Will hopefully run again in a few more weeks. Like Tomstractorsandtoys said. Putting a finger up to see if you are moving is what you will be doing. You will have to stop every so often and let the clean grain elevator catch up. Whatever you decide to do have fun with it. I will say though. I can tell you like others have said. Parts for 5 series are getting hard to come by.
 
Dont know the Jds at all, but we have a 335N with the stuff to put it on a 55. came off a 55 originally, and the guy switched it to run on his 95, but kept the bracketry for the 55.
 

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