I bought a Gleaner...

John 37A · Nov 23, 2014

And it's my first combine. It's a Gleaner M. Came with a 16' black grain table. Hour meter shows 15XX hours. The owner's son said it hasn't been run in 10 years, but it fired right up and everything seemed to work as it should.

So, what can you guys tell me about it? Seems as though the old Gleaners were good combines in their day.

sd pete · Nov 23, 2014

What engine is in it?

Mikein Ky · Nov 23, 2014

Good combine, easy to work on. I have owned an F2
and a L2. Both were good machines. Not pretty, but
very dependable.

rrlund · Nov 23, 2014

They were always the standard of the industry around here.

John 37A · Nov 23, 2014

It's a 6 cylinder turbo diesel. That's all I know. I think it was a decent price, but I didn't do my homework on it before buying at the auction. The price was close to scrap value anyway. I didn't think I did too badly on it, but was not expecting to win the auction.

John 37A · Nov 23, 2014

I need to find a corn head for it now. Just some quick looking, I may have more in a head than the combine and table.

700KK · Nov 23, 2014

I would rather have a Gleaner than any other
machine.

sd pete · Nov 23, 2014

The Gleaner Black Heads are better the the old orange corn heads. 30 or 36" rows

OliverGuy · Nov 23, 2014

That happened to me once on a JD 6600. Bought a $1000
443 corn head, cost more than the combine and bean head
together! Joke was when it was full of beans, the beans were
worth more than the combine!

gab · Nov 23, 2014

Don't know anything about combines but my father in law bought a new Gleaner about 25/28 years ago and really liked it, only had it for a few years and it burned to the ground for whatever reason, insurance company found him another one just like it from down in central Illinois, must of had a million hours on it, was broke down constantly.

JMS/.MN · Nov 23, 2014

Should be the 649T? Very easy combine to work on and adjust, compared to those that look so pretty going down the field. Only brand of combine with a real rock door. Many other innovative features for their day.

GeneMO · Nov 23, 2014

They are easy to work on. Lots of spare parts out there. But hard on sealed bearings.

We kept a 5 gallon bucket full of new bearings and flanges. Became an expert at replacing bearings. A cutting torch is a necessary tool, but dont cut a bearing off unless you are at the shop (outside of course) and have a water hose handy.

Gene

tomstractorsandtoys · Nov 23, 2014

I think the same thought every time I fill the bin on my 1969 55 Deere. It has a M&W auto height control and a floating cutter bar that does as good as many newer machines with no payments. If anything big breaks I can sell it for scrap at a profit.LOL

JMS/.MN · Nov 24, 2014

I don"t understand why people say that Gleaners are hard on bearings. They certainly aren"t undersized for the job. Four Gleaners since 1976, hardly any bearings replaced.

John_PA · Nov 24, 2014

(quoted from post at 21:12:00 11/23/14)
I need to find a corn head for it now. Just some quick looking, I may have more in a head than the combine and table.

Have you heard of Wilson Farms? They are in mid-ohio, close to Mt. Vernon. They have a bunch of those 630 corn heads for that M. Some have been sitting there for a while, not sure if that means they are overpriced, or just not in demand... At any rate, I'd love to see some pictures of the beast!

Blackhole49 · Nov 24, 2014

If the crop was worth more than the combine, I would be more concerned with lost crop than scrap value.

tomstractorsandtoys · Nov 24, 2014

Just because it is old and has little value does not make it junk.We cut 40-60 acres of beans every year and the only repair in the last five years was a belt for the unloading auger and a few sickle sections.The machine has always been shedded and serviced.If it would break down we have a 95 and a 105 as well.

centash · Nov 24, 2014

If it is a straght M not an M2 or M3 it likely has the 301 diesel--a bit underpowered with a hydro and in a heavy crop. Good simple machine to work on---you can change all the belts in a cuople hours--try that on a Deere. Nearly every bearing can be changed standing up.Easy to set up,short decks were later changed to the long deck style for better cleaning. Usd parts are abundant, but new parts may be hard to find. Get a black frame corn head and keep the shafts aligned by prudent shim removal and you are good for years.

GeneMO · Nov 24, 2014

(quoted from post at 23:32:32 11/23/14) I don"t understand why people say that Gleaners are hard on bearings. They certainly aren"t undersized for the job. Four Gleaners since 1976, hardly any bearings replaced.

We never had anything else, so I have nothing to compare to.
I just repeated what I was always told. I replaced a lot of bearings. But we replaced them at the first sign of trouble. Didn't like to break down out in the field.

Ours were prior to 76 and older. Maybe that is the difference.

Gene

John_PA · Nov 25, 2014

My personal experience with Gleaners and sealed bearings are bad, but that is mostly because the gleaner I had, sat outside all the time. never got to be inside. so, naturally, it had related problems. bearings were one of those problems...

GeneMO · Nov 25, 2014

(quoted from post at 23:35:17 11/24/14) My personal experience with Gleaners and sealed bearings are bad, but that is mostly because the gleaner I had, sat outside all the time. never got to be inside. so, naturally, it had related problems. bearings were one of those problems...

I dont think our ever was rained on. We probably got caught in the field a time or two, but if we even suspected rain we brought it home and put it in the shop.

Kept a list in the cab, and then updated the "fix-it" list before put it to bed for the winter. Then before spring, we brought it to the shop, and worked on it for several weeks to get it in shape for the next season. We didn't have too many breakdowns in the field cause we really went though it in the off seasons.

Gene

John_PA · Nov 25, 2014

Yeah, I tried to put mine inside. I didn't fit.

I don't know how many hours my K had on it when it went off to it's next owner. I do know that both the main shaft bearings that require cussing and a torch, had to be changed in the same season. Lots of other bearings never seemed tight. In fact, one bearing on an idler pulley felt so sloppy until I changed it. Then the brand new bearing felt worse!

One thing I do like on the newer JD I have now is that is has grease banks, so I know I am getting something into each fitting and not missing many. It's apples to oranges, though. Comparing a 1969 combine to a 1989 combine and 20 years younger will almost always win. If only Gleaner would have listened and built a similar sidehill model to compete with deere.

John 37A · Nov 26, 2014

Sorry for a late reply, I've been swamped at work and unable to check the boards. Here is a picture, my phone doesn't take the best. This was as I bought it. Gonna try to get it hauled home this weekend.

I am about half way between Lancaster and Zanesville. I will try Wilsons and thought about that place on 71 over by Jeffersonville. I would like to go 30" because most people around here are at 30", but since I don't own a planter yet, I suppose I am open to anything.

I bought a Gleaner...

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