Header "Sweeps" Pull In Downed Crops

Header "Sweeps" Pull In Downed Crops COMBINES Down Corn 27-1-35 "Header sweeps work better than reels at picking up and moving a down crop through the combine," says Larry Goodwin, Larry's Welding, Burns, Kansas. "Unlike a reel, there's no way the crop can catch on sweeps and get thrown out the back of the header." A couple of Kansas farmers came up with the idea and used it for several years before turning it over to Goodwin to manufacture. The header sweep assembly, which weighs about 300 lbs., mounts on the header and is powered by a hydraulic motor that attaches to the reel drive. It has fingers that straddle the center three snouts in a row crop header. The fingers pull material up the snouts toward the auger, then raise up, extend forward, and then drop down again over the snouts and repeat the action. "What we've found is that if the center snouts can be kept clear, material at the outer ends of the header tends to flow smoothly," Goodwin says. "So while the sweep works on only the center three snouts, it can be used on 6, 8, and 12-row heads." Goodwin says the header sweep can be adapted to fit any combine. It can be installed the first time in less than an hour, but does require a forklift or hoist to set it in place. "It works best with a couple of people working together," Goodwin says. Goodwin's header sweeps are given a black powder coat finish and sell for $2,200, not including delivery. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Goodwin, Larry's Welding, Box 127, Burns, Kansas 66840 (ph 620 726-5281).

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