Combine header makes dandy front mount swather

Combine header makes dandy front mount swather COMBINES Headers 13-1-9 A 14-ft. combine header from a 1958 Gleaner A makes an inexpensive front-mounted swather for Gerry Alexander, Dill City, Okla. Alexander mounted the header on a Deere 4440 tractor. The header is driven by a single hydraulic motor and the tractor's hydraulic system. He made a subframe for the header from 3-in. box tubing that's designed to allow flex from side to side. The header can be raised or lowered 27-in. and has 12 in. of float. "I built this swather for about $800. Comparable-size commercial pull-behind swathers cost about $11,000," says Alexander. "The front mount makes this header easy to operate. The hydraulic motor lets me operate the header at a constant speed regardless of tractor speed. I've cut 1,600 acres of wheat, alfalfa, bermuda grass, and sudan hay since I built the header four years ago, and I've had to replace only one bearing and two belts." Removing the header is a 20-min. job, says Alexander. "Just remove the hydraulic hoses, and pull two pins on the lower pivots and two bolts on the subframe." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerry Alexander, P.O. Box 395, Dill City, Okla. 73641 (ph 405 674-3912).

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