More capacity | New 4000 series header is wider and has improved visibility
REGINA — A new header is raked back and flattened out, making it easier to run and manage large crop loads, says the company behind it.
Frontier, Saskatchewan’s Honey Bee has released its latest in a long line of combine headers, the 4000 series.
Howard Groth of Honey Bee said the new headers are an improvement on previous models.
“(Our customers) wanted to be able to see more of the (canvases) from the knife back. And the header needed to have a bigger throat for higher capacity. You don’t want your header limiting your combine’s capacity. And that is what has been happening out there to some extent,” said Groth.
The drapers have a reduced angle of attack by 15 degrees, making them flatter to the crop, allowing more crop to lay across the canvases and reducing bunching that might occur when the material changes direction and heads into the feederhouse.
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It also allows the combine’s operator to get a better view of the cutterbar.
The flotation of the header was also increased from previous models.
The opening to the feeder has grown to match the larger capacity combines that the tables are feeding.
Previous models were 68 inches wide, and that has been enlarged to 80 inches.
The centre auger drum has also grown in diameter, to improve crop feeding into the feederhouse.
A crop saver seal has been added at the front of the canvases, that keeps any shattered material from falling through the front of the table.
“You are going to get all the crop into the combine,” said Groth.
“The headers have been rethought from end to end. That included the hydraulic system,” he said.
The company reduced the number of hydraulic connections and the turns the system makes and that has reduced the heat created by the header.
Hydraulics have been moved inside the frame for better cleanup.
A twin pump feeds the canvases and the knife motors separately, ensuring there is power for each system and the oil remains cool.
A new castering gauge wheel design uses shock absorbers to soften lateral twisting of the headers, with those wheels allowing eight inches of vertical travel.
With headers reaching up to 45 feet in width, from a minimum of 30, the big drapers can put a lot of force onto the combine, if they aren’t designed to dampen those movements, said Groth.
“And then we decided the reduce the height of the cutterbar. So we dropped its profile pretty much in half. It clears material better than before,” he said.
To view a video of the header, visit producer.com/section/video.
