Platform Headers Dismantled Machines

About Platform Headers

It’s said that in the early 1800s, 90% of the United States’ population was dedicated to agriculture compared to reportedly less than less 5% now. Combine harvesters and the headers attached to them are a big reason why. Whether mounted to a self-propelled or pull-type harvester, headers use a cutting mechanism, gathering and conveying system, and other components to feed a given crop into a combine harvester where it can be processed for transport out of the field and stored or sold.

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John Deere 635F Platform Header

General Characteristics

Harvester headers generally fall into one of three main types: forage, row crop, and platform headers. Compared to a row crop header that has snouts, or finger-like protrusions, that sit between the rows, a platform header uses a long, rotating wheel that can reach 50-foot widths depending on the model, a cutter or sickle bar system, and an auger or draper system that moves the crop into the combine. In addition to auger and draper platform headers, you’ll find rigid and flexing models, and those dedicated to specific crops as well as some designed to work with multiple crop types. Whereas row crop headers are commonly used to harvest corn, sunflowers, sorghum, and other row crops, platform headers are designed for use with wheat and grains, canola, soybeans, peas, and similar crops.

Platform Header Types

Conventional auger-style platform headers have been around a long time; these reliable attachments use a straightforward mechanism consisting of a large, horizontal auger and cutterbar with integrated reciprocating knives or another type of cutting system that helps funnel the crop toward the header’s center and into the combine. These platform headers differ from draper models that use a belt-based fabric- or rubber-constructed draper, or apron, instead of an auger. Draper models often have lower power requirements and can help ensure less crop loss.

Flex platform headers are known for their ground-contouring abilities that make them well-suited for uneven and rougher terrain. New Holland’s Superflex drapers, for example, use a patented, adjustable rubber spring flotation system to provide this ability. John Deere’s HydraFlex cutting system controls the cutter bar’s flotation via hydraulics and an in-cab control knob. Gleaner’s DynaFlex design, meanwhile, tilts the cutterbar 5 degrees forward so that the cutterbar runs flatter in relation to the crop, which minimizes risks of damage from stones and other in-field hazards. Elsewhere, MacDon’s D1 and FD1 header series are examples of headers with multi-crop functionality, as operators can switch the header between flex and solid frame positions as needed.

Find The Right Platform Header

TractorHouse.com offers a large selection of new and used platform headers for sale from popular manufacturers including Case IH, Gleaner, John Deere, MacDon, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, and others.