Self-Propelled Grain Cart Built From Gleaner Combine

Self-Propelled Grain Cart Built From Gleaner Combine COMBINES Conversions 22-3-19 "It lets us get into the field and unload our combine on-the-go no matter what the conditions. It also frees up a tractor," says Richard Stucky, Pretty Prairie, Kan., who built a self-propelled grain cart out of a 1960's Gleaner C self-propelled combine. "Everything on the combine is reversed so the grain hopper is positioned directly over the drive axle, providing excellent traction and flotation," he says. He bought the combine from a dealer for $700. He tore the machine apart from the top down, saving only the drive train, 75 hp 6-cyl. gas engine, cab, variable 3-speed trans-mission, and unloading auger. He lowered the engine and mounted it facing backward. He also flipped the rear end over so that the drive train works in reverse. He built his own 230-bu. grain tank, using the bottom out of the original tank and bolting it to the bottom of another Gleaner grain tank that he cut apart. He used 16 ga. sheet metal and angle iron to build the tank sides and reinstalled the combine's unloading auger. The auger was originally belt-driven off the engine but is now belt-driven off the combine's separator clutch. Mounted behind the cab, the grain tank is angled on the right side so grain runs to the center for easy unloading. He lowered the combine's operating plat-form and mounted the original 50-gal. gas tank on a steel frame above the front axle. He also converted the combine's original power steering system to hydrostatic steering. "It saves a lot of time. It'll keep two 24-ft. combines going without ever having to stop because they can unload on-the-go," says Stucky. "It's much more mobile and maneuverable than a pull-type grain cart. I use it mainly for harvesting wheat and milo. Even when the grain tank is full the machine doesn't weigh as much as my combine does when it's empty. The light weight and big wheels allow me to drive in fields so wet that the combine has to dump when it's only half full. "I used it for two years before I mounted a cab on it. I bought the cab, which came off a similar Gleaner combine, at a salvage yard for $100. If I built another one I'd convert to a hydrostatic transmission for faster response." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Stucky, 1806 W. Silverlake Rd., Pretty Prairie, Kan. 67570 (ph 316 459-6916).

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