Header Harvests Small Grains Faster

Header Harvests Small Grains Faster Harvest wheat and rice with Falcon stripper headers at 25% faster ground speed while saving 20% to 30% fuel over conventional combine headers. Applequist Manufacturing introduced the Falcon in 2023 for use with adapters for Deere and Case IH combines. Adapters have since been added for New Holland, Gleaner and CLAAS variable-speed feederhouses. “We felt there was a market for a stripper header, and at the time, the only one available was made in England,” says Kale Unruh, Applequist Manufacturing. “After only two years, we have headers running in wheat fields from Wisconsin to Montana and Canada south to Texas and in rice fields in the Mississippi Delta.” Applequist Manufacturing may be a new company, but its founder, Roy Applequist, is a seasoned veteran with over 40 years of experience in the industry, having previously owned Great Plains Manufacturing. He founded the company intending to produce a broad range of agricultural and industrial equipment. The Falcon achieves its fuel and time savings by utilizing cupped fingers that rotate at high speeds. They strip the heads of the crop and avoid processing the bulk of the crop residue. Processing primarily just the grain heads reduces combine wear and tear. Avoiding damp, tough straw and resulting plugging also allows harvest to start earlier and go later in the day. The backward-rotating fingers do a better job of picking up downed crops than conventional headers do. They also leave behind more standing straw. This reduces soil erosion while retaining more moisture by catching snow and shading the soil. Less straw through the combine also minimizes the potential for matted piles of residue after harvest. This creates better conditions for no-till seeding of following crops. The spring-mounted wheat model allows the header to flex over uneven terrain, and gauge wheels follow the contours. It’s available in 32 ft., 2 in., 36 ft., 2 in. and 42 ft. stripping widths. The rice model is rigid mounted, given the flat terrain. It’s optimized for the high wear conditions of rice, with chromed edges on auger flighting and paddles, as well as stainless steel wear surfaces on the front and rear hoods. Passive finger mounting makes stripping of the grain less harsh. It’s available in 32-ft., 2-in. and 36-ft., 2-in. models. Both models feature quick-change finger sections designed for easy alignment when mounting. The design also focuses on the use of minimal parts. This reduces the variety of parts carried by owners and dealers, should a repair be needed. Each header comes with a Loup Elite Mini cab monitor for auger and rotor speed. Rotor speed can be adjusted from the combine cab. Unruh suggests visiting the nearest dealer for pricing and availability. “Dealers can be located on our website,” he says. “We have dealers throughout the central U.S. from Montana to Mississippi and are planning to add dealers in Canada.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Applequist Manufacturing, P.O. Box 355, Assaria, Kan. 67416 (ph 785-667-4210; info@applequistmfg.com; www.applequistmfg.com).

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