Tips please for cutting flat wheat.

[Pilatus]

Please can any of you with hands on experience of picking up flat wheat, as per the attached picture, give any tips on combining it.
I do use a low as I dare pick up reel tines with reel forward, and very fast reel to flick wheat up in front of the fingers .
Do any of you cut the flat wheat at an angle rather than in the direction of the tramlines.
Any suggestions welcome.

 

[Wombat]

Cut at 90deg to the way it’s gone down, if that’s across the tramlines and it’s a problem for baling just chop it

 

[davidroberts30]

Please can any of you with hands on experience of picking up flat wheat, as per the attached picture, give any tips on combining it.
I do use a low as I dare pick up reel tines with reel forward, and very fast reel to flick wheat up in front of the fingers .
Do any of you cut the flat wheat at an angle rather than in the direction of the tramlines.
Any suggestions welcome.View attachment 1133466

From that pic you should be working from riggt to left not left to riggt
Lifters on and persevere

 

[zero]

Try going from bottom right of picture to top left? Sometimes have to take lifters off when its very flat and alter the angle of the wands on the reel so the tips are angled backwards. Don't just sit with header in one position, same with reel, small constant adjustments to keep the crop flowing.
Don't worry about baler man, it's one of the occupational hazards and they have cab suspension, so cut they way it makes the best job. If there was a particular part of the headland that flowed well, cut the rest of the field at the same angle.

 

[grass man]

To be honest it looks like you are doing a great job in those conditions. Don't think you need any advice

 

[JWL]

One word........... patience

This year has thrown up some tricky combining, one of the worst I had was a steep side slope that I had to cut up and down to the disgust of the baler man. I had hassles with the rutted tramlines so I thought it fair that he suffered too. The combine I use has no tilt on the header, pressure height control on an early TX New Holland is as much use as tits on a fish when the ground isn't dry and rock hard. Bulldozing dirt on the knife, pulling the crop out of the ground and the subsequent lumps wedging under the table auger go such a long way to the enjoyment of the job disappearing rapidly.
Not having a hydrostatic gearbox aids frustration when you're trying to work the reel forward and bring it back and need to launch back in reverse at the same time as you've only got one left foot

 

[Spencer]

I’d be having a word with guy on rolls

 

[Nessie]

Sunshine makes a huge difference!!

 

[benny6910]

I find that it will feed in the best with the heads first into the header which sometimes means going at an angle to the tramlines. I think by the look and sound of what your doing you won’t be able to make it much better.

 

[Exfarmer]

Sadly there is never any hard and fast advice for flat corn, lifters of course normally help but can be a hindrance particularly if you have badly rutted tramlines.
cutting across the lay of the crop or diagonally but then often the crop is laid every which way. If a tall crop such as oats it is not uncommon to have to cut one way .
if you can push the cutterbar forward do so and cut into the crop
best thing I have seen is a Mcdon or similar header

 

[Bill Turtle]

Sometimes it helps to constantly wiggle the steering lock to lock as your cutting.

 

[Exfarmer]

Sometimes it helps to constantly wiggle the steering lock to lock as your cutting.

I would not do that with lifters on

 

[bobk]

Less N

 

[Clive]

as above

cut across the laid direction

use lifters - in extreme conditions I have found the cast spaldings adjustable lifters excellent but not fun if they break and enter the machine !

get real forward and angle comb tines forward - the sim is to lift the crop before the header not with the header

some headers allow adjustable pitch of knife, header or intake trunking - that can help

 

[Spencer]

I would not do that with lifters on

It works best with lifters.. your going slow, so the lock to lock only moves lifter points 12” or slow which just helps pick crop up. Scraped up plenty like that and is a great tip

 

[som farmer]

we had a few acres flat flat, not a level field, a 12ft header would have picked up a lot more !
but that's life, 12ft is no longer wanted, needs to be 'more'.

 

[Exfarmer]

we had a few acres flat flat, not a level field, a 12ft header would have picked up a lot more !
but that's life, 12ft is no longer wanted, needs to be 'more'.

My father favoured an 8 foot Mercury over the 10 option for this reason

 

[som farmer]

My father favoured an 8 foot Mercury over the 10 option for this reason

we don't grow much now, so contractor, brand new combine, 25 ft head, lovely machine, but so it should be, at the price they are ! But left a fair bit behind, field was a bit up and down, so fair enough, but big isn't always the best !

 

[David1968]

Please can any of you with hands on experience of picking up flat wheat, as per the attached picture, give any tips on combining it.
I do use a low as I dare pick up reel tines with reel forward, and very fast reel to flick wheat up in front of the fingers .
Do any of you cut the flat wheat at an angle rather than in the direction of the tramlines.
Any suggestions welcome.View attachment 1133466

I'd just carry on as you are. Looks a tidy enough job to me

 

[David1968]

It works best with lifters.. your going slow, so the lock to lock only moves lifter points 12” or slow which just helps pick crop up. Scraped up plenty like that and is a great tip

I thought it was only me that did that . Yes, works well for odd laid patches where it's not worth combining the whole field an awkward way.

Beware the wrath of the baler man, though