AGCO 9250 Dynaflex Draper Header

Last summer, AGCO and Gleaner tested and officially released their new Super Seven series of combines.  But the combines were not the only new release that they were excited about.  They also released a newly developed header called the Model 9250 Dynaflex draper header for both Gleaner and Massey Ferguson brand combines.  They boast that the new draper header design will give farmers the kind of volume, control, and efficiency that they could not previously achieve with headers using rotors and cleaning systems.

AGCO 9250 Dynaflex Draper Header

The new AGCO header will come in widths up to 40 feet (12.19 meters) for the maximum cut width and volume intake.  The header also uses a draper belt conveying system to move the crop to the center of the header, where it is then smoothly taken into the feeder house in a preformed mat using the feed auger.  A clean integrated combine mounting system bypasses the need for complex hydraulics, motors, and hoses.  These all work together to reduce the amount of space between components of the header and make sure that the entire process of feeding crop is as controlled by the reel as possible to minimize losses and bunching.

The biggest new development seen in the Dynaflex header is, as the name implies, a flexible cutter bar.  The cutter bar is controllable from inside the cab of the combine.  Hydraulic lift arms are mounted on the cutter bar every 30 inches, each arm having the capability for a maximum height displacement of 8 inches.  Each header has up to 6 potentiometers to relay the contour of the ground, which the combine’s operator can then use to adjust the height of each segment of the cutter bar to the desired specifications.

Notable Competitors’ Models

This technology is by no means entirely new to the field.  Other versions of this header have already been produced in the past.  In 2007, MacDon released its FD70 Flex Draper header.  The model featured 3 flexible sections of the frame of the header.  It also had automatic sensors capable of adjusting the height of each section to conform as close as possible to the ground, which it called its Float Optimizer system.

Another version that has been around is the 88C Series Floating Cutter bar Draper Header.  This header features a lateral and vertical leaf spring suspension system that allows the header to contour to the ground and float freely of the combine.  This model of header comes in sizes that max out at 45 feet, which is wider than the largest AGCO header size.  However, the New Holland header only allows for 4 to 6 inches of vertical float distance, as opposed to the 8 inches offered by the AGCO model.

Case IH has the 2010 model as well as the new 3020 model.  Both headers are smaller than their competitors, the 2010 coming as large as 30 feet wide, and the 3020 coming as wide as 35 feet.  Both models also feature augers as opposed to draper feeding systems.  The 2010 uses a rigid auger while the 3020 has a flexible auger.

John Deere unveiled a prototype for a Flex Draper header of their own a couple years ago, but have yet to be able to develop a final product.