Gleaner L2 head feeding troublle

Sorry, I got to this party late. We run a gray plastic conduit pipe with some 2"blue water hose behind it. The hose folds flat and acts like belting. Loose beans stay in the header. I read it up a ways to try running on an angle. The steeper, the better. We are running a 25 degree angle. We had a 500 a few years back with a Johnson Bean Saver/ rock guard. It worked best in tall beans. Running the angle treats the beans as singles. They don't seem to bunch up. They act like they are pulling each other in. It is like a sweeping action. 

I did see where a guy drove 1/2” lock washers onto the flighting to act as grabbers about every 1/3 revolution

The problem isn't really feeding. It's getting the crop into the auger so it feeds it evenly to the feeder house.  Short beans tend to get cut and fall onto the dead space between the sickle and the auger. They build up high enough that the reel finally kicks them all it at once and BAM !!,  the throat of the combine is plugged from uneven delivery of the crop.  As I pointed out earlier moving the auger forward as far as possible (adding links to the drive chain) and up 3/4" inch or more off of the floor will improve this crop delivery problem in soybeans. If you don't take the time to do it, you'll never know how good it works.

The feeder beater should have already been clear "up" for corn, or don't you raise corn ???  Too bad you didn't raise up the header auger to 3/4" or more while you were at it.

Dr we have shelled a lot of corn with this combine and others. We have never had any trouble with the feeder beater plugging before so I don't guess we paid much attention to it. I did check the auger and it is about 3/4" off the bottom. Thanks for your help

I am so glad that I found this post.

I am having the exact same issues and have a post over on YT about it. 

I have an new to me M2 with a 315 head and have been having the same issues and frustrations to where I've considered selling the head and or whole setup.

I have the same issue where especially in short beans the beans accumulate on the floor right behind the cutter bar and the reel can't seem to feed them in. 

I've chopped off and replaced many of the reel teeth trying to push the beans into the auger. 

I know where a series 2 head is with a sch knife on it.  I may try to trade for it.

You should see my hands from digging out the feeder beater.  When the beans were taller they flew through and it was great but shorter beans just piled up behind the bar before they slugged the feeder.   I might as well not have a reel on the head.  The faster my ground speed wast eh better it fed because the beans would push themselves through.

Series 2 head would tend to feed better in shorter beans but you loose the advantage of the flex in the 300 head plus they are getting some age on them. I would do the hose mod behind the cutter bar and adjust the auger like Dr. Allis says and see what you get. It made a world of difference on our 525.

How did you adjust your reel to accommodate for the 3" pipe?

I'm thinking of mounting 3" field tile on it.

Now I just have to replace a pile of reel teeth!!


Another question...
My cutter bar is higher in the center then the ends. 
Is there an adjustment or is something likely damaged
Like its a slight radius higher in the center of the cutter bar.

Dr Allis:
U were exactly right! I raised the beater and moved it forward. I have a 320 header. Big difference thx!   Sorry i know this is really old.