Farm Equipment - Curious about Gleaner N series

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Curious about Gleaner N series

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Topic: Curious about Gleaner N series

Posted By: nick121
Subject: Curious about Gleaner N series
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2018 at 10:26am

Not looking to buy one, have enough combines right now but I saw a N6 and N7 for sale. They were priced cheap for such a big machine but probably need work. Looking at the specs the N7 is 315 bushel bin and 270 hp, seems like a huge combine for back then.

Just curious what the general consensus on the N series is.

I'm sticking with my conventional gleaners and my M2 is already overkill for my acreage but just wanted to hear a bit about the Ns

Replies:

Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2018 at 10:56am

I've worked on those N series Gleaners from 1986 until 2000, and now own a series 3 N6. I am not too fond of the very early ones, but 84 models and on, I kind of like. The one I now own, got sold brand new when I started working at the dealership that sold it. I guy that lived a mile and a half from my home bought it. At one point in it's life, I went through it for him; concave, feeder chains and sprockets, usual wear items. I know it pretty well. I bought it three years ago for five grand, and I've combined probably 2,500 acres with it, which translates to 85,000 dollars that it would have cost me to have them acres custom combined. It cost me about 1,200 to fix the air conditioner, and other than that, I don't think I've spent another 500 bucks on parts for it. Haven't had any down time. It takes right at a gallon per acre of fuel. It's worked for me! Darrel

Posted By: nick121
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2018 at 12:16pm

interesting, thanks for the reply. I'm going to do some work on my M2 to be a bit better prepared for 2018 harvest. Figure if I spends some fixing my machine is better than hiring a custom operator

Seems like those Ns offer pretty big capacity for the price.

Posted By: Orange Blood
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2018 at 6:56pm

We ran an N7 for years after running an L2 for years before that.

I think ours is a Series II, can't remember exactly.

The Ns were pretty light weight in construction, specifically bearings, and key structural parts. Seemed we were always fixing on the 7. As far as capacity goes, nothing could keep up with it, anytime we were in the field with a neighbor for example......when it was running.

My dad, his brother (uncle), and their dad (grandpa), all owned it on thirds, and so it harvested all of our ground every year. Corn, Beans, and occasionally some sunflowers. It did get a lot of acres, near 3000 every year in some form or fashion, unless one of us planted some wheat, which the CII was kept specifically for that after the L2 was traded.

The later series N7 did fix a lot of the weak points of the early N7 is what I am told, and we did put some of the updates on ours. About the time we quit farming my uncle went straight to the R72, and has had few issues with it, he and my cousin run nearly the same acres, if not more alone, than the three of us did together back in the '80s and '90s.

That being said, if I were lucky enough to move back to the farm, and only hobby farm the 240 acres at the home place, I would put some money in the N7 we still have, switch to a 30" row head, and run it just like the old days. I would probably buy a couple of those $2000.00 N7s I see now and then and park them in the fence row for parts.

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Still in use:
HD7 WC C CA WD 2-WD45 WD45LP WD45D D14 3-D17 D17LP 2-D19D D19LP 190XTD 190XTLP 720 D21 220 7020 7030 7040 7045 3-7060
Projects: 3-U UC 2-G 2-B 2-C CA 7-WC RC WDLP WF D14 D21 210 7045 N7

Posted By: 8050/8030/185
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2018 at 9:47pm

I have an N6 Series 3 for sale, the rod bolts were done the last season I used. The doctors retired me in 2000 and at has been out of the shed only a couple time. Always shedded! 6-30 corn head and a green stripe 320. I went from a M2 with a 315 & 6/30. What a difference between the M2 and N6. Once you run the N6 you will never look back. The M2 is a great machine as long as you don;t have the yield that I was getting. 50+ Soybeans and 200+ corn. I had my most problems with the M2 on high yields and side hills. I couldn't run slow enough without sending it out the back. The only thing I know the N6 needs is a water pump and fresh fuel. If interest IM me.

Thanks

John F. Krohn

Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2018 at 11:34pm

John, ditto on the M2 running grain out the back on hill sides. A friend of mine has two M2s and an L3, and said looking back, he wishes he would've got all L's. The L does great on terraces/hills, but the M's just sow.

Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2018 at 6:31am

Those who have side slopes can improve the combines performance with some changes to the machine. Change #1 is to install 6 or all 8 cylinder bars with the "V" upside down when looking in thru the top of the feederhouse opening. This throws the shelled grain into the center of the machine instead of all the way across the width of the machine. Change #2 is to add flow directors ( similar to a hay conditioner) above the separator raddle to direct all material to the machines center. They can be easily removed for flat land conditions if needed. Of course all conventional Gleaners need the side hill grainsaver blower and if you don't have that, you are already in trouble. Harvesting corn on sidehills is the worst condition due to the sheer volume of the crop. A lot of the time, I could increase the machine capacity 100% with these #1 and #2, like from 1.5 MPH to 3 MPH on the side slopes.