MacDon 871 Combine Adapter - Manual (Page 15)

15
OPERATION
HEADER FLOTATION
IMPORTANT:
To avoid:
- frequent breakage of sickle components
- scooping soil
- soil build-up at cutterbar in wet conditions,
set header float as light as possible without
causing excessive bouncing.
To check header float:
1. Raise feeder house and engage lift cylinder
stops.
2. Be sure float lock out pins are removed from
position (C).
3. Disengage lift cylinder stops and lower header
so the cutterbar is 1 to 6 inches (25 to 150 mm)
above the ground.
NOTE: When cutterbar is in the range from 0 to 16
inches (400 mm) off ground, float arm should
touch or be within ¼ inch (6 mm) of angle at (A). If
gap at (A) is greater than ¼ inch, float is set too
light, causing the header to float up.
NOTE: Header gets lighter and gap at (A)
increases when steepening header angle. Adjust
float after changing header angle or reel fore-aft
position. For best float, gap at (A) should never
exceed ¼ inch (6 mm).
4. With cutterbar 1 to 6 inches (25 to 150 mm)
above the ground, grasp the crop divider rod
and lift up. Under normal conditions it should
require 50 to 70 lbs. force (220 to 300 N) to lift
cutterbar off ground at either end. If adjustment
is required, proceed as follows:
To adjust header float:
1. Raise feeder house and engage lift cylinder
stops.
2. Turn bolts (B) at both sides of adapter clock-
wise to increase float (which makes header
lighter when lowered to ground).
Turn bolts counter-clockwise to decrease float
(which makes header heavier when lowered).
IMPORTANT: For 21 ft. 972 headers only. If
header still has excess float with float
adjustment bolt fully backed off, it may be
necessary to remove the 3
rd
leaf spring from
the top on both sides of the adapter to provide
proper floatation. See Unloading and
Assembly section for removal instructions.
FLOAT ADJUSTMENT