Author	[Modern View]
charlie M 02-18-2013 04:57:00 74.34.216.81 Report to Moderator	Post below about the what corn chopper to use with a JD730 got me thinking about when I was a kid in the 60's and filling silo. We had joint ownership of the 1 row corn chopper and silo blower, both JD models, with our neighbor. He did the chopping with a JD70. The outfit was a full load for the 70 but it did handle it. How much horsepower do you need to run 2 rows. I'm guessing maybe around 100? [Reply]   [No Email]
ihman73 02-21-2013 14:13:13 38.104.162.142 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   We have a NH 782 with a 2 row head running 12 knives I think it's set for 3/4" tloc. We have pulled it with everything from the 2950 JD to the 4440 JD, mostly with either the 4440 or 1086 IH. We usually plug the feedrolls before we run out of power, especially in thick tall corn. [Reply]  [No Email]
Don-Wi 02-19-2013 07:07:02 66.87.0.236 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   We used to run a fox 3000 w/ 2 row with our oliver 1755 before it bit the dust. Was a load, but before the 3000 we had an older fox w/1 row head. Was hardly a load. We upgraded to an 1855 10 years ago and it had bigger tires so it was usually the difference from under to over in gears. Last year we upgraded to a NH 892 and it ran much easier. Partly because it was much easier to keep the knives sharp. This year I plan to remove 4 knives and make the LOC a little longer. I ran out of power well before capacity with the new chopper. More power would be nice, but I was keeping up with my dad while he was unloading into the bagger. The main problem we had with the fox was the head plugs so easily with really tall corn. And like I said it was a little more difficult to keep the shear bar adjusted and the knives sharp. Donovan from Wisconsin This post was edited by Don-Wi at 14:46:02 02/21/13. [Reply]  [No Email]
IAJosh84 02-19-2013 06:45:18 173.20.231.182 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   We Run a JD 3800 on the 4020, first gear wide open. In good corn it will make it blow smoke. We only chop a wagon load a day to feed with in the fall. If I was going to chop all day I would want 125hp at least, especially if you have bigger wagons. Making sure the knives are sharp and the chopper is set up correctly is key. Especially if you are going to run it on a lower hp tractor. [Reply]  [No Email]
low budget 02-19-2013 05:59:59 74.36.62.253 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Sharp knives, shear bar set correctly, length of cut and crop moisture all make a difference. I've run 2 rows with a 60 hp tractor, but its slow going. You want 100 or even more to really make use of the capacity of the chopper. There is a difference in choppers too. True story. Near here, 2 neighbors bought brand new choppers one fall. 1 was Deere 3940 with the power mizer cutterhead, the other was the same size IH. Both had JD 4020s on them. The man with the Deere chopper could consistantly run a gear faster. The following year the IH chopper was traded in on a Deere. [Reply]  [No Email]
rrlund 02-19-2013 07:06:03 207.241.137.116 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to low budget, 02-19-2013 05:59:59   Depends on what the CaseIH was I think. I had a 781 behind a 135 horse tractor. Ran hard as heck. Went to a bigger 881 with wider knives and a wider feed throat. No comparison. Hard to tell it's even back there. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bruce from Can. 02-18-2013 17:09:08 70.29.126.151 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   This old IH 966 has cut a lot of corn for me pulling this 2 row NH harvester [Reply]  [No Email]
Brendon-KS 02-18-2013 16:53:02 63.245.190.37 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   My FIL chops with his IH 986 which has a little over 100hp. In our dryland corn the tractor just plays with the NH 718 chopper. But, if we get 80 bushels per acre we're doing good so obviously there isn't much going through compared to the 200+ bu/acre corn common in other areas. [Reply]  [No Email]
cumminspuller 02-18-2013 13:08:27 65.83.65.34 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   I don't chop myself but a good friend of mine has a 2 row deere chopper he pulls behind a 4440 (dyno'ed 170hp). Normally its no problem at all for it. 3 years ago (last time he chopped) A1 was not slow enough for the tractor. You had to ride teh clutch ever now and then or it would stall the tractor. The corn was three feet over the top of the cab though. Chris [Reply]  [No Email]
RodInNS 02-18-2013 09:48:36 216.118.158.123 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   In a poor crop you'll get away with 80 hp. If you get a good stand you want 100+ to get anything done. Rod [Reply]  [No Email]
DoubleR 02-18-2013 07:21:50 198.105.230.174 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   I still remember the smoke pouring out of the neighbors Massey 85 pulling a fox chopper with a two row head. That was in the sixties when corn wasn't what it is today. [Reply]  [No Email]
DeltaRed 02-18-2013 06:51:17 71.208.220.239 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   I used to pull a 2 row with a 706(70 horse).Two rows was ALL it wanted.Later traded the 706 off on a JD 4040(dynoed 100 hp),the same cutter,did lots better,still needed more ponies.These days I think you would want 120/130 hp for two rows. [Reply]  [No Email]
jon f mn 02-18-2013 06:47:46 174.234.2.219 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   As a kid dad did a LOT of custom silo filling with a case 830 case o matic (65hp) and a 2 row chopper. The case o matic helped a lot tho. Of course like others have said the corn wasn't what it is today. [Reply]  [No Email]
4020guy 02-18-2013 06:39:22 68.171.72.108 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Length of cut plays major role in power to run a harvester. At 1/4 inch compared to 1/2 inch and every thing else the same, the harvester has to make twice as many cuts a minute, so there is twice as much material in between the feed rolls at any one time. The NH harvesters with 12 knives had a tendency to be set up to cut finer and everyone though they were a lot harder to drive....Ron [Reply]  [No Email]
rrlund 02-18-2013 06:33:41 207.241.137.116 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   In good corn,yes,I wouldn't want less than 100 the way the corn hybrids are now. I used to run a 3800 Deere with a 2 row with a 90 horse 4040,but it was in low gear with my foot on the clutch a good amount of the time. [Reply]  [No Email]
NY 986 02-18-2013 06:26:21 67.142.178.24 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Even back in the day it was very difficult to get by with 70 PTO hp for 2 rows. The neighbor tried a 2 row with his 3020 diesel back in the late 1960's and had the dealer bring a 1 row head for the new chopper he was buying. In the 1980's 85 PTO hp seemed the minimum for 2 rows as I recall watching the chopping demonstration at Empire Farm Days. I would definitely 100 PTO hp today. And none of the above scenarios called for dealing with mud or steep grades, either. Fordfarmer is right that different brands are more power efficient than others. When Deere's power miser cutter head came out in the late 1970's that gave Deere a real advantage in the market. [Reply]  [No Email]
Sparktrician 02-18-2013 06:26:04 198.144.54.32 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Last fall, we chopped with a John Deere 35 chopper, two row wide head, and our 4020......that 4020 knew that chopper was there.....the corn was drought stunted BAD last year, but there were a few "good" spots.....they would make that old 4020 bellar for all it was worth, 2nd gear, wide open. [Reply]  [No Email]
Fordfarmer 02-18-2013 06:08:31 75.121.151.210 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Grandpa upgraded his Fox 2250 to a 2 row in the mid or late 80's. Used the same tractor to pull it - Ford 7000 (rated 83 h.p. but dyno'ed 90). Ran out of h.p. and chopper capacity about the same time. That was wide row corn at 16,000. Still worked when I started planting 20,000, but had to go a little slower. Now have 170 h.p. on a Fox 4310 in 30" rows at 28,000. Run out of capacity before h.p. Ran that chopper once with the 7000 when the big tractor was down. Had to crawl, but it did it. Have heard NH are one of the worst for using power. No personal experience there, though. [Reply]  [No Email]
cooney minnie 02-18-2013 05:07:09 166.182.3.17 Report to Moderator	Re: horsepower for a 2 row corn chopper in reply to charlie M, 02-18-2013 04:57:00   Lots of factors here... Remember today's corn planted at mid 30,ooos vs 18000 in 1960 will yield more- so that is more load. ground speeds have increased. Wagons are bigger. Choppers with kernel processors pull harder. When I was a kid, Dad could run the Fox 2 row with the 4020, but the 5020 handled it a lot better. 90-100 hp would be bare bones minimum in today's world. Today, we use the 4850 (215 or so)on a 3 row gehl, and in really big corn 3 mph is it, epecially if the wagon's gettin' full on an uphill grade. [Reply]  [No Email]