How to move the grain cart, tractor, and headers.
Moving the grain cart and tractor
The double combine trailer is still being used but not to haul combines. The standard use of this trailer now is to haul the grain cart and tractor. These trailers provide enough length and axles to move larger front wheel assist and four wheel drive tractors pulling the large grain carts. Plus some of the harvesters already owned the trailers. They merely repurposed what they already were using.
For the model harvester there are two places to buy double combine trailers. Rockin H provides a two axle 10′ spread version modeled after a trailer in Johnson Harvesting’s fleet. A triaxle version with two axles in front, a 9′ spread and one axle at the rear modeled after a trailer in Hughes Harvesting’s crew. Harrison Custom Minis offers two double combine trailers, a close triaxle trailer and a triaxle version with two axles at the rear, a spread and single axle in front of the spread. All these versions fit Die Cast Promotions trucks very well. Other brands of trucks can be used with the trailers; however, they will slope a bit to the front.
Stepdeck trailers are popular for moving tractors and grain carts too. Schroeder Harvesting and Mike and Kathie Keimig Harvesting both use a step deck to haul their tractors and carts from place to place. A really nice step deck available in 1/64 scale is made by Die Cast Promotions (DCP). There is a 1/32 step deck by Newray if a 1/32 crew is being made.
Moving the headers
If I had a nickel for every request I have received for a double header trailer, I would be a rich man. (Lazy F Farm Toys and Rockin H are solving this) Harvesters move headers up and down the trail in one of three ways. Some use the integrated wheels and hitch offered by manufacturers. A majority use single and double header configurations.
For a long time I thought the size and weight of modern headers was the reason I was not seeing as many double header trailers as I had ten years ago. As it turns out, the popular brand is not being produced anymore. The Befort double header trailer favored by harvesters has been discontinued. Trailtech offers a double header trailer, but it does not seem to have the popularity with harvesters as the Befort. The harvesters I spoke with like the dolly on the Befort trailer versus the pintle hitch offered by the Trailtech.
Moore’s Farm Toys offers(ed) a diecast double header trailer, but has discontinued them for the foreseeable future as demand is not great enough to cast them. There are custom builders who have made these trailers, but none can be identified as of this publication.
Single header trailers can be found all day long in real and model form under a variety of brands. Circle C Farm Toys offers a 3D printed Road Runner brand trailer. Moore’s Farm Toys offers a single header trailer. Rockin H offers a Stud King brand single header trailer.
I actually find it difficult to get too excited about header trailers. No matter what brand is used in the model harvest fleet, the model headers that go on them look silly as very few headers resemble real life.
