Row By Row / October 2023

Maintain Your Drago Head With Drago Parts

Now is the Best Time to Evaluate Your Corn Head for Next Season.

Harvest season is the best time to evaluate your hybrids, crop fertility and crop protection, and it’s a great time to evaluate your corn head, too, says Matt Scott, national service manager for Dragotec USA.

“Preparing your corn head for the next harvest season actually begins during the current harvest season,” he notes. “That’s when you have the best opportunity to determine your corn head’s condition, how well it is performing, and whether the machine has another year or more of performance left.”

He offers the following tips to make sure your corn head is ready to go next fall:

  1. Clean the corn head as thoroughly as possible — without water — removing dirt and debris to prevent caking, moisture collection and corrosion. It’s important to blow out everything underneath so deck plates and QuadSuspension are functioning properly.
  2. Inspect every part of the corn head — check overall condition, plus roller knives for alignment and chopper blades for excessive wear, chains for looseness and guides for wear.
  3. Check lube levels and bearings. Inspect gearboxes and look for seal leaks.

Drago parts deliver more ROI

Scott says because of Drago’s increasing popularity, knock-off parts — including gathering chains, roller knives and chopper blades — are becoming more available in the marketplace.

Drago parts are designed to last longer using higher-quality materials and precision engineering, he adds. “They’re all built in-house so our customers get the best quality part available.

“Of course, if you only compare price, it may be tempting to consider an off-brand part,” Scott says, “But if you plan on keeping your Drago a couple more years or longer, it pays to stay all Drago.

“Any money saved on a knockoff part is more money lost in added replacement costs and labor.” Scott says. “Because of how well the Drago parts are going to last and how well they are going to perform, you get a significantly higher return on investment.”

Metallurgical tests and on-farm performance demonstrate the value of Drago parts compared to knockoff brands.

Drago knives perform better, last 3x longer

  • Drago knives feature higher-quality steel.
  • Tungsten is laser-applied — not glued.
  • Tungsten application is thicker, more even for longer wear.


Off-brand chains not only wear faster, but they also wear sprockets

  • Drago chains are built to precise tolerances.
  • More chrome on pins mean chains run cooler and last 2x longer.*
  • Off-brand chains chew up sprockets.
    *Actual on-farm performance. Individual results may vary.
Drago gathering chains feature harder pins and more hardened chrome compared to off-brand replacements. This sprocket has managed 20,000 acres with the same Drago gathering chain.
This sprocket ran 14,000 acres with a Drago gathering chain, 7,000 acres with an off-brand replacement, followed by 3,000 acres with yet another off-brand replacement. Wear between sprocket teeth is noticeably heavy due to off-brand pins seizing or working intermittently.

Keep your Drago all Drago

Scott adds that all Drago dealers maintain an inventory of all standard wear parts. “If they happen to run out, they’re all available at our North American base in Fenton, Iowa, and we can get them to their respective places quickly.”

Learn more by visiting dragotec.com/parts or contact your nearest Drago dealer. Drago owners can visit Drago Club for more details on in-season maintenance, clinic guides and service videos that demonstrate how to maintain their Drago.

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