Are draper headers worth the money?

MacDon and AGCO both made annoucements recently about new draper headers for combines. MacDon has a new 45-foot version of its FD70 FlexDraper, with "harvesting capacity greater than most Class 9 combines,” the company says. 

AGCO has a new DynaFlex draper header for Gleaner, Massey Ferguson and Challenger combines. It comes in 30-, 35- and 40-foot widths.

Draper headers don’t have augers that twist and bunch the crop. Instead, they have drapers — like a swather — to convey cut crop to the feederhouse. "Draper headers are proven to increase harvesting rates by 25 per cent or more because they provide a smooth, steady flow of material moving head first into the feeder house," says Kevin Bien, combine marketing manager at AGCO.

For all the benefits of draper header, from what I've heard, they are heavy and expensive. Is that extra expense worth it? Can all combines handle that extra weight and hydraulic draw?

If you have any comments that could help other farmers make the choice between draper and auger headers, please send me an email or comment on this blog.