Combines

[BTO780]

Running these million dollar machines and $250k headers over peas and lentils I just don’t understand.

Give me a couple good 2388s or 2588s with 36’ headers. Those combines are still out there.

X9 in a lentil crop … ouch!!! Or any big name brand.

Everything is way out of reality … funny though sales are sky high. I won’t be participating in this ridiculous game!

[blackpowder]

I may be wrong but...
Here, there will be 2 types of farms someday. Those with enough economy of scale to run current models through necessity. Comfort options deleted but efficiency options standard. Employee operated more common.
And the farm that has no debt but the family income off farm. They will run 30 year old iron. Until you can't make the parts anymore. Then custom work will become more common.
I've ran a fleet of 25 yr old combines and there comes a time when efficiency and cost catches up.
We can make an old Big Bud or Steiger work, but not an old 860 or 1680.
Guy here holds high hour 8010s together with mig wire and home made mods. But not forever.
The bs tech is very frustrating. The necessary tech is as well but I see the value and would not go back.
You can only avoid it if you can build your own. Could happen if times get bad enough for sure. But not for me.

[fjlip]

When FANCY tech codes, we need a switch to bypass/disable and continue in manual mode, till service gets it fixed. Stopping dead is just silly. And emissions regs are simply Gov overreach and a $$$ grab.

Old tech can be $$ pit, spending on them makes it worth NOT a cent more. Sad reality, demand drives values.

All the 10 year old inventory soon be at Ritchie's.

[blackpowder]

A similar concern. The failures due to outsourcing & quality/control. Bosch fuel pumps on Iveco engines. Hyd valve blocks. Fuel tanks.
Local dealer has seen nothing but issues. Factory or reman. NFG right out of the box. 16 fuel pumps last year alone.
If the manufacturer can't get reliable parts what's a farm gonna do. Scary.

[Herc]

Them there X9’s will not shut down when the engine grenades…

[bucket]

Them there X9’s will not shut down when the engine grenades…

I have heard of X9 engine blowing up and frames cracking. Have a tech to fix that? Chances are the operator gets reassigned until the new replacement combine shows up.

[goalieguy847]

I may be wrong but...
Here, there will be 2 types of farms someday. Those with enough economy of scale to run current models through necessity. Comfort options deleted but efficiency options standard. Employee operated more common.
And the farm that has no debt but the family income off farm. They will run 30 year old iron. Until you can't make the parts anymore. Then custom work will become more common.
I've ran a fleet of 25 yr old combines and there comes a time when efficiency and cost catches up.
We can make an old Big Bud or Steiger work, but not an old 860 or 1680.
Guy here holds high hour 8010s together with mig wire and home made mods. But not forever.
The bs tech is very frustrating. The necessary tech is as well but I see the value and would not go back.
You can only avoid it if you can build your own. Could happen if times get bad enough for sure. But not for me.

This is a great comment... weve recently started tweaking our equipment line in that we use an old hunker combine for peas and anything thats gone flat. Usually no rush to get the peas done on aug 20th in our neck of the woods. Have a planter for 50 to 75% of our canola acres and the rest goes thru the drill. I remember asking a bto a few years ago ( before they went bankrupt) why they get 5 new deere everyyear when you could buy 7 for the price of the 5 at an auction and when 1 poops in the field just take one out of the shop. The response was .. " the warranty and keeping it running". Infact i recently bought a dirt cheap 3rd combine and it wont come out of the shop unless one of the other 2 is down for a couple days.
That dirt cheap combine will have the peas go thru it and if it eats 40% dirt and a rock? So be it.

I think youre right with the different types of farms. Also different types of people.

I always say " some farmers like to drive the fanciest stuff.. and some like to own the next fanciest stuff"
We are the latter. Same thing with trucks.. vehicles.. etc.
I wont ever buy a vehicle beyond cash only. Can certainly buy 75 k worth of parts to keep my 2018 yukon xl going vs a new one! But
. Warranty warranty warranty!!


At the end of the day every farm is different ( very specifically in the amount of manpower they have.. this seems to be the growing issue across farms of all types and sizes) so its truly different strokes for different folks. No harm in either one.. but i do think its if someone buys an x9 for 1.2 mill and DOESNT own john deere shares....
Thats 1 company ill load up on til i die.

[blackpowder]

And when we can't buy/make/repair or bypass a control module?

[helmsdale]

For what it's worth...

Main 4wd: 29 years old pushing 9000hrs.
Sprayer/auger/rock picker/snow plow/etc tractor: 45yr old 4240 north of 11,000hrs.
Sprayer: wheeled boom, 95ft, 33 years old
Drill: 21yr old 5000flexi
Combine 1: 30yr old 1688. 300hrs a year
Combine 2: 35 or 36yr old 1660. 200hrs a year
Grain truck 1: 42yr old gaspot tandem
Grain truck 2: 53yr old gaspot 3ton

It's all, "Livin The Dream"™️ can afford for now. By and large happy with parts availability. Just would very much like to have a shop I could spend winter months tuning things up. By and large it all stays in the field as competently as the newer stuff.

[Hamloc]

I ran New Holland combines for 13 years starting in 2008. Prior to that The family farm ran John Deere for over 30 years and Massey before that. I remember sleeping on the shelf behind the seat of the 510 when I was little and Dad was driving the combine, I guess that would be over 50 years ago. Anyway the Tr 96 I bought in 2008 was a good combine. As with most TR’s the main relay would get hot at night and the lights would cut in and out but in reality probably one of the most fuel efficient combines in relation to bushels produced I ever ran. I had a John CTS for 3 years at the same time. It was a good combine, very dependable. We chipped it and this was certainly noticeable when straight cutting wheat. The biggest problem with TR’s is they were built to light. My first CR, a CR960 was certainly a big improvement, much heavier built. New Hollands seemed to require wrenching during harvest, might have been because I ran far from new. Now I run Case ih, a 8120 and 8230, both around that 1200 hrs. threshing. Have had better luck during harvest with repairs. But working on them is not any more fun. My son and I undertook to change the bubble up in the 8230 yesterday. Didn’t think it would be hard. Changing one in a CR takes very little time. Boy were we wrong. That damn thing was stuck on the output shaft from the gearbox. Finally ended up cutting the bubble up off just above the drive spline with a zip cut and pulling the hub off with a puller. It was really corroded on, wow! Anyway, we try to keep our middle aged equipment in decent shape and certainly Bucket I usually have more electrical than mechanical problems nowadays!!