Big Combine!!

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Had a tour of the harvester works factory in Moline today. It was pretty impressvive. They had a combine with an eighteen row corn head in the show room. They said the machine and head would retail for nearly 3/4 of a million. Just trying to comprehend who how why where anyone could justify that. Maybe some one could paint me a picture.
 
Do you remember back in high school when you wanted to be known as having the nicest car in school?? Well nowadays its a ego booster for some guys to have "bragging rights" at the local coffee shop for having the biggest combine. They might have the biggest on the market and only 1 year old and if something bigger is introduced they will trade up in a second and lose money just to get it!!! Having a small personal unit makes guys do what they can to feel bigger I guess.
 
I know what you mean.I 'upgraded' from a 45/313 to a 95/443,I feel like I got the biggest combine ever!
 
Buying new big combines can be profitable. Neighbor buys new every fall and trades it in the following summer. Does about 5 or 6 thousand acres a year. Makes money running new with warranty over running used and having to pay for repairs. The dealership he goes through has a short line of customers waiting for the 1yo used combines to arrive so they can buy it with their 2-3yo combine... and so on. There are customers at every level, and most can justify it with their profit margins.
 
(quoted from post at 00:12:03 11/28/12) Buying new big combines can be profitable. Neighbor buys new every fall and trades it in the following summer. Does about 5 or 6 thousand acres a year. Makes money running new with warranty over running used and having to pay for repairs. The dealership he goes through has a short line of customers waiting for the 1yo used combines to arrive so they can buy it with their 2-3yo combine... and so on. There are customers at every level, and most can justify it with their profit margins.

True. Also, the biggest combines and biggest pickups usually point out the shortest d*&ks in the area... :wink:
 
You do 5000 acres plus the price is not a huge issue. It is getting it done fast with no break downs. That is what the big boys are after.
 
Exactly my thoughts! I understand buying new and having a warranty, I can't comprehend who feels they need an 18 row head. Incredible overkill, of course I work full time + some overtime and farm with junk so working long hours isn't an issue. I'd sign up right now to harvest 6000 acres with a 9400 4 row today if someone would give me the chance, and I'd get the job done.
 
For some farmers who have their bills paid, its just good buisness to trade every year. New machine 300,000. Trade in used one season 250,000. Boot difference 50,000. Divided by acres harvested of 3,500 = cost of 14.3 dollars per acre or 2.5 bu of corn. You can't hire it done for that. You can take fast depreciation on the boot, you have no maintainance costs, no repair costs, and biggest benefit for these guys, no down time.
Second biggest benefit is less hired labor which in todays world is huge. We're easily harvesting with one machine what we used to do with three just a couple decades ago. Good farm help is near non existant in some areas. Other benefits are you get the latest technology, latest in fuel efficiency, latest in gps/computer/auto-steer/mapping software, latest in options like tracks, folding unload augers, electric folding bin extensions, fridge, heated seats etc.
Some of this sounds over the top but remember these guys run sun up to sun down and longer just like the little farmers. Harvest is harvest and the crop needs to be in the bin no matter the size of your farm. Its all comes down to the most acres harvested for the least amount of money.
 
Good for you, Delta. Your bottom line will look very good at the end of the year. I like your way of doing things. I felt about the same when I went from a 4 row 105 to a 6 row 7700 hydro. clint
 
(quoted from post at 09:06:00 11/28/12) For some farmers who have their bills paid, its just good buisness to trade every year. New machine 300,000. Trade in used one season 250,000. Boot difference 50,000. Divided by acres harvested of 3,500 = cost of 14.3 dollars per acre or 2.5 bu of corn. You can't hire it done for that. You can take fast depreciation on the boot, you have no maintainance costs, no repair costs, and biggest benefit for these guys, no down time.
Second biggest benefit is less hired labor which in todays world is huge. We're easily harvesting with one machine what we used to do with three just a couple decades ago. Good farm help is near non existant in some areas. Other benefits are you get the latest technology, latest in fuel efficiency, latest in gps/computer/auto-steer/mapping software, latest in options like tracks, folding unload augers, electric folding bin extensions, fridge, heated seats etc.
Some of this sounds over the top but remember these guys run sun up to sun down and longer just like the little farmers. Harvest is harvest and the crop needs to be in the bin no matter the size of your farm. Its all comes down to the most acres harvested for the least amount of money.
Thanks for explaining this to these guys. I was starting to feel ashamed of my new S-77 Gleaner. After years of putting up with "fair weather" custom harvesters I wonder why I didn't go with new combines years ago. Get the crop harvested on time, still have equity after the job is done, and run machinery with a warranty. My city cousin is one of those jealous types who ask why I traded for a new machine, I told him "cause I can". Sure pizzed him off! :D He doesn't understand farming, he's a union man.
 
LOL, thanks for the laugh---6000 acres with a 4 row head! You wouldn't get done by next Spring! Don't be waiting for the opportunity, just keep your day job.
 
Eighteen rows is half of a 36 row planter swath. A farmer with a 36 row planter usually has two 12 row combines and if he is really pushing the acres through the 36 row planter he might need more harvesting capacity than the two 12 row machines can handle. Replacing one of the 12's with an 18 might make sense. There are farmers in this area in NWIA who do farm that much land and will buy a combine that size. Lexion has had a combine with that capacity for several years now but as far as I know they 'only' offered a 16 row head. Jim
 
But lets be truthful...because I can...might be your answer to
him but truth is....because I should....is more accurate.
A cost per acre analysis will always dictate the decision.
 
if my math is right and you could combine at 5mph it would take

100 10 hour days to combine 5000 acres with 4RN head

or

22 10 hour days with the 18 row head

the limiting factor now is most likely the grain hauling capacity
 
(quoted from post at 16:56:39 11/28/12) LOL, thanks for the laugh---6000 acres with a 4 row head! You wouldn't get done by next Spring! Don't be waiting for the opportunity, just keep your day job.

I would put a 6 row head and a grain tank extension and be done in less time. Actually, I would also hire a custom crew because more than 2 weeks in the cab all day and I need to stretch my legs..
 
question,how much support equip, and man power will it take just haul the corn away from an 18 row machine if it can harvest at the same rate per row as the smaller machines so it won't have to sit idling in 200+ bushel corn,not to mention all the imputs land,labor ,equip ,fert., fuel, chemicals ect. just to justify a machine that size,if one isn't careful they will be working to support the manufactures
 
When cat came out with their 16 row head it was said it took ten men to haul the grain away. When the cart was full they had like 3 minutes to get a empty cart under the auger again. I would imagine this machine would probaly take a couple more guys to keep up with it. As far as trading every year i would say its a good idea. A machine this big has some much material run through it, its worn out in a couple years.
 
In my area the fields are too small to use an 18 row corn head..The most common size is an 8 row with a few scattered 12 row heads..

Keeping the corn hauled away from an 18 row head would take lots of support equipment..A neighbor tried to run two 8 row heads one year and hauling was a major problem..
 
The other problem is the grain needs to be dry or the capacity of the combine doesn't really matter. One combine can swamp the town's elevator during a wet year if they have to dry the corn. That is why so many farmers are also building huge dryer setups. Last year when the corn was wet, one of my friends with two dryer setup 10 miles apart would combine an hour, fill one dryer, drive the combine 10 miles to the other field, combine an hour and fill that dryer and then was done for the day. Harvest goes a lot slower at that pace!
 
How well the grain carts keep up depends more on the capacity of the combine than the size of the head. If that combine can only go 3 MPH with the 18 row head two 1000 bushel carts can keep up. If it goes 6 MPH those two carts will be very busy and they will have to have at least 250 horses in front of them to keep up the speed, preferably 300 horses or more. One cart fills an empty semi and then takes off for the field. There's no splitting the load between two trucks. Takes too much time. The combine would need to start in the middle of the land and work out so the carts don't have to chase far. A good smart,experienced pair of cart drivers can move a lot of grain in a day. Jim
 
Cheaper to buy a big machine than it is to buy 2-3 smaller machines and hire the help that can run it.
 

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