Its official! I own something other than a 642 Ford

Haley

Member
Had a great day yesterday. I took my lowboy truck and traveled 100 miles one way with my little brother, cousin, and father. I also took my pickup with a header trailer. We were talking back and forth on CBs, shooting the bull, and having a ball going to get a combine that nobody else wanted. It turned out to be a GREAT day. We had absolutely no problems. When we got there, the combine ran flawlessly and was even better than I had hoped it would be. That Mercedes diesel sure runs sweet. I actually wound up with a 20-foot flex Claas grain head in great shape. I never thought I would say this, but the Dominator is way ahead of the 642. This Dominator is one sweet little combine that makes it easier to service. There is a story on how I found this combine that I will post later. This is a very, very rare bird in Middle Georgia. There are no more Dominator combines left.
For the price I paid I bought the head and he gave me the combine!
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That's a real nice machine. I would have liked a picture of the interior, to see how different that is. You remember I was looking for the electric header control? Well, I was under the cab while it was idling, prying on hydraulic lines, trying to find the one that was buzzing, accidentally touched the motor with the large screwdriver I was using, and the head went down. I cut beans with it yesterday and it worked perfectly.
 
Well done Haley, she looks in great shape... and it sounds like you got a bargin...

I notice the old girl has air con... hope it works better than mine!

One other thing i've noticed over the years, is that some of the dominators have the air cleaner higher than the top of the grain tank... if you can find a way to raise yours up i think you will notice a difference in how often the air filter needs cleaning.
 
Thats great news on your header control,I will take some pictures of the interior but that is probably the worst loking part of the machine.Sitting out in 105 degree Ga heat has made pretty much all the glue on the headliner and panels turn loose.This one is good enough I think I am going to get the stuff to redo the interior.I am a true DIE HARD 642 fan but from the moment my butt hit the seat in this one I could tell the cab is so much better than the one on the 642.When you shut the door on this one it sounds like a real sealed up cab and not like an add on.
 
Its actually got two sensors with microswitches in them that turns on two lights when it is full.You can also see through the back of the cab across the engine into the grain tank with windows.The tank has a light in it to brighten it up.
 
It has got factory a/c! It turns out this is the same condenser that I got off of an F2 Gleaner to run on my oldest 642.I think it is Kysor unit.It mounts laying down on a Gleaner but is standing up on the Claas.The previous owner said he had to clean the air filter all the time cutting dusty soybeans.The Mercedes in this one is a 6 cyl om352a with a turbo.I have looked at a lot of Dominator 76's on the net and none have the 352 with a turbo.I find plenty with the straight 352 and lots of Perkins but no turbo Mercedes,Whats up? Newer year model maybe? The engine runs super sweet but I have to say the engine scares me the most.I have searched the web and came up with very few places to get parts if I need them.Most of what I have found is Unimog websites.One other thing that scares me is the Linde hydrostatic pump and parts avalibility for it.Most all hydrostatic farm equipment that I have been around runs Sunstrand versions.It all works STRONG now but I may have problems in the future and need parts.
 
I just cut 3 acres of beans in January . . . not by choice. Had a wet spot I couldn't get through back in November (remember that thing called Sandy that dumped on us the end of October?) and it didn't get dry or froze enough to drive through until this week. There was still about 90 bushels in there . . . I was surprised they didn't fall over or the wildlife hadn't finished them off.
 
Here the wild turkeys would have eat them all off the stalk. I have trouble in the early fall with them doing it. Between the deer eating the tender plants and the turkeys eating the finished beans. I think I am suppling plenty of protein for the wild life.
 
Cleveland, Ohio. Doing a little custom job for a guy in Olmsted Twp. 30 acres in the middle of a housing development. Angry residents prompted 2 visits from the police yesterday. Evidently they (the police) can't do anything about it. Too warm yesterday, started breaking through. Have to wait until after midnight. That'll probably get Chopper 5 News hovering over there.
 
Is it shorter than a 642? I'm wondering how you hauled it with air in the tires. That trailer is every bit as high as mine, but I could only get down to 13' 6"
 
Erik,I couldnt believe it-There is not a leak spot on it anywhere.Hour meter shows 3024 hours and most of it was supposedly cutting grass with a stripper header for seed on a grass farm.
 
Fritz,Its about the same height as a 642 but my annual wide load permit is for 14'6" high and it measured 14'3".We had pretty much all 4 lane U.S. road with no overpasses so I left them aired up.
 
Haley,

the taller air cleaner does help some... the higher the better... and the aircon unit (same as my 106) is in the dust all the time too... i might move mine when i decide to fix the air con (i have a bad pipe somewhere)...

As for the turbo, i'm not sure when they added them.

I have a sauer hydrostat in my 106... so far so good. I have been told that most hydrostats should last 5000 hrs before needing much work, provided oil filters and oil are changed at their required intervals.

Linde are still in business as far as i know...
 
I think moma Claas will be ok for parts, provided of course that your cheque book is big enough... i just order $2000 of parts for my 106... all in stock - except for a $6 cable (coming from Germany!) - in Columbus...

Out of interest do you have a Claas dealer close to you? My nearest is 90 minutes drive away, i get most of my parts through my local MF dealer, they part numbers aren't the same as they have different letters through MF - Claas number gets a "CL" in front and a "c" instead of the decimal (period)
 
Nice looking machine! Maybe I'll have to start looking for Dominators instead of just 642's. Now, which one are you going to drive? If I remember right, this will make 4... a pair of 2 wheel drive 642's, the 4x4 642, and now the 76...
Your green grass and trees make me a little envious... we aren't supposed to break 0 until Wednesday, with windchills as bad as -40.
 
Haley I have to tell you a little story from 20 years ago when I was just a little guy. I farmed thousands of acres of carpet in those days and Grandpa gave me a toy Dominator that looks just like the one on your trailer. I had a 1660 CIH and a 9500 Deere too and I had never seen a Dominator.....I hardly ever played with it....My toys are still in my parents basement, I need to go get them, I bet that Dominator is there.
 
Erik,its funny you said that about being little because in about 1980 I was just a little boy and I rember climbing up on a brand new blue and white Dominator at a dealership about 30 miles from home and I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread! Little did i know that many years later I would be buying one to try to make a living with.I hate to sound "girlie-girlie" but at one point Saturday on the way home with it as I followed behind it in my pickup with the head, I almost had tears coming to my eyes thinking how the cards lined up just right and the man upstairs watching over me put me in the right place at the right time to buy this piece of history and save it from probably a scrap iron death.
 
Fordfarmer,You have got me nailed pretty good.You are spot on with your count and heres the way I think it will go this year-I will still drive "Old Bessie Lou" my oldest 642 for the simple reason that is has several "quirks" that any old machine has but we have a special relationship and work well together.My father will still run"Henderson" the other 2wd 642 because he is used to it and comfortable in it.The 4wd 642" Dalton won't be ready for wheat season but may be ready for corn so I will worry about it then.The 76(I will call it that for now until it names itself) Will probably be run by one of three people,My wife which is out of teaching school during the summer and has always wanted to run one,A close friend that farms part time and has time usually to run one if I need him,or my 11 year old daughter which has already claimed this combine as hers and just had to drive it yesterday right after I unloaded it.She is already smart as a whip and does VERY well on my trackhoe by herself.I figured I may start her on it in wheat because wheat usually goes smooth and there is not a lot of backing up and turning close to deal with until she gets used to the combine.This machine will be Very comfortable to run and should be a piece of cake for her.By the way,I helped my brother put up cow fence last weekend in shorts and it was almost 80 degrees-sweating like crazy.I have already see some rye that was planted for a cover crop heading out.It is about a month too early for that.
 
I hear you, Grandpa died in 2000, I sure wish he was here to see my 1:1 1660 in the shed just like the 1:16 he gave me on Christmas all those years ago. Here's my scrapper save this week. My best friend's great grandpa bought it in 1970 and sold it to his son in 01 when he retired. His son, my friends gpa, retired and auctioned off his equipment in 08 except this truck. I stopped just to talk with them a couple days ago and he told me he was sending it to the scrapper. It didn't make it but did make the 3 miles to my place with a new batt and 5 gallon of gas.

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Sweet! I had a neighbor that bought one just like this one in 1963 with a 292 4bbl and a 4 speed.To this day it still only has about 70k miles but he is dead and his grandson just lets it sit out in the weather.It hasnt been moved in 5 years.
 
That is one sweet machine haley,German engineering is second to none,will be fun to watch you put it back into service,thanks for letting us see
 
Erick,that is one nice looking truck,gee I'm glad you saved her and got her home,I know I need a good truck,but we dont have anyone I know of scrapping that nice of truck here.Thanks for posting
 
Erik,nice looking old Ford truck...I'm glad that you were able
to save it..Years ago I hauled many a bushel with a 1962 Ford
F-600 with a 292 V-8..
 
Erik,nice looking old Ford truck...I'm glad that you were able
to save it..Years ago I hauled many a bushel with a 1962 Ford
F-600 with a 292 V-8..
 
Erik,nice looking old Ford truck...I'm glad that you were able
to save it..Years ago I hauled many a bushel with a 1962 Ford
F-600 with a 292 V-8..
 
Your wife is a teacher, too? Anne was teaching when we met, and substituted here after we were married, but hasn't taught since our kids were born. She'll probably go back to it once they're all old enough for school. No way I'd get her to run a combine... it's all I can do to get her to drive a tractor to pull me out if I get stuck.
Luke (he'll be 8 in a couple weeks) on the other hand... I'll either have to get a 2nd combine in a couple years, or I won't get a chance to drive mine. He's run it picking up swathed oats and a little in corn. Still need to work on over-correcting the steering though. :) That's great that your daughter wants to run one.
 
No 642's or Dominators on ebay or within 500 miles of me on craigslist. :(
There is some sales literature on both a 642 and 76 on ebay.
 
Good looking "green" machine. You will enjoy running it. Lots more comfort than the 642. I would love to come and see you when you get in the field this year. Will bring back lots of good memories. As I have told you earlier we ran two 642's and a blue 76. We covered a lot of ground with those three combines. Good luck!
 
Preacherman,youve got an open invitation to come run this one anytime I am cutting.I made the second trip to Dalton to get the rest of my parts in september off of the other 642 I bought and i was going to try to try to meet up with you to get a bite to eat but time just didn't allow.Me and my cousin left home at 3:30a.m., drove all the way to Dalton(250 miles one way),stripped the combine(most of it with the "hot" wrench) and drove back home all in the same day.Now I want to pick your brain a bit--Do you rember what kind of capacity the 76 had compared to the 642? The 76 is only 4 walkers wide at 42" v/s the 642 at 5 walkers wide and 52".The screens in the 76 are longer than the 642 but not as wide but if you do the math there is only 1 square foot difference in the total square footage between the two.I dont think the cleaning area will be a problem. My big concern is that the 42" feederhouse is going to severly limit the combine.Any thoughts?
 
As best as I can remember, it has been almost 30 years now, but the 76 had no problems keeping up with the 642's, if it didn't run faster. Maybe because it was newer.lol I see where you got a 20 ft header, we ran 15's. I also think the bin capacity on the 76 was a tad bit smaller. Sorry, I'm probably not much help on the technical side of them, long ago and I was a teenager back in those days.
 

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