Questions about the 9400-9500 JD combines

Haley

Member
Most of you know that for the last 17 years I have ran my 642 Ford(Claas) machines and have been very happy with them.Here lately I have been toying with the Idea of possibly upgrading to a later model machine but the problem for me is that I am not so sure it will be a Claas.The Dominator 76 I bought quickly cured me wanting anything newer Dominator related.I could buy a early 400 series Cat Lexion for the money I would have to spend but I am really afraid that Claas is going to be insane now on even the smallest part.For the past two years I have ran side by side with a 9500 and it is starting to grow on me.It is very closely matched to what I run now and is about the same actual size as mine.A big high dollar combine is out of the question for me due to the fact that I cut fields that a big machine just wont get in to.There are tons of aftermarket parts for the JD and plenty of dismantled machines in the wrecking yards as well.Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated.I am not ready to buy another machine right this second but I would like to gather all the info I can before I have to make a switch.The 9500 has really impressed me with a fairly clean sample and minimal loss out the back in some side by side checks with my Fords.Here are some questions.Are there any years that I should avoid? Any major design flaws that keep causing problems year after year? Do they all come standard with auto header height control? How dependable are the electronics on these machines? These are just a few questions but I am sure that I will have more. JDSeller,other JD guys that have actually ran this series I REALLY need to hear your opinions on the good AND the bad.Thanks
 
the are good machines , nice clean cab, i had one run it for 4 years no brake downs too seek of , then it burnt too the ground one day out in the field , replaced it with a 9760, now that is a combine cut 110 acres of beens in about 7 hours
 
We bought a 9500 in 2012. It replaced a 105, so it was a huge upgrade. It would be hard to go back!

As far as combines go, the 9500 is not bad to work on, and is really a pretty beefy machine. All parts do wear though, and look any candidate over very carefully.

There were upgrades through the years, and the ones from the first couple years had some differences... some of these were upgraded, some not.

I'd look for a later one, but past upkeep is probably most important. There are a lot of junk ones out there right now.

Mine had a lot of hours, but I purchased from the original owner, who offered us the opportunity to run it in the field.
 
My only comment would be to avoid the very early 9400's. Someone thought a 359 would power that machine....
 
I am on my 7th year with a 9400, 1993 model with larger engine. I have replaced two bearings and that is it. very good machine. bought it with very low hours and it was very well maintained.
 
I have run a 9500 since 2002. Mine is a '97 model. It is the most trouble free combine I have ever been around and does a very good job. Most of the time the repairs have been normal wear items. There were several nice improvements over the years and the later you can go (and afford) the better machine you will have. I'll leave my e-mail open if you have any questions. Mike
 
Look for a later JD 9500 that has had the 10 series up dates installed on it. This included a digital readout for the concave setting. Also you want the later style concave. JD dumbed up and put a 15 bar concave in the early JD 9500 then they went back to the 13 bar concave like the Titian IIs had in the 9510s. The straw walker bearing and crank shafts where different too. The best one of these updates was the crank adjust pre-cleaner. The original adjustment was a lever that you hooked over short arm on the pre-cleaner. A real pain in the butt to adjust accurately.

In 1997-98 there where kits to do this with. JD actually sold them below cost if your combine was in certain serial number ranges. So a lot of the JD 9500 around here got updated.

Another real easy way to tell if your looking at an early or late JD 9500 is the electric throttle position switch. The early one only had two settings idle and full speed. This was real unhandy as the machine would not even move at low idle but I never liked running the machine at high idle just to move it after you just started it. The later machines had a three position switch: idle, higher idle and full speed.

A !!!!Caution!!!! if you look at a JD 9500 that has had the dual display on the cab post for the digital concave readout make sure you know what the total hours are. The new readout ZEROED the hours. So I know a lot of combines had 2000+ hours on them and got updated to the new readout and then showed ZERO hours again. IF you are looking at one that has been switched get the serial number and have a JD service department run you the warranty history. That will show the hours that the machine had while it was under warranty. Also have a customer history ran. It will show what hours the combine showed if it was resold through a JD dealer.

IF your looking at a dual display machine, If you can remove the screws that hold the dual display in the cab post tilt it out an look at the back of the display. It was recommended by JD that the installer wrote the original hours on the back of the "new" display.

A real easy way to avoid all of this is to just look for a 10 series machine to start with. There is usually not a lot of difference in the sales price and you get all the updates on the newer machine.
 
I will stand corrected they will move but not very well. They will move but you really are making the hydro squeal. It is hard on it as the pressures are not there to float/lube the swatch plates correctly. You can damage them if you do it too much.
 
The 9400 and 9500 combines are good machines but there are things on them you cant replace. If you are looking at one get the serial # and call JD and make sure you can still get a computer for it. There are 2 9400's that I know of that are dead in the barn because the computer went bad and there are no replacements for them from Deere and no after market systems are made. I think this is going to be a real problem in the future as electronics change and become outdated and good machines are junked because a computer went bad.

This is going to be another thing to checkout before buying a combine. Its the same way in the auto industry, Lots of cars and trucks in the bone yard now not because they were wrecked but because the computer went bad and there are no replacements being made for them. Just another thing to think about before buying anything anymore. Bandit
 
(quoted from post at 03:13:00 12/19/14) Lots o f companies rebuild and rework computers for trucks and equipment .
hat's what I was thinking,also surely you could find one in a salvage yard or such.
 
Thanks for all the responses on the combine but now I have more questions.Banditfarmer,I did not know the 9500 had a computer on it.What does it control? I was under the impression that it had a lot of electrical stuff such as speed sensors and solenoids but why does it need a computer? JDSeller,If the combine does not have digital concave display what does it have to show concave position? Some of you mentioned that the 9400 could have two different engines-what about the 9500.Did it have the same engine through all the years? What engine? the ones I have looked at so far look like the old 466 design. Can anyone give me an honest close estimate of fuel usage per hr on a 9500 in 200bpa corn(or under a good steady full load)? thanks again
 
The combine has numerous electronic controls that go through a circuit board mounted just inside the inspection hole for the grain tank in a sealed compartment. I've never had any problem with mine and know the board is available as a service part. My combine has the original concave indicator which is a lighted display outside the right hand cab window. While the digital display would be nice the regular one works just fine. All engines that were available for the 9500 were 466/7.6L. Mine has the larger horsepower engine (235 h.p.). My combine also has Contour Master on it. When I got it I thought it was just a gadget. Now, I wouldn't own a combine without it. It works all the time, even on flat bottom ground. The ground appears shaved when finished. The fuel usage varies so much it's hard to give a hard and fast answer to that question. It seems like several gallons go through it until you realize how much work you get done with those gallons. Mike
 
Haley: Mike beat me to replying about the cylinder indicator.

The only combine of that series I would never own is the early 9400s. They had the 359 engine in them. The displacement/horse power was not the main issue. The crank shaft has a LONG drive hanging on the dampener end. This long drive with a belt pulling on it breaks the crankshaft. I know of 3-4 of them that did it with under 1500 hours on the combines.
 
Mike,what is the difference in contour master and auto header height ? Do all 9500's come standard with auto header height control? Thanks for all the info.
 
JD Seller,Thanks for all your info.I think when it comes time I will be looking at just the 9500.I really would like to be able to go ahead and get a 10 series machine but from what I have seen they are going to be way out of my price range.I am starting to see a lot of 9500's with around 2000-2500 separator hours for less than 30 thousand.I think I would be better off to buy one like this in fairly good shape and then go through it from front to back.I know I will spend some money doing this but in my mind I will know exactly what shape it is in before I start running it.If I do switch brands it will be the hardest thing I have had to do since I started custom cutting.I am really considering buying a 9500 and run it along side my Fords to begin with just so I can find the problems in the new combine before I am forced to retire my Fords.My best Ford now has over 3000 separator hours on it and is getting a little rough in places.I don't know how much longer I am going to be able to keep going without running out of parts from my parts machines.Buying the major parts from Claas has become VERY expensive in the last three or four years.
 
Haley: The biggest advantage of the JD 9500 is going to be parts availability and cost. There are literally hundreds of sources of parts for them. This helps keep the price down. It also makes there be aftermarket "improvements". An example would be the Lowen air foil chaffers.

Also header availability is massive. You can find older heads for reasonable money. The big guys all want 8-12 row corn heads with stalk choppers mounted and such. So that makes the older heads cheaper.

You can buy a pretty good 20 foot flex head for under $2000. Then spend maybe $500-1000 and have a good header that will work for years.

Plus for all the gripping about JD the JD parts system is second to none. Just about any part is going to be available to you next day if you need it bad enough. A plus of the big "chain" dealerships, is that they run parts between stores twice a day in most cases. That makes it to where you can get parts quicker without any additional freight.
 
While header control was an option on 9500 combines I have yet to see one that doesn't have it. The header control is Dial-A-Matic and has three positions that allow you to vary the ground pressure on the platform with the turn of the switch. You will want a platform that is compatible with this system (not hard to find at all). Contour Master is Deere's lateral tilt system. The heads will need to be compatible with this system as well (different drive shafts, sensors on the head, etc.). In order to have CM you will have to find a 1995 or newer 9500. I have the CM driveshafts on my 6-row corn head but do not have sensors on it as I didn't feel the head needed them. I do have them on my platform. You can cross a terrace at an angle and not miss many beans. It's a big help in moist conditions as it seems the ground pressure on the skid shoes is much more uniform. Now that I have it I would sure hate to be without it. Feel free to email if you have any more questions. Mike
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top