small pull type combine suggestions

Looking for good suggestions on a small pull type combine to do 3-5 acres of wheat (heirloom variety for personal use-not trying to make $ at it)

I know they almost all made a small pull type and some were more popular than others and you want one that has been kept inside, but which units are the better for being reliable and easy to fix and have a chance of getting parts?

seems like AC all crops and maybe the old IH units are the most common????

Thanks.

I ONLY had experience I had was with the old AC what I called a sidewinder pull combine. It worked great was easy to fine tune and adjust the sieves and airflow for maximum grain harvest.....Thats about all I recall, been too loggggggggg..

John T

AC and JD 30 were fairly common machines that a small quantity of new parts are available such as knives, guards, belts, and PTO items. Massey Harris used to be quite common but you don't see them around at all anymore so used parts for them are an unknown. The AC and JD combines still have used items pop up to be bought.

Id look for one without canvas feed, an auger instead.

IH 82, JD 30, and AC 72 are your best bets.

Agree, get one without canvas feed. Mainly because canvases are hard to find and if found will be very expensive.

If you have a live PTO tractor, then a PTO drive combine will eliminate a combine engine which can be a problem.

At least you are a little closer to the cheap ones . Pull type combines in Ohio are pretty dear lately at 1500$-up for a wreck, while west of the Mississippi pristine 76s are advertised for free on their way to the scrapyard.

I watched a Case A6 work at the Albert City show. Harvested the wheat very well, left nothing behind in the straw. Gotta be some collectors that are downsizing and selling out. gobble

Someone had the same question not too long ago - see this thread. Some pretty good ideas/responses there. Here's my response there, re-posted:

Keep the Oliver 18's in mind. I have an All-Crop 90 and two 66's, but have also used a friend's Oliver. The Oliver has a narrower cut width than the All-Crop 90, but probably gets about the same number of acres per hour because it seems to feed a little smoother and run with a touch higher ground speed. Whatever you get, look for one without canvases (if an all-crop, look for a 72 or 90). Also check the bottoms of all hoppers/chutes for rust. The canvas/draper style are nice for gentle handling of some clover crops, but for grains they're just a pain.
Nothing wrong with the All Crops if in good condition. One of the issues with the all-crops is the rubber concaves: They're fantastic if they're still in decent shape, but at this point they're all old enough that many are worn out and the fixed rubber insert is beat to heck or missing. If that's the case, they won't thresh worth a dang until they're fixed, and the rubber inserts are getting a little harder to get. The simple steel concaves of the other brands might be a little harder on fragile clover/grass seed, but there's a better chance they'll be in usable condition.

I'd look for one with a scour-kleen. They do an amazing job of cleaning out the fines. You can still get new screens for scour-kleens, and your end product will be a higher grade. Really useful for us as we don't spray our grain for the cattle and one of our grain bins doesn't have an aeration floor. The green weed seed that you'll get in the product without a scour kleen can really cause some issue with heat/mold. With it cleaned out from the scour kleen, it's a much better product to put in the bin.
Pull Type Combine Discussion


This post was edited by DanielW on 08/16/2023 at 10:00 am.

AC only, Ihc possibly 1 in last 50 years, Deere second best with the 30 combine, 2 Case in last 60 years, Never an Oliver.

As many old sef propelled models as there are I would move up to a Gleaner E,A,or C or Deere 45,55,95 or any of the other many models out there. Easier to open up a field doesn't take up any more room in the shed and only drawback is the height and that is not that much difference maybe a couple feet. An E will go in a 10 foot door. AC 66 needed about the same height to go in and out. Been 50 years or so since I was around the 66.

AC 72 is what I would want.

Wheat thrashed out fairly easy with AC 72 ( with auger) even with worn rubber on cylinders. And cylinder speed ,and open gap . Good header section are a must for most conditions . Bad header knife is a cusser.
Ihc 52 good all round machine ,goes slow if wheat is blown down state.
I would get the scour cleaner. If your late into the field and rag weed is taking over your going thank your wise choice in getting one.
A well maintained machine is a blessing to pay more for. If get one that cheap ,might take a few years and some cash to get things right.
AC cylinders bars are (were ) over 600 last time I looked .
So if you see an AC get into the cylinder area look for bent or worn bars and rusted out concave sheet metal .look at elevator for loose chain ,rusted out sheet metal elevators.
Id also back up a tractor to the pto machine and power it up ,that a must do .
Engine powered one ,same run it loose for issues in shaker .
Buddy up with someone thats run one youre looking at and take them with you to look at it. Well worth the lunch money spent.
Good hunting ,keep us posted as to what you find
Massy Harris and ji case well maintained will do a nice job. Make sure you look them over real close.

The industry standard or the co-cola of small combines is ac 72 . More out there than all the rest put together and parts are easy to find. Have a dry clean one in shed here in Tennessee $750.00

Been there done that for the guy that uses it maybe once ever two or three years he will spend more time trying to get the gas engine going than you will hooking up to the pull type. If he is to go self propelled has to go to K diesel then I agree with your argument only thing is they K or F are hard to find in diesel

Too bad you are not in Texas as I would let this one go for cheap as I have given up oats and it is taking up space in my shed. IH Model 101.

Suggest to the combine shoppers take a look at that Ac 72 !

Years ago no matter the brand tractor farmers had most hand an AC combine in the shed

How small of a tractor do you need to pull a small tow behind? Level flat ground - small plot.
compact or even subcompact like a Kubota BX ?

Is anyone else noticing a problem with this whole discussion?

Y'all are talking like you can just go to the local dealer and buy one off the lot... There hasn't been a pull type combine on a dealer lot since the 1980's.

Are old pull type combines sitting for sale all over the place in your area? I'm thinking this is going to be more of a "beggars can't be choosers" situation. If a cherry IH 82 is sitting for sale down the road, I'm thinking you might oughtta jump on that instead of, "Nahhh, I'll wait for an AC."