Combines Deerbines Question

Hey there cowdoc Well here's what I've been told so consider it worth what you've paid for it. Most to all of the 860 Massey's out of canada I was imformed have the 6 banger engines in them. Mostly because they only cut wheat up there and don't need as much hp to run the machine....(B.S. in my mind....takes more hp to cut wheat than it does corn!). At any rate, let's say this deduction is true.....if that is the case then 2250 hours of "easy" labor on the machine shouldn't be any biggie. The 860 Dad picked up 3 years ago came from colorado but supposedly it was a canadian machine so I am assuming thier tachs hours are the same as ours....once again an educated guess. A fellow that had "supposedly" flown in from canada that day of the sale walked all around the machine with us and showed us what to look for and what was worn and we had run that 750 enough years to know he was intelligent on maintenance and wear point's on the machines anyways. Anyhows.......The tach showed 1200 hours on that 860 of ours the day of the sale. For a machine that only had 1200 hours we put in repairs the last 3 years in it like it had 3500 hours. I think we've finally gotten all the bugs out of it as it's a cutting s.o.b. now. Seems like everytime we fixed something that broke or was about to break it had already been messed with before us......not factory either. The ole guy we bought it from was quitting because he was developing alzheimers in the worst of ways. We think the ole f@rt had a worse case of alzheimers on the day of the sale than ever before on purpose! In a nutshell I don't know much about canadian combines other than what I've been told and the source was a complete stranger so I'm hesitant to believe it. I guess if it was me since they ain't exactly making these machines anymore I'd take a road trip (if the price is right!!!) and start looking through them top to bottom and find what I could wrong with them and go from there. I'm getting anymore that when I buy an older machine be it tractor, combine or pickup I pay no attention to the odometer or tach hours. I make a visual of the entire machine, working parts, all fluids, and tire wear. True, fluids can be changed on a whim, some working parts you are not able to see, and tires can be switched between junkers.....BUT.....I don't know of alot of dealers that are that ambitious and every minute they waste on that machine is another dollar they are putting into it that they might be 2 years before they get a return on. Not many mess much with a used machine other than the cosmetics of it for that reason alone. I'd just give it a once over. You seem to know massys.....not alot of difference between the old 750 style's to the 860 except size and capacity. We are thinking that harvest is going to start here in northwest kansas around the 10th to the 15th of june. I'm pretty certain we are going to be in the field before fathers day. No sign of weeds yet on the fields I didn't get sprayed before the flag leaf was up. I imagine I'll start seeing them by the end of this week first part of next week. I heard that the custom rates were going up this year to compensate the cost of the diesel fuel. last year I heard of guys with the new machine's charging 13, 13, and 13. Some of the older machine operators were charging 12 straight across the board. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't hear of alot of 14 and 15 clear across the board now with the price of the new machines and cost of fuel. How in the sam he11 are we supposed to make any money out here with those kind of pricesIJIJ One of these days the farmer is going to get pinched down to where there is nothing for him. You watch........it's coming. Sorry that post was so long.........boring sunday evening. Take care

I'm not familiar with custom rates,could you explain the "13,13 and 13." Is that price per acreIJ

Randy Don't feel bad.....I had to have it explained to me just a few years ago as well. 13, 13, and 13 means........13 dollars an acre to cut it. 13 cents a bushel for every bushel over 30 bushel's an acre.....and 13 cents a mile to haul it to the elevator and dead head back.....some only charge to the elevator some charge both ways I've been told. Now that mileage part is if I remember correctly. Shuffling some numbers through my head that doesn't seem right. That is (to the best of my knowledge) what it means. Hope that helps..........perhaps someone else reading this that is for certain can confirm what I've written or correct it............MarvinIJ Take care

In our parts 20 bpa is used as the base. So it would be $.13_bushel per bushel over 20 bushel per acre. That ought to be clear as mud now.

Hello Cowdoc......getting restless waiting for the harvest yetIJ I know I sure am. Say.....20 bushel an acre for the base. Just how in the heck are you farmers supposed to make any money there when you hire a custom cutterIJ I know that usually Kansas fields yield bigger than you fellows south of us from what I hear but other than the price of land our input cost's are all the same. I do know that the cutter's use 30 here in Kansas. least that's what the fellow two years ago that did a field for us while we were behind used. Very intersting to see how things vary from state to state. I'm still wondering if I got that right on the mileage part. Shuffling numbers through my head this afternoon I just couldn't make sense of 13 cents a mile but 13 dollars a mile would break a guy for certain there. Somewhere I think I'm not remembering all the equation. Talk later.....getting late and got to get to town early for parts tomorrow. We still havn't planted our milo yet. I plan on starting on thursday if I get the planter all ready to go by then. Deerebines

Thanks Rich! Now I will know what you guys are talking about! Thanks Again.

When we use a 13-13and13 that refers to $13 an acre for cutting, plus $.13 per bushel for anything over 30 bpa. the last figure "thirteen" refers to the hauling to the elevator "per bushel hauled to 'nearest' elevator". So with a fourty bushel average per acre it will cost $13 to cut, $.13 per bushel for the 10 bushel "overage" $1.30 and $.13X40 bushel=$5.20 hauling for a total cost of $19.50 per acre. That is how I have been charged and charge here in western Kansas. With the cost of diesel I dont know what charges this year will be but I bet the custom cutter dont take it in the shorts, that one will be passed along to the farmer, again.

Hey Deerbines: Hey this may sound like a stupid question, but its bothering the heck out of me. What kind of combine do you run on your farmIJ Do you run a Massey as well as a Deere, because you seem to be pretty interested in Masseys. I was just curious, out here in PA we are running a

Hello Tyler I imagine with a handle like I'm using it can be a bit deceiving. We used to run a 410 massey and an 82 Massey Harris. I remember the harvest as a kid for years like that. When dad decided to upgrade we tried to shoot for a 7720. Well the dealer rolled over on us and sold out from under us to a guy that offered him more money. We were mad enough to spit nails to say the least. So we headed out of town and bought a 1980 grey cab 750 brand new. Dad had ran that machine up till 88 when I had finally griped and complained enough that I wanted to join the harvest so 87 was the last year for the 82 massey harris and in 88 we bought and I ran a 1981 6620. Well, what can I say. I fell in love with that green machine over dad's vibrating perkins. We ran that setup right up till 3 years ago when dad bought an 860. Man, talk about a horse of a combine! I thought we had the world by the @$$ when we aquired that piece of equipment. First year with that machine was just like the first year when the 750 was new......bugs, bugs, and more bugs to worked out of the system. literally.....fixing everything that the old man that had it before us fixed. Only this time the right way. So in 97 we were running the 750, 6620, and 860. Well half way through the 750 laid down and it was just as well. Either I or little bro had to shut down one machine after only a binload and run the truck into town. Just can't find help these days!! In 98 we just ran the two machines (6620 and 860) so little bro could concentrate on driving truck....we ended up taking 3 weeks to harvest and getting a custom cutter to help us finish we were so far behind. I told dad that was it. I had it!! So off to a deere dealership I came and traded off my 6620 for a 9600......quite the jump I tell you. 60 acres harvested by the custom cutter we hired would of almost made an annual payment on this machine. We finished harvest in 14 days last year....just the end of the window as I call it. Rule of thumb we've always tried to use is to finish harvest in 10 to 14 days. Milo harvest came and went in a blure as well with the two big machines.....dad put the 20 foot platform on the 860 so he could cut the smaller patches and cross creeks where I couldn't go and I cut with the 30 footer. So that's why I'm partial to both massey and Deere. As far as anything else they make I will do without. We don't run anything else massey mainly because no dealers close by anymore and Dad hates deere with a passion so most everything else on the farm is CaseIH or the old IHC. I guess if you was to look at our farm it looks alot like a heinze 57 because of all the different colored equipment. A bit more Deere equipment besides the combine (I guess I do pull a little weight in making decisions around here ) but not alot. That ought to give you an idea why I talk as much as I do about the massey's. I personally think that Massey was an excellent machine but 2 things I personally feel killed them. 1: That vibrating perkins engine.....I've never ran one yet that didn't make me feel like I ran a jackhammer all day after leaving the cab....A cummins in my opinion would of been alot more intelligent move. 2: Poor quality control! That 750 when it was new had more bugs in it to fix than anything I've ever seen new. Half the bolts were missing. There was an add on kit cooler that had to be installed and like idiot's we paid for it when we found out in later time that Massey would of took the check on that one. If they would of just slowed down.....made some finer improvments......checked the machines better before they left the factory they'd still be making these machines instead of painting Gleaners red and buying the patent rights for a combine from white......of course that's simply my opinion. Well that ought to give you an idea of my background with the MF's. Have a good one

OK i see now where you are coming from. I know what you mean about different equipment because we run Deere tractors and Hesston Field Queen Harvesters and a few New Holland implements. We had all Ford tractors but when i was in the national gaurd, a neighbor sent me a sympathy card saying dad bought a Deere tractor. I will agree totally on the Vibrating Perkins engines. I know that you get in to the cab, cut a few acres and get out you have a back ache from the vibration. I agree also that it would maybe have been better off with a Cummins engine, as we have a 1974 Autocar truck that has a Cummins in and not a spite of trouble scince it was bought new. Now the 8460 has a Mercedes Benz engine, and it has done pretty good for us so far. We have never run too much Deere equipment other than the tractors though. A local dealership brought out a new Deere SP forage harvester for us to test, but after running that thing we decided that the Electrical components (as well as the price tag) were too advanced for us and we decided to stick with the Field Queens we had been using scince the 70's, and they seemed to run just as good of capacity as the Deere did if not better. With all the new Electrical engines and things now i believe we will still be resorting to old ways, as the electrical engines are just a pain in the @ss. Well enough babbling about our stuff. I was just curious as to your nik name, so i thought id ask. Well nice talking to all of you, and i look forward to talking with you in the future. Tyler Hall, Spark Plug P.s. With all of this rain out here in the east, i dont think we are ever going to get the rest of our corn planted, and its too dang wet to get the hay chopped.