Combines To Buy or Not to Buy

The people I work for have 2 95E's no 3-point though. Do you have wet heavy gumbo pond bottom ground like in S.D.IJIJIJ if so watch yourself around the waterholes in the spring. They don't turn worth a darn if you got a big load on them. such as a 40ft flexi-coil air seeder w_ a 3 tank cart. If ya come to a wet spot and ya want to get just abit closer and then turnIJIJIJ best start turning soon Hoss or GIVE IT DA MOTOR!!!!!!! They are light on their feet and and will help w_ compaction I belive. The best advice is to demo one for a WEEK cuz 1 day is not enough. In fact, you may hate the 1st day unless you have run a tracked tractor before. As far as the combinesIJIJ well they also have 2 470's as well as a 9600. Just finished winter wheat today and I was running the John Deere w_ a 36ft drapper vs. their 30ft heads and its a pretty close match. They are still (playing) alittle yet but they told me they have been happy so far. Dealer support has been up to par so far. I belive that is the key right there. DEAlER SUPPORT. Before my family bought our 1st combine,the old boy who had cut our wheat for yrs,told me when we asked him if Massey was the combine to haveIJ (it was what he ran) he looked right at me and said"THEY All CUT DA WHEAT,YA BUY WHAT YA GIT PARTS FOR" That really stuck w_ me,and I was only 8 or 10 yrs old at the time. So sir, run them all. What works on your side of the road may not work on farmer Phils,and vis-versa. Its all in the crops you grow. wheat,beans corn, or edibles,navys,blacksIJIJIJ the list is endless. let us all know what you decide,and if you run them all,be fair in your comparrision. I know I was'nt much help,nut hope you found it interesting and funny. keep in touch mit9750

I was in a similair situation to you last year. I came on here looking for info on CAT combines and tractors and got some real good info, so hopefully some of those guys will be around to help you out. Anyways, I made the switch from years of CIH to CAT last year and I've been quite pleased. As far as a tractor goes, I'd say a Challenger 45-55 would suit your needs. I have 3 45's and have had nothing but positive things to say about them. For combines, try out a 460...it still might be a little much for a six row head though. The only thing I'd warn you about is dealer service.....make sure your CAT dealer is good with servicing his ag equipment. I've heard a lot of horror stories from guys that have dealerships that are very concerned with construction and ag isn't very important. My dealer is excellent, and I've been able to get service day_night whenever I've needed it. Good luck with your descision, and make sure and demo some CAT's for a couple days.....you owe it to yourself !!!. Have a good one.... RJ

Sorry, my bad.....try the CAT lexion 450. (hit the wrong n before, sorry) Take care, RJ

You may want to talk to your local Cat dealer about leasing a combine. It is a great way to roll the box every 2-3 years and run the heads 4-6 years. You wouldn't want anything over the 450 though, even though it isn't a rotar machine you will be quite pleased with the quality and performance. The challenger tractor is the way to go, see about low hour used on 120" row spacing.