Combines 2366 or 2388

[cutter2388]

I would strongly recommend going all the way to the top by getting the 2388, You will not be dissapointed one bit. I have both and its amazing the difference in the two machines. We keep the 1660 around for the pinto beans, along with a 1440 I havent run the 2388 in pintos. There is no comparison in wheat the 2388 just simply walks circles around the smaller machine. We are fixin on trading our 1660 and our 2388 off on two newer 2388's. I guess it boils down to price difference for you on getting the 2366 or the 88 but either machine will be a way to get your second wind when it comes to harvesting, the 1660's were nice in there day but the newer ones just take the cake

 

[Willbur]

Hi Roo I am considering the same thing. I have a 2166 and farm 3100 acres. Their are a few questions I would like you "88" guys out their to answer for me.I have the deluxe spreaders and I still have problems with the "strip down the middle". Do the 88's have that problemIJ And when I do corn I have problems overloading the left side of the chaffer on side hills. Plus I am constantly wishing I had more power.

 

[JFarms]

The strip down the center was fixed by putting a triangular piece of tin off the pan to fill in the space that is left open between the spreaders, easy fix. Overloading the chaffer was fixed by installing a left handed auger on the very left of the augerbed which moves the grain towards the center of the chaffer, works excellent. Both of these problems were standard equip on all 1999 2300's and are available at your dealer as updates. As for the corn head, we are 12 row 30" and run 2388's, last year we ran 2 six row heads one on a 2388 and one on a 1666. In 200 bu corn the 1666 did just as good of job as the 2388. Tried out a 9650 STS last year and it had a 893 8row head and it worked excellent in the 12 row corn. For this year we traded one of our 6 rows for a new 1083 corn head as a result of how well the 8 row JD head worked. Your next questions going to be how did we like the STS, well it did an excellent job on the ground and in the hopper but compared to our 88's there was no advantage and besides I like having enough HP to do the job and being able to unload the hopper in less than 10 minutes. Summary: If you are going to stay 6 row and 25' flexhead stay with a 66. If you want to go 8 row go 88 and also go with a 30' flexhead.

 

[larry]

Hi Roo, I run a 2188. I plant with a 12row planter and run a 1083 head. In straight rows this super. If you farm on the contour along terraces, you've got to have a dang good planter operator or you sacrifice a little. I'm still convinced that an 8-row is the only way on a machine this big until we start growing 400 bushel corn. I also run a 30' 1020. A field tracker is a must on this size machine in ground that's not level. I've been as happy with my 30' w_tracker as I was with a 20 without tracker. Some of the chaffer center problem has been answered by now with speed-ups, deflectors, spreader bats, etc. The 2188 did have that problem until modified. On severe sidehills you may need to consider installing the optional sidehill dividers on the chaffer. I can get a lot done in soybeans with this setup even if I don't have a truck driver for the day. In corn with any haul at all, this machine will probably run over two 1000 bu. trucks and drivers.

 

[George_2]

Go with the 2388. You won't have to push it so hard and it can take the 30 foot header so the work goes quicker. Often 2388's are cheaper than 2366's as there are more of them. I would limit a 2366 to about 800 to 1000 acres and anything above to a 2388. Above 2000 go for a 8010.

 

[Chads]

Several guys around here are doing 2500 acres with 2366's without too much trouble. It depends on the coutry, the yields, and how much you want to stay in the seat. If all you're gonna run is a 6 row cornhad and 25' platform because of terraces, then a 2366 will push those heads as fast as they'll go. The only limit then is grain tank capacity, and a 2366 with a topper holds as much or a little more than an 88 without. Personally, I'd strongly consider a 66, but that's just me. Chads

 

[boog]

My son and I farm about 2,500 acres split about 55_45 corn_soybeans. We run a 2366 with a 1083 ch and a 25' 1020 platform. We may not be the first ones done in the fall but are far from being last. Our biggest holdup is getting corn away from the machine as a lot goes into bins and some is trucked as much as 15 miles one way. Only extra help is a parttime man that works afternoons and weekends. We do have some rolly ground but so far haven't seen the need for "field tracker". We may have to cut crossways along a few draws but would have to with "tracker" For your size a 66 would be more than adequate. But if you can get into an 88 for around the same money I would lean that way. IMO it never hurts to be oversized, within reason

 

[44mac]

George 2 I'd like your opinion on how many acres a 2344 should be able to do.By the time you get to the 14-1620 capacites I'll have to run out and measure my garden to see if it is to big for these machines.Some of us actually like to drive our combines for more than two weeks a year. This is a very good talk show,I read it whenever I get a chance but I think there are a few of you who could probably downsize your combine if you actually sat in it for a while during harvest instead of being on this show. Oh ya,and don,t give me your crnp about small window of opportunity and winter weather coming as I am from Eastern Ont and I know all about that!There is almost always 2 months to get the corn snd soys in.This is what should be accomplished(depending on size of heads and fields and also topography of the land) 44's 1200-2100 66's 1800-3000 88's 2500-4000 NH8010 3000-6000(Caution this may take up to 6 months due to teething and potty training problems,along with the service truck babysitting it! And you wonder why they don't produce reasonable sized combines any more.

 

[Deadduck]

44mac It all depends on your location, I guess. Here in the southern US, we don't have nearly your window for harvest. Our problem isn't winter, it's the summer heat and fall rains. The high humidity coupled with temps in the 90's and the occasional thunderstorm will deteriorate a mature crop in a hurry. Our corn matures in early August, and will handle the weather longer than soybeans, but with our bad borer problem, even the Bt corn will start to fall down after a while, especially if a hurricane or other windstorm hits. Have you ever seen corn sprout on the cobIJ I have, many times. Group IV soybeans down here mature in mid-August and must be harvested within a week of maturity or they will shatter or rot. later varieties have a couple of weeks. In short, we have to cover as much ground in as little time as possible. Thats the reason I've never seen a 2166 or 2366 down here. No one buys them. In fact, the last 60 sized machines that were sold in any number down here were 1460's. Since then, it's been almost all 80 and 88's. Smaller farmers, like me, who can't afford a new 2388, just buy a used one, and try to pick up some custom acres on the side. My Grandpa used to have a saying when someone would tell him how good his crop looked, "It ain't worth a nickel till you get it out of the field." Deadduck

 

[44mac]

A 91'or 92'1640 in reasonably good shape would easily handle 1000 acres.