New lexion price !

[David.]

To be honest I struggle to get my bonce around it, particularly with "hair standing on end" numbers.

 

[L P]

As I said, I can see both sides, but without the cheque to upgrade, you will be threshing it with a stick next year.

Yes, of course, but with huge price hikes year on year its the equivalent of selling outright 200 acres every 5 years on an upgrade for large but not top of the range machine, that's not sustainable

 

[David.]

Agreed.

 

[Lincsman]

Depreciation costs are actual buying price plus finance costs (no trade in figures confusing it) less sale price divided by years or acres done, you only know this when combine leaves on a low loader. The next one will be different.

 

[L P]

Agreed.

As I said, I can see both sides, but without the cheque to upgrade, you will be threshing it with a stick next year.

Or just use the combine you now own which you're afraid of for lack of warranty. I've just firmed up on our new machine, it cost 53k, will have a 10k service and cut 1500-1700 acres next year. Its 18 years old and still quite able to do 2000ac. What do you define as an upgrade? New paint or new parts? I'm very grateful to the guys sick on new paint else my logic just wouldn't work

 

[glasshouse]

i’ve often thought that there must be a place for a tractor powered combine ? front linkage header then conveyor to rear tow process unit and tank ? could even pull trailers liked a trailer forager ?

using existing power from tractors has to be more efficient - probably not for the big units but could work for others

i know such things existed many years ago - why not now ? potential to have much lower asking price ?

I have said that for years
Kidd built a trailed one 30 yr ago but kv binned it

 

[glasshouse]

And yet in the US and Australia annually, hundreds of people fly there to drive combines which are a world away from anything they might ever operate in the UK and in more extreme conditions.

Unless people are trained to drive the things then how will they ever learn?

Conditions are far more extreme in the uk
Anyone can drive a combine on a 1000 ac prairie

 

[Clive]

And yet in the US and Australia annually, hundreds of people fly there to drive combines which are a world away from anything they might ever operate in the UK and in more extreme conditions.

Unless people are trained to drive the things then how will they ever learn?

in eastern europe drill drivers often don’t even calibrate or adjust machines themselves - there are higher level managers that do that - similar with combines, there is plenty of labour but often not skilled labour

 

[Pilatus]

Need to to one’s own homework on combine capacity for one’s own acreage.
I get the impression that as new combine prices now so high that machinery reps are making out you can make do with a smaller model than you really need

 

[bravheart]

in eastern europe drill drivers often don’t even calibrate or adjust machines themselves - there are higher level managers that do that - similar with combines, there is plenty of labour but often not skilled labour

Had a student here who took on a harvest job driving a combine, southern England somewhere. Got a bollocking from the manager for adjusting the settings apparently they are set at the factory.

 

[Lincsman]

Had a student here who took on a harvest job driving a combine, southern England somewhere. Got a bollocking from the manager for adjusting the settings apparently they are set at the factory.

The makers do put default settings in for each crop, but you amend them to suit your situation and save it.

 

[willyorkshire]

Need to to one’s own homework on combine capacity for one’s own acreage.
I get the impression that as new combine prices now so high that machinery reps are making out you can make do with a smaller model than you really need ,

That's how a certain light green machine is marketed, hence often seem underpowered, slow down to tip etc

 

[bravheart]

The makers do put default settings in for each crop, but you amend them to suit your situation and save it.

Exactly it was the amend bit he got a slap for. As long as he sat in the seat and steered the manager was happy.

 

[spider mike]

I know few years ago when we were looking to change I could only get a price on the one smaller than we were actually interested in. The grain tank was too small and it would have been under powered chopping straw going up our banks. Funny way to try and sell a combine I thought especially to a new customer

 

[glasshouse]

I know few years ago when we were looking to change I could only get a price on the one smaller than we were actually interested in. The grain tank was too small and it would have been under powered chopping straw going up our banks. Funny way to try and sell a combine I thought especially to a new customer

I bought a ten yr old claas off a new holland dealer some yrs ago.
The farmer had wanted to buy the no frills machine again, but claas wouldnt quote him , Wanted to sell a lexion .
So he bought a new holland

 

[Robt]

I keep wondering about all these dealers selling off there ex demo machines. They lop a few grand off and say it's a great deal.

My argument with them is it's now second hand and should be priced on that basis.

It's not like a tractor that can be used all year round. The dealer has used it for a whole season, just because they stick a new number plate on it, doesn't hide the fact that it is second hand.

Yet people seem to pay their prices.

Very few if any demo machines run on trade plates . So it would be registered . Trade plate rules don’t really allow you to run as a demo for a whole season

 

[Magnus Oyke]

Conditions are far more extreme in the uk
Anyone can drive a combine on a 1000 ac prairie

You've never been there, have you?

Here, it gets a bit wet, a bit cold, a bit warm, there's no extremes of temperature.

I've cut wheat when the combines have been parked 30 odd miles from a tarmac road after 6 inches of rain over night. There's no terrances to cut out here, and no cutting when it's a job to start the combines in the morning because it's so cold and they don't have ether buttons. Ever cut anything in the UK before a winter storm comes that dumps 2 feet of snow on the 2,000 acres of crops you still have in the field?

 

[L P]

You've never been there, have you?

Here, it gets a bit wet, a bit cold, a bit warm, there's no extremes of temperature.

I've cut wheat when the combines have been parked 30 odd miles from a tarmac road after 6 inches of rain over night. There's no terrances to cut out here, and no cutting when it's a job to start the combines in the morning because it's so cold and they don't have ether buttons. Ever cut anything in the UK before a winter storm comes that dumps 2 feet of snow on the 2,000 acres of crops you still have in the field?

I think he was on about Australian not Canadian praries. Always make me think when I look in JD book and it says remove covers if harvesting in snow... I can't quite get the logic in it but it does make you think our harvests are relatively easy sometimes

 

[Wuffler]

in eastern europe drill drivers often don’t even calibrate or adjust machines themselves - there are higher level managers that do that - similar with combines, there is plenty of labour but often not skilled labour

This reminds me of the time my Dad was on a visit to East Germany in the 1980's.
Whilst on the bus, travelling between destinations, many of the huge fields the group passed would have lots of long, wide strips of nothing planted.
When he asked about it the guide just shrugged his shoulders and said: "They ran out of seed but kept going..."

 

[Iben]

Very few if any demo machines run on trade plates . So it would be registered . Trade plate rules don’t really allow you to run as a demo for a whole season

My combine is ex demo and was registered after I bought it. Had three demo combines in this year and all came on trade plates.