So which year do you chose for combine capacity?

[Steevo]

Got 15 acres of wheat and 30ac canary seed left to cut out of 350 ac, had to dry about 15% of the wheat, Tucano 430. Seems about right, the wheat left is shedding pretty badly now and another windy weekend forecast.

Sounds like you've done well!

 

[Daniel]

Sounds like you've done well!

Actually the first 30ac was winter linseed in July.

But obv the next size up combine would have finished the wheat and we wouldn't have made 2 abortive attempts to get the last bit already! ?‍

 

[Steevo]

Actually the first 30ac was winter linseed in July.

But obv the next size up combine would have finished the wheat and we wouldn't have made 2 abortive attempts to get the last bit already! ?‍

What spec is a Tucano 430 please?

 

[Feldspar]

From the history books see the attached papers.

 

[warksfarmer]

2018 was very dry,2019 very wet(down south”). So if you are thinking of changing your combine for 2020 , would you
stay with combine capacity you have or go for a larger combine/combines new or second hand.

No combine is capable of cutting more than 2000ac per year of mixed cropping over its lifetime when you factor in the weather and downtime of road movements and break downs. Fact.

 

[4course]

we started wheat on the 7th august and in the 10 days since have averaged just under 10 acres/day just another 25 combining days to go at this rate so what size combine should I look to get. or should I get 2or3 , ffs ho ho

 

[Lexion1000]

No combine is capable of cutting more than 2000ac per year of mixed cropping over its lifetime when you factor in the weather and downtime of road movements and break downs. Fact.

Nonsense. Depends where you are in the country, field size and distances you have to travel between farms. A big combine would be fine for 2500+ on a ring fenced farm with 50 acre fields in Hampshire. You’d be insane to try it in Scotland though.

 

[Brisel]

No combine is capable of cutting more than 2000ac per year of mixed cropping over its lifetime when you factor in the weather and downtime of road movements and break downs. Fact.

Rubbish. As above, a wide spread of crops from winter barley to linseed in big fields, block cropped in a ring fence and with a good drier the biggest combines are capable of much more than that each. Whether having one well worked machine is better for the bottom line is another matter when you're chasing quality crops that need tight timings.

 

[nick...]

You woukd want to do more than 2000 acres if you buy one of the big new claas combines costing 350/400k
Nick...

 

[ED.D]

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[Daniel]

What spec is a Tucano 430 please?

5 Walker, about 250hp, 18-20ft cut. Lovely machine, difficult to see how you could get enough acres through it per year though to justify the price of a new one?!

 

[warksfarmer]

Rubbish. As above, a wide spread of crops from winter barley to linseed in big fields, block cropped in a ring fence and with a good drier the biggest combines are capable of much more than that each. Whether having one well worked machine is better for the bottom line is another matter when you're chasing quality crops that need tight timings.

Nonsense. Depends where you are in the country, field size and distances you have to travel between farms. A big combine would be fine for 2500+ on a ring fenced farm with 50 acre fields in Hampshire. You’d be insane to try it in Scotland though.

Rubbish. As above, a wide spread of crops from winter barley to linseed in big fields, block cropped in a ring fence and with a good drier the biggest combines are capable of much more than that each. Whether having one well worked machine is better for the bottom line is another matter when you're chasing quality crops that need tight timings.

Disagree entirely gents I’m afraid. Already this year I know units with 2500ac left to cut already running 2 x 40ft machines that have bought/hired in other machines to help.

If you’ve got 1500ac if milling wheat that’s going to produce 3.5t/ac with a £15/t premium that’s £78k lost income potentially.

Remember I’m saying ‘every single year’. In a dry year then yes fine, but 2008 wet, 2012 wet, 2014 wet, 2019 wet. That’s 4 wet years out of a combines 11 year life. That example average above could mean £312k out of pockets assuming yields and prices remained static. That’s without flat malting barley premiums or osr knocked out the pods.

 

[Drillman]

Disagree entirely gents I’m afraid. Already this year I know units with 2500ac left to cut already running 2 x 40ft machines that have bought/hired in other machines to help.

If you’ve got 1500ac if milling wheat that’s going to produce 3.5t/ac with a £15/t premium that’s £78k lost income potentially.

Remember I’m saying ‘every single year’. In a dry year then yes fine, but 2008 wet, 2012 wet, 2014 wet, 2019 wet. That’s 4 wet years out of a combines 11 year life. That example average above could mean £312k out of pockets assuming yields and prices remained static. That’s without flat malting barley premiums or osr knocked out the pods.

At least 2 big outfits local to us are cutting a lot more than 2000 acre each with a single big Lexion. Yorkshire wolds as well so later start than a lot. In a year like this I doubt any of it will be cut dry either

 

[D14]

There’s a lot of people assuming combines will cut in the wet. Ours won’t. If you can stop it wrapping on the header you then chuck it all over the back.

 

[Oscar]

This probably is not the right thread, but my contractor now has 3 "old " combines (9/10 seasons old). He bought the third one this year and I am driving it for him on my own crops,my brothers 3 miles away and then onto other contract work after. It's a 570 Claas on tracks with 25 ft header and despite small fields,lots of moves and the weather it will knock off 50 acs in short day and I guess upto 75 acs on a long one. The thing is, they paid £80000 for it ,serviced and checked over. We did have a knife issue (it broke twice)when we started and a vertical knife issue (hydraulic motor seal) but that's cost less than a £1000 to fix.
The point I m making is that upto 3 years ago ,I was involved/ director of a 1600 ac jvfarming business and we contract hired a combine similar size but new and it cost £42k/yr plus £5500 /yr maintenance. We cut same area ie small fields,lots of moves plus we were spread over 20 miles which meant in catchy weather the combine was always in the wrong area !!
It's made me think that rather than having one hi spec new machine , it would be better to have 2/3 older machines. Go like hell when weather is good, more output than the biggest 42 ft super machine. Work together or spread out in different parts gives you more opportunities, no more capital tied up than one big machine and yes, higher risk of breakdowns but you would like to think that even if 2 out of 3 stop ,your still cutting 50-75 acs/ day (or more in better area). Again if one went up in flames, you still can cut with others.
Problems,
No bragging rights that you ve just bought the latest £450000 super machine
Drivers, well the way farming is, there are a lot of guys around like me who have sold our own kit but still farm and are experienced so I m sure experience drivers are not a real problem. It's only 6 weeks yr max.
Gps/ toys ,
Ok granted, old machines will not have all the toys maybe but the one I'm driving has got yield meter and could add gps . At end of the day , is it more important to get your crops in quickly and before losses and deductions or produce pretty maps which probably sit in a draw / PC? Which produces more profit ?
So basically, has the time come with low margins,poor harvest weather to look at the job different. If you ve got 1200 ac plus , would it be better to go 2x or 3x smaller ,cheaper machines versus the latest,biggest brute in order to protect your year long investment of growing crops and get them in the shed ?

 

[holywell farmer]

2012!! Then you will have no problem with capacity in any other year!

Terrible summer decent weather windows were few and far between

 

[quattro]

There’s a lot of people assuming combines will cut in the wet. Ours won’t. If you can stop it wrapping on the header you then chuck it all over the back.

You can cut at 30%+ and not chuck a lot over the back if going steady

 

[Brisel]

You can cut at 30%+ and not chuck a lot over the back if going steady

Plenty of combining done for crimping

 

[Clive]

Said in the past you buy the biggest you can afford

There is no such thing as too much harvest capacity

 

[Clive]

Smaller combine. Bigger drier. I can cut 120ac in a day. ....but in the last ten days I've only had one cutting day as the grain just won't dry. Half decent drying facilities and I'd have cut three times as much with a considerably smaller machine.

Disagree - bigger combine means a bigger dryer and handling systems or you will never get the best out of it

 

[Brisel]

I actually read @Feldspar 's papers on the maths behind combine capacity and the value of time/grain quality/drying required in Scandinavia. The basic conclusion was much the same - undercapacity is a false economy. That doesn't mean I'm going to spend half a million quid on the biggest 8900 Lexion for my patch.

Obviously you need to consider trailer, drying & intake capacity - a drive on drying floor and stirrers are arguably the best as you can shove it in the door as fast as you can push it up then spend time afterwards drying it slowly with modulated LPG burners.