There's a lot to be said for this kind of approach, but you do need good drivers for them who aren't going to turn their noses up at machines that don't have cab climate control and pub bragging rights. My neighbour @tw15 has harvesting costs far lower than mine but he's happy spending the winter looking over them whereas I just don't have the time and labour resources to do this. Maybe I should look at a pair of smaller older machines and hiring a mechanic to spend 2 months over winter doing this, sampling oils in gearboxes to see what is about to fail and refurbishing what is needed? What I'm currently spending in depreciation goes a long way towards a £10k x 2 winter programme for these.
So which year do you chose for combine capacity?
- Thread starter Pilatus
- Start date
There's a lot to be said for this kind of approach, but you do need good drivers for them who aren't going to turn their noses up at machines that don't have cab climate control and pub bragging rights. My neighbour @tw15 has harvesting costs far lower than mine but he's happy spending the winter looking over them whereas I just don't have the time and labour resources to do this. Maybe I should look at a pair of smaller older machines and hiring a mechanic to spend 2 months over winter doing this, sampling oils in gearboxes to see what is about to fail and refurbishing what is needed? What I'm currently spending in depreciation goes a long way towards a £10k x 2 winter programme for these.
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Probably no more expensive and likely cheaper than a continuous flow with elevators etc. and 100x less lively to break down.
Also future proof too....same can’t be said for grain dryers/cleaners/conveyors built 20 years ago.
This is the limitation on bins, as discussed in another thread.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
A bigger combine is cheaper than drying a lot more grain.
We do 1250 acres (at least 800 wheat) with a 30ft rotary in 130 rotor hours. Never cut wheat above 18%, usually wait until at least below 16%. Buy as ex demo, keep for 10 years plus. Nice low houred machine even at 10 years old. Professional winter service only every second year.
The other way I look at it that every combining hour is 3 or 4 man hours and 2 or 3 tractor hours. If my harvest is 50 hours shorter that is 150 man hours and 100 tractor hours as well. (usually tractors on tickover whilst waiting to keep air con going!!)
As for header size - where does it normally cause problems? - at each end or in the middle. There are 2 ends and a middle to every combine header whatever the size 10ft or 45ft.
We do 1250 acres (at least 800 wheat) with a 30ft rotary in 130 rotor hours. Never cut wheat above 18%, usually wait until at least below 16%. Buy as ex demo, keep for 10 years plus. Nice low houred machine even at 10 years old. Professional winter service only every second year.
The other way I look at it that every combining hour is 3 or 4 man hours and 2 or 3 tractor hours. If my harvest is 50 hours shorter that is 150 man hours and 100 tractor hours as well. (usually tractors on tickover whilst waiting to keep air con going!!)
As for header size - where does it normally cause problems? - at each end or in the middle. There are 2 ends and a middle to every combine header whatever the size 10ft or 45ft.
I would always buy the biggest available machine
If I couldn’t afford a new biggest available machine I would spend whatever budget I had on a used biggest available machine
Capacity is far more important than age imo
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
I think one big problem with these newer and bigger machines is the amount of electronics and sensor equipment. If I think back to what has given us downtime on our machine it overwhelmingly sensor and electrical problems. These are often quite difficult to diagnose and fix too. An older machine with many fewer electrics where it is often much more obvious what has broken I think could reduce downtime and maintenance costs. The other issue is depreciation which is the other big running cost. It seems that the Tucanos we've had in the past really do not depreciate that fast, whereas I do wonder how many people are looking for (and hence what the depreciation rate would be) of a 2016 10.90 combine. Against that, maybe as farm sizes change, the demand in 8 years time for a Tucano will no longer be there as farming changes. Having driven a Tucano and a 10.90 recently, the former really isn't an unpleasant place to be. I have often thought about running 3 x Tucanos rather than one big combine. The problem of needing three header trailers moving and three combine drivers is always the thing that makes it seem a pain.
£10 k , wont even spend that in 2 years on them this year probably spent £3 k to date max
The one we picked up this year was 11k for a 1994 case axialflow with 20 ft header . Were underbidders on a 2388 in june would be nicer cab to sit in and of been more future proofed but hey hoo always another day .
If you put them all together they wouldn't be more than 35k worth of combines
The reduction in drying costs is brilliant and then when dry you can easily cut 100-120 acres a day .
This year doesn't even feel like we have been harvesting but 2/3rds way through been a walk in the park .
Most farms have at least £150 k s worth of combine on farm and at least we don't have to sell several hundred tons of crop just to pay for the things .
It may not be for everyone but with the costs of equipment spiralling out of control I cant see how running new kit adds up . But please everyone don't follow us, keep buying new so we have some more replacement kit available in the future.
- Location
- Lincolnshire.
Yeah I agree new monster combines are stupidly expensive. But in global terms the UK harvest is inherently expensive because of the climate.
- Location
- East yorks
For us at the smaller end the price between a big and small in the second hand market is not much so buy the biggest you can afford. The reduction in stress is worth it without less drying fees etc. My next one will be another step up again
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
A <£50k combine certainly seems to depreciate less than a <£50k combine.
That said, I'd rather have a reliable, high capacity machine than an unreliable or low capacity machine.
- Location
- roe valley
I'm probably the most over mechanised farmer on here, 3 combines, 2 grain driers (newest one arrived today) and only 33 acres of cereals the last 3 years 
. Kit total sub 10k bad year might cost £500 repairs in monetary terms. Breakdowns frustration feel about £50k due to timing
. Kit total sub 10k bad year might cost £500 repairs in monetary terms. Breakdowns frustration feel about £50k due to timing
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Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
I just wish those that bought new took better care of their kit!
Looked at several combines this last year when considering changing - only one of them was in better condition than my own machine, despite all being best part of 10 years newer. Why oh why people don't look after their machines to keep them reliable I have no idea....one dealer even saw the photos of my machine and told me I'd be disappointed if I came to look at the machine he had in stock.
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Just don't go shooting/skiing in winter and service combines instead.
Simon Chiles
DD Moderator
- Location
- Surrey/ Kent Border, UK
I’m not sure the statement about farm size changing and there not being a demand for smaller Tucano size combine is necessarily true. Don’t forget that in other parts of the country with smaller fields, more difficult access and narrower roads are never going to be suitable for a mega combine no matter how much it has depreciated to make it ‘affordable’.
With the three combine scenario you need also to factor into account that in a wet year you won’t need to spend 8 weeks rectifying the damage done by huge axle loads ( even though most mega combines are on tracks they often have very small wheels on the rear axle ) and that if one of the three has a breakdown at least you can harvest at 2/3rds capacity. A bit of careful management should see that you didn’t need to move all the combines at once.
- Location
- Lincolnshire.
There is no such thing as a free combine older machines do need more attention in the winter but I question whether they are any less reliable in season if properly looked after. Ours is maintained exclusively by the main dealer, which I regard as affordable given I don’t possess the skills. We have very few breakdowns during harvest even though the machine is 15 years old. I am told by those who maintain it that really lexion combines are really pretty good upto at least 3000 drum hours. Our machine will have been here for 14 years by the time it gets there. It will have cut 12000ac for us. The previous two owners cut less than 8000 between them. They also took 50% depreciation on new price between them.
This is very sensible advice. The moving about is better with two or three if they are being run in separate places. Purely because there is less need to move in the middle of the day so less down time. The downside of course is the amount of labour and tractors needed to harvest in two separate places.
As an aside my local JD salesman told me it actually possible to spend £500k on a single machine. I asked what one was paying for. According to him it was the electronic systems that enable it to “drive itself”. Who needs that I enquired. “Well nobody “needs” it” came the reply.
This is what the technology is for in combines. Flattening this curve. Dial out the energy sapping tasks like keeping a straight edge and keeping the machine full and you've got an operator capable of working the combine going at full capacity all day. When do you feel the most tired? For me it's early - mid afternoon while digesting lunch and the temperatures are at their hottest (!). When is the best time of day for max output? Midday to early evening when harvesting conditions are the best.
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How do you cost the effect of a delayed harvest on the establishment of following crops? It doesn't matter how much capacity you have if you can only cut at 15% moisture and its hanging around the 16-18% all week resulting in OSR drilling delayed by a fortnight reducing yield by how much? Bushel weight drop of 3% on 1000t of wheat is 30t (I think) at £130/t = £ 3900
What is the depreciation and running costs of £100k of combine expenditure v £100k expenditure to give you some drying ability?
Personally I would prefer to have some drying capacity and run an older and or smaller combine but I suspect there is no right or wrong answer to this.
What is the depreciation and running costs of £100k of combine expenditure v £100k expenditure to give you some drying ability?
Personally I would prefer to have some drying capacity and run an older and or smaller combine but I suspect there is no right or wrong answer to this.
All good points. The extra drying capacity doesn't depreciate as quickly as extra combining capacity if you don't use it in an easy harvest. Arguably, the extra drying capacity is more expensive depending on what option you take. What value do you place on time? Milling vs feed is easier to quantify because it's a straight premium and a probability estimation e.g. 1 year in 4 you fail to make the grade.
Simon Chiles
DD Moderator
- Location
- Surrey/ Kent Border, UK
You’re starting work too early in the morning. Service the combine in the evening when you/your staff are already covered in dust/grime etc then have a lie in. It never ceases to amaze me how many people want to start at 7 in the morning when they can’t actually do anything until 11 or 12 ( this applies to hay making, combining etc. ) You and your staff would then be at peak performance when the crop was at its driest and therefore maximise machine performance, minimise drying and increase operator comfort by not being covered in filth until the end of the day.