Vintage combine thread

[Exfarmer]

Find it difficult to believe you can find an 865 in that condition, the last one was built in 1986?
Good luck as they are fantastistic machinex!

 

[glasshouse]

Find it difficult to believe you can find an 865 in that condition, the last one was built in 1986?
Good luck as they are fantastistic machinex!

They were great climbers with the engine at the front, but fireprone

 

[jf850]

I would have a soft spot for the older Mf's alright. I suppose tis a piccy or 2 ya want of what I drive for punishment .
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Fantastic little combine. The cab is a horrible place of a hot dusty day though but 2 fans from car radiators mounted overhead are a massive help.
This will be here for next year's harvest. Hope to have it home in Nov.
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Thanks for the pictures. Both looking well.

You have the brother piloting in that 1 st lot of pictures.

 

[MF 168]

Find it difficult to believe you can find an 865 in that condition, the last one was built in 1986?
Good luck as they are fantastistic machinex!

That one spent its life about 60km South of Dijon France. I doubt it's ever seen rain.
It's old owner was most concerned we'd look after it and is planning on traveling over to Ireland next August to see it working here. Ones in this condition are getting scarce now.

 

[Exfarmer]

That one spent its life about 60km South of Dijon France. I doubt it's ever seen rain.
It's old owner was most concerned we'd look after it and is planning on traveling over to Ireland next August to see it working here. Ones in this condition are getting scarce now.

You may find getting some bits for the table are getting very short, seem to remember fingers and sections are no longer made for the French built versions. However the power flow design for them was far superior to the first Danish built tables as fitted to the later 865’s . If you have not used one before, if you have to adjust the belts only tension them so they just drive, otherwise you will knock the bearings out! Also rodents love to nibble at those belts.

 

[oakleaf]

That one spent its life about 60km South of Dijon France. I doubt it's ever seen rain.
It's old owner was most concerned we'd look after it and is planning on traveling over to Ireland next August to see it working here. Ones in this condition are getting scarce now.

A sure sign of a well minded machine is when the vendor asks more questions than the purchaser , thus ensuring that his old machine is going to a good home. .

 

[MF-ANDY]

You may find getting some bits for the table are getting very short, seem to remember fingers and sections are no longer made for the French built versions. However the power flow design for them was far superior to the first Danish built tables as fitted to the later 865’s . If you have not used one before, if you have to adjust the belts only tension them so they just drive, otherwise you will knock the bearings out! Also rodents love to nibble at those belts.

The Danish built ones gave us endless problems initially. The belts didn't have alignment rollers so mf came up with the idea of plywood blocks either side to keep them central and we had to make some of the hexagon roller drive shafts out of ground down chisels as mf couldn't supply them at the time. Iirc there wasn't any automatic table height control on them either

 

[REStracTORATION]

Got this old girl out of the shed
Its moving nearer to the workshop

 

[Exfarmer]

The Danish built ones gave us endless problems initially. The belts didn't have alignment rollers so mf came up with the idea of plywood blocks either side to keep them central and we had to make some of the hexagon roller drive shafts out of ground down chisels as mf couldn't supply them at the time. Iirc there wasn't any automatic table height control on them either

Having little knowledge of the situation i could not believe my luck to be offered a very low hour one year old machine. I knew an old friend who was running 3 865’s was full of praise for them.
Sadly I soon discovered the Danish header was a complete let down with endless problems in my first year. It did become apparent the local dealers knowledge of power flows was woeful, but by a sheer chance of luck they later employed an ex Rogers of Barford employee whose girlfriend had moved to Norwich and he had followed.
He quickly diagnosed the number one problem was the belts were running too tight.
The plywood blocks were a phenomenal cost and lasted no time and we bought a sheet of the special ply to make our own. A local wngineer was able to knock up a batch of the hexagon shafts too
There were numerous other problems and I would gladly have swapped the table for an older French built one, if it had been available, but there were big issues with changing the hydraulic systems round to cope.
It was a shame as they were a great combine when running well, one day we came very close to 40 TPH. in wheat but it did not like barley so much

 

[Flat 10]

@MF-ANDY did you ever go the farmer contractor down past my parents? He ran at least 5 MF combines, one was one of those 865 type ones with the silver cab and the others all had yellow wheels? 525s? I remember they bought an old cabless senator one year to help and reckoned it was the best combine they had ever had. The company sold up in 1988 I think.

 

[MF-ANDY]

yes but i can't remember their name now.

 

[Flat 10]

yes but i can't remember their name now.

Weir. I think they had a 2680 tractor too.

 

[MF-ANDY]

That's it George Weir