Combines 760 is it worth having

I've had a few 760's, and it depends on your frame of mind whether it's going to be a dream or a nightmare. If it were me, I'd change the four walker bearings, the bearings in the shoe drive, including the shaker arm, and the bearings on the shaker shaft. If you have time, also look at the front beater and the feederhouse top shaft. If it's been sitting out, the bearing in the unloading auger sump should also be changed. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not that much. So far as value goes, that depends on a few things. Does the motor use any oilIJ Does the header have a big or small wobble boxIJ How far is your nearest MF dealerIJ How good are the bars and concaveIJ Personally, I think it should top out in the $4 or 5k (US) range, less if it will need heaps of work. Keep in mind that the last 760's were made in '80, so it could be a little tough to get parts. On the other hand, they're a good old combine if you just treat them right. Good luck!

I am kinda in between. I bought a new grey cab 760 and put just under 1,000 hours on it. It had great capacity but I got tired of changing bearings constantly on it from day one. The electric screw type variable speed reel was also a joke in my opinion. I also noticed that the auger flighting and the bottom of the feederhouse were getting thin on my 760. I looked at a JD 8820 with the same hours as my 760 and it hardly had any wear. This convinced me to trade. But like I said before, when I wasn't working on it, it was a monster in the field. lot of other farmers around here will tell you the same story. You should be able to get the combine for around $5,000. If you don't mind working on combines every year than I would go for it if you can get it cheap.

when you talk about your frame of mind as far as it being a dream or a nightmare. are you talking about just doing preventative maintenance and taking good care of it, then is it a dream. does the nightmare happen. when you expect to not do anything to the machine unless it breaks, then will they break a lot. with the 760 i've heard that in heavy crops the re thresher can't handle the volume. is this true and if it is what can you do about it. and how many outfits make aftermarket parts for the massey. i am familiar with Shoup. but am wondering if any one makes the elevator housings and the grain tank bottoms where that cross auger moves the grain across to the unloader. can you get that new any where other than agco or can you even get these parts from them any more

You're right on the money so far as frame of mind goes. The 760 is a machine with a lot of capacity, and it requires some maintenance. Once you get a few routines down, it's a machine that's a real pleasure to own. It's amazing that a machine that costs as little as a 760 can get that much done in a day. Some people will tell you that the rethresher causes problems. Personally, I've only had problems in heavy weed areas and in extremely green conditions. Usually these problems can be cured by readjusting the seives and_or concave clearance and cylinder speed. Simply opening the front part of the top seive usually cures rethresher plugging. lowen builds a lot of after-market parts for Massey. I haven't been able to find anyone who makes elevator bottoms. If the piece you need for the grain tank is on the right side just before the auger sump, I think Schmidt Machine builds a patch for that. Twenty minutes of your life and a little welding and you're right back in business. My favorite after-market supplier is Sloan Express (www.sloanex.com). They're easy to deal with and get the parts to you fast. Good luck!

Have a neighbor who farms 3300 acres with a red cab 760 and a 850. He has an employee who works for him full time who worked on Massey combines for a dealership for 30 years before he retired. This guy is an absolute genius on Massey combines and has helped me with a 750 I bought. I guess the point of all this is that the farmer is harvesting 3300 acres of crop for an incredibly small per acre cost. They do a lot of preventive maintance and run pretty trouble free. I showed the mechinac the check list in the tips section and he said it was as good a massey combine check list as he had ever seen, so you might want to look at it also.

So do you still run massey. the biggest thing that keeps me from seriously considering this machine is the dealers. there is five within a hundred miles but as far as i know only 2 of them have been serious massey dealers. maybe we've been spoiled because we had a massey dealer about 5 miles away from home but in the last 2 years the two that were closer to home have closed. i've talked to agco dealers and it seems that agco has been shutting down a whole lot of the smaller dealers of course maybe all of them are. five within a hundred miles might not be bad for some people how far do you gotta go for parts. dad tells me to go ahead and go with dear cause a pretty good dealer right hear in town that is pretty good on everything except for price. well i suppose i've rambled enough later Red

I ran a 750 and a silver 760 in my early days and they got me where I am today.If you go over it before harvest and learn all you can it will do fine. In 20 years of running used 700 combines only one time did I wait for parts. That was when the crankshaft pully came off.I had it the next day.Parts are still easy to find.These combines do a good job in any crop under almost any conditions. I also ran a John Deere 6602 and hardly a day went by that I did't go in the dealer for parts. It took way more money to keep the green combine in the field. When I got to the point that I could buy a new combine I got an 8780xp with Hilco leveling.

I'm like you. The closest MF dealer is 40 miles away, and it's a small one. They do really good work, but I often come home with "I can have it for you day after tomorrow" instead of the part. I switched to another brand last year, but it wasn't the combines that made me switch. It was the travel time and the hit-and-miss on the parts that did it. Don't get me wrong: I still think the 760 is one of the best bargains in harvesting. It was my combine of choice when I started farming, and it will always be one of my favorite pieces of equipment. If you have a dealer you trust, go for it. like any other 25-year-old piece of equipment, this one is going to need a few parts and a little TlC now and then. Any other brand would be the same. Come to think of it, I'm more than 25, and I need a few parts and a little TlC occasionally!

We had the 760 and then the 865 here in europe Both had roughly the same issues as any massey take care of the straw walker shafts and bearings, ( alot more straw and crop in Europe ) roto threshers if you're getting the rotos having to do alot of work remedy by opening up the seives a little and up the fan speed ) take care of the seive shafts and bearings Tip ... when using a puller to remove old bearings I cover the puller and shaft end in a hesion sack..... nothing like shrapnel injuries .. i've had several bearings explode when being pulled..... Wobble boxes need to be looked after. All common sense stuff in terms of preventative maintenance but actally not that expensive

I can assure you, the 760 is not hard to find parts for, and has been a relatively solid combine in our area. Another area to have a close look at is the grain pan - it has a tendency to crack.