Combines combine IJIJIJ

Forget it....your good friend won't be any type of friend in a couple of years. Don't matter who will be to blame, but something will, and always comes up, that you won't agree on. Scenario...both your crops are ready to harvest at the same time.....you come to an agreement who gets their's done to start with,, then when its the other persons turn, it starts to rain for 2 weeks straight. That person loses a grade or two.....it dries up and the guy with more acres is climbing the walls, because maybe you with fewer acres needs the combine for a few days......more bad weather on the weather channel forcasted.....little disagreemnets turn into full blown arguments.......poof.......a long time friendship gone.

Click on this link to get an idea of your future.

you could get by really well with a 2388 and big grain cart but if i was you id go with the 8010 it would be easier probably if your are limited on help and would be able to do more could you get a 36ft draper head with itIJ and what kinda corn headIJ just curious Good luck with either...i think you'll be happy with them

Maybe you all could try doing just custom work for each other for a few years and see how it works out. If it didn't then you could just stop and remain friends. You should also consult a lawyer before merging your operations, I don't think any lawyer will recommend a partnership for many reasons. I know this doesn't answer your combine question, but would give you some more time to see how things go.

Ditto on the partnership. Rarely works and when it goes sour it really is tragic to lose a lifelong friend. As for which machine to get its good that you have time. Do some "googling". Oil will make many decisions for us in the year few years. Its scarcity and cost will change agriculture greatly. Nitrogen could easily hit $1000 a ton and drying a buck a bushel soon. A good used smaller machine that runs on used vegetable oil might be the ticket. I know it sounds negative but its reality. Even CNN will have a documentary on oil next weekend

Well, since few here wants to answer the question you initially asked. I will offer you my opinion. I would say go for the bigger machine. labor is huge and getting by with 1 or 2 fewer people usually outweighs most things. 2 machines might be equivelent or a little better, but typically one more combine driver, and sometimes one more support driver. We have been in this scenario with our neighbors for 6 years. It has worked very well. But then again, we don't want to outdo them nor they outdo us either. Our friendship has actually strengthened through the process. It has been a win-win situation as all of our trucks, carts, and other resources have been combined to help defray the expense of each of us buying extras. Good luck to you and your decisions.

I would have to agree with the first part of Case Farmers assessment. I think you could get by with a 2388 for the first year. But I feel that you should still keep the 1688 at the same time in case you get in a bind. You did not say if the 2388 was already at the partners farm, is itIJ If that is the case, then the best would be to run at least a year this way. No new combine to pay for and a year to try things out and see if the partner ship will work out as a win-win. Would not want to be in a situation of having a major purchase to pay for and things not working well for both parties.

I would have to agree with farmerR! Go with the one big machine and enjoy the less manpower required for harvest. My brother and I originally went with this concept when we split the family farms, and it worked well for us. The only reason we recently went with our own machines was on account of our transition plans for the next generation; - "Cousins" might not work as well together as "brothers"!