You got to get what works for you, not for your neighbour. But if you need a few arguments against Deere, I am happy to emial you my four page report on the performance of STS combines.
This is for Dakota....Do the guys that drove the jd combines know what they were doing and how to take care of themIJ You seem to just bash them left and right. Just because your running lexions now how do you know that the same problems are not going to happen to those machinesIJ
little al, do you want something that worksIJ and is quiet and comfortable with out alot of belts and chainsIJ or do you want to conform to your neighborsIJ
You don't really know how good a product is unless you try it. So we don't know yet how good the lexions are. But after being with Deere for about 15 years, we decided, it can't get any worse. Their best combine was the 8820. From then on it went slowly down hill. If you think we can't take care of our equipment, why don't you come with us on the run for a year and find out for yourself. I have not seen anybody yet whoe does all the hardsurfacing and rebuiling to a used machine before harvest, what we do. When the CAT_Claas people were in our yard two weeks ago they did more for us in a week than Deere has in years. What we have seen on the new machines so far is quite impressing, too. All their augers for example are hardsurfaced from the factory. The lexion vertical unloader flyting is about twice as thick as on a Deere. The feederhouse hinges you can grease. So you don't have to replace them every year like on a Deere. The feed chain runs on slats and the bars are bolted on instead of riveted. So you can change them easily. Do you want to know more. I invite you to see us. Deere has gotton such a market share, they think they don't need to listen to anybody anymore. They put the STS on the market just for the reason to fight CASE. But look what happened to all them green sweep combines. Most of them are sitting on a CASE lot now. I know many cutters who got green swept and have switched back. Why do you thingk that isIJ Our CASE dealer could have traded for at least 12 more, but he was scared having so many STS on his lot. So is our CAT dealer. The guys who traded this winter had to pay a lot more than the year before. Why do you think that isIJ Deere reported the highest quarter loss in history. How comeIJ With the CTS Deere had a superior combine design what was loved by their operators. But they pushed it aside for the STS just to go after CASE. Claas picked up the CTS design enlarged and improved it and has now the combine with the highest capacity in the world. People don't switch colors for no reason. It is too much headache.
Just out of curiousity how many threshing hours did each sts have on themIJ How heavy of crops were going through themIJ Here we run through on avg of 85 to 105 bushel wheat,oats, and barely. Corn is running around 135 to 200 bu and beans around 40 to 45 bu We havent had any major problems yet with the sts. We went from gleaner to case and now deere. The gleaner's and the case were the one's that caused the most problems.
March to your own drummer, little Al! If you have a satisfactory CaseIH dealer and you prefer the CaseIH combine, then go for it. In my area of Ontario, Canada, we have every make imaginable, except for CAT, since they feel that the Ontario market isn't worth pursuing. Although I like my Deere tremendously, my uncle likes his 2366 as well, and he has had reasonably good luck with it.
At the end of the year we had about 1300 separator hours on the STS's. The wheat was anywhere from 20 to 80 bushel, most of it propably 35. The corn wasn't what it should have been. But we had quite a bit 200 bu corn. I have run CASE for another guy one year. I thought they weren't bad. They had 2500 to 3500 hours on and we overhauled them after that. I think they are fairly simple to fix. If you haven't had any problems with your STS, that's good for you. I surley don't wish you any. Where are you locatedIJ
very interesting, i'd like to have that info on sts combines. I relize which ever combine i chose depends alot on service in my area, I'm just trying to do my homework on 1680's performance,reliablity,and cost. this will be major purchase for me so i want it to be the right one.