Combines Hey Deerebines

Going to run, Havn't yet but Going to run a 2388 aside of the 9600. Probably will be more like I will work in the same field as the 2388 and watch it outrun my 9600 *Grin* Only ran one 8820 in my life. Was a turbo series with a 24' foot plat and lord was it a lemon. Pile of junk was always falling apart on me. Of course, it was over 3000 hours and had the heck ran out of it with minimal maintenance. Glad I could walk away from that one after the paycheck. Honestly though, those deeres were fair machines. Can't compare them to todays models with all the new advancments but to be right honest, for the money, those old 20's really can't be beat. If you don't mind the noise of the engine and the offcenter view of the header from the cab. Of course, you'd be used to that since you own a massey. What you wouldn't be used to is the hydro drive and header lift levers on the deere located on the steering column vs. the right control panel like the massey that you can rest your arm on all day long. I did get to where I could rest my elbow on the arm rest on the right side and juggle the hydro and header lift levers where I wanted them one handed. Wasn't to bad for fatigue that way. No comparison though to resting your entire arm and having the hydro handle with everything on it. To this day I do not like those new style paddle handles that have everything on them. lucky me, the 2388 has a paddle handle as well as the hesston swather. As usual, look over all chains and belts, look for bearings that are missing the seal. Pull the metal door under the engine compartment that lets you into the cylinder and look at the bars. Check the concaves. look auger flighting over and look over every fluid you can and smell and look to see anything out of the ordinary. We go over used equipment with a fine tooth comb. we smell a rat, we walk away. Simple as that. There's always more to choose from. You say low hour. Just what do you consider low hourIJ Some say 2000 hours is low. I start to consider another combine after that. Not now on this 9600 as I've heard alot of stories from fellas running them alot longer but after those kinds of hours you either run them till they burn up or put them in the tree row. Your trade in value goes to heck fast after the 2000 mark it seems. Here's a link below. Follow the links from there to get to the machinery page. Ask your question there and see what you can get for answers. More intelligble fellas there about 8820's than me. My former deere was a 6620. like putting David aside of Goliath for the time. JMHO......worth what you paid for it.

Well, there isn't going to be any comparing going on for milo harvest. We are even hard pressed to dig one combine out and are anticipating swathing and baling all of it because of the drought and it turned out so poorly. Cane crop was a joke and beef man is talking about a pill you can give the cattle so if there is high nitrates in the milo we can still feed it......if nothing else increase the blend through the tubgrinder and quit mixing so much straw. That made for a long harvest cutting wheat all day and then baling straw half the night. Anyhows, more than likely the 9600 will cut the milo if we go that route since I already have the milo gaurds to fit. Wheat harvest: Well, a crummy year for us to do true comparing. We spent the entire harvest seperately cutting till the last field and then it was hit and miss dodging the rains. (Only time it rained here all summer and after wheat harvest was over it just quit. Almost 90 days no moisture). Anyhows, the old man pulled into a couple fields that I had let the weeds get away from me in and he pulled right out. I ended up going in there and cutting them myself. I only had to abandon one that the seives were plugged up with a green silage comparing glue on them that I had to quit and wait till it dried out the next day to clean them off. That was a heckuva job but I got a special made tool now made out of 4 wire brushes and a pipe handle that's about 15' long if you ever want to borrow *Grin*. When we did finally get in a patch together towards the end on some pretty good wheat in that field he did pull ahead of me. He wasn't getting away from me like a race between a corvette and a volkswagon bug but there was a steadily increase in speed and distance that you could notice. Near as I see it at this point. The rotor in dry conditions outclasses the conventional. In weeds though I'm not for certain where we stand yet. Biggest reason father would pull out of the field is because he didn't want to gunk up the combine. Then again, to hear him tell it to other people we visited with he would admit that the deere would outperform the case in weeds. (Shrug) I don't know what to think. He never was in the field when I got there. I've heard others say the rotors can't handle the weeds either but in the same breath they tell how they can cut into the night and the toughness and higher humidity doesn't bother the rotor at all whereas I can hear the convetional cylinder grumbling and growling as the evening wears on. last time I went to husker harvest days, 13 years ago, the case rep told me that the rotory was designed especially for rice harvesting and that rice is as green as the grass we were standing on when they harvest it. So, in other words, I'm hearing two seperate stories that would match the results I seen this harvest. I'm still on the fence in this decision. I know one thing though, where that 2388 has that internal chopper that straw comes out like confetti. Just beautiful for no-tilling operations. Just worthless for baling straw. The conventional still has a place there. Guess when it comes right down to it, on this operation we are in need of both machines for thier good points. I never ran that 2388, Matter of fact, I've probably spent 20 minutes total in that cab. To afraid something will break while I'm looking at it and get a royal butt reaming so I save myself the trouble. From what i've seen I think it's a good combine and has it's good points but I'll keep my paid for 9600 and run it till it's nothing but a pile of junk for a shade tree to grow aside of. I would of went an 8820 like you but I wanted that modern cab and the engine to the rear. True, I probably don't think that 9600 is the greatest anymore but I am still happy with it for what it is and won't part with it anytime in the near future. lord, we know either of our deeres beats those "work on a daily basis" masseys! lOl. I don't miss that 860 in the least and I am glad that major pile of fricking junk is off the farm. The 750 left as well this past spring and the only massey left is a 6 row hesston head setup (which I'm still trying to find a bish adapter for that) and a 6 row 30" corn head that pop can't get out of it what he wants. Ask me again next year how it all panned out. Maybe we'll get a decent harvest once to do some comparing. Probably get smoked in the field but lil bro and pop got to consider two things before they give me to much flack. The big semi is mine and so is the grain cart! lOl *grin*. Take good care. Good to visit with you. Deerebines.