Combines hours on a 7720 or 8820

Wheaty, It depends what type of crop was run thru the machine, did the previous owner(s) take care of the machines, ask why it is being sold. To see if it's worn out you need to chack it out for yourself - belts, bearings, chains, sprockets, bars, concave, auger flightings. I myself bought a 78' model 7700 with 3160 hours on it and it is far from being wornout, it has alot of life left. I'm looking at a 7720 with 4150 hours, it is in good shape too, just needs a few odds and ends. Then bottom line is it's your $$ and you have to make the decision, if you can repair things on your own and avoid the WAY too high shop fees, then a higher hour combine might be your cup of tea. 95man

One thing I do want to add. I'm not sure if your aware of this or not but 95man's insight made me think of it. Stay clear the hell away from a machine with that kind of hours that has cut pinto beans. College buddy of mine used to raise those and you end up running as much dirt through the machine as you do crop. You'll sure be able to tell what kind of shape it is in if you give it a good once over like 95man suggested. Definitely check tin work, bearings, belts, and how new the concaves and cylinder bars are. See if the sieves are bent to hell or someone was intelligent enough to lay a piece of carpet on them before crawling into the back of the machine. Pull open every door you can and check auger flightings. Especially the ones under the concaves and the sieves. With the right care as skeptical of them as I am I do believe that high hour machines will work considering the amount of money you save from a newer machine. Just figure and plan on spending some money on maintenance every year. Whether it be preventitive or right during the middle of harvest. That's all I had to add