Combines How big can they goIJIJIJ

Greg, I feel exactly like you about the bigger combines. I'm a custom harvester, and I haul my 2388s several thousand miles every summer. I've heard truck drivers talk on their CBs after they meet us on a norrow road, which most roads are when you meet a 14' wide combine, say "If they build those combines any begger, they'll have to air lift them to their next job". Not a bad idea, but who could afford it. Sometimes at that next job when the wheat is running good our combines spend just as much time waiting for the grain trucks to return from the grain elevator that was built in the 1940s when the biggest truck hualed 150 bushels. So why a bigger combineIJIJ I know there are areas of the country that the bigger combines might be welcome. I have one job that I would love to have a combine with a 40' header, but for most of them the 2388 with a 30' header is big enough. K.A.

I agree, but since they didn't change the rotor, how are they going to gain much capacity. The 2388 definately needed more HP, bigger grain handling capacity, and more, but there is definately a bottleneck in the rotor that I think combines such as an STS have improved on. Wouldn't the expanding rotor cage be a good idea for an AFX tooIJ

Question,Have you ever had a rotor plug in the grate areaIJ I never have. Cut everything from canola to weedy high moisture milo. Rarely have rotor loss. just wondering looks like an expanding cage means more parts and and more shop time. thanks

every season in rice that is down we will plug the rotor in the grate area at least once. Its not so bad when it is under the concaves because you can lower them and push it through. Oh the times i wish there were some better set up to prevent these blockages, whether more hp or a larger rotor is the answer i don't know. I do tend to agree though that even some custom combiners will find these new combines even too large for what most people need them for.

Yes I think the power rotor reverser would be a wonderful thing. As to combine capacity, when I ran 60's if the crop was good good the bottleneck was truck and elevator capacity. Rice is one crop I have not had to mess with. Good luck to all with fall harvest.

Bigger is nice but it will cost a chunk of change.

Yes. It is a real dog to get out. Actually have seen the cage explode from a plug! STS has some advantage in the separation area that really helps it out.

The primary purpose for Deere's expanded lobe grates in the seperation area is to reduce_eliminate "roping". My uncle has seldom had rotor loss with his 2366, but the straw quality from the Deere seemed a little better than the CaseIH. I'm not sure where this "525 horsepower" rumour has come from; - the AFX Fact Sheet my CaseIH dealer showed me stated that the AFX8010 has 375 horsepower plus a power bulge.