Combines lEXION STORY

[CORNKING]

Hope the guy with the 9860 gets one with the correct size oil hole in the crank journal so it dont go bang.Dealer tells me there are 2 different engine houses that do the cranks and mixed together then installed in blocks. One of them decided to make a larger hole in journal on the crank with out getting it cleared with engineers.(QUAlITY CONTROl) Then engines get out this summer and start breaking cranks and it took a while for Deere to figure out what was going on. Now what really gets tough to narrow it down to which engines because they could have the good crank in them or the bad. They may end up pulling all down just to check it out like 3000 plus engines.I asked about the Deere tractor that I traded in if it would need the new crank and they could not give me answer. They dont know yet just that they would take care of it for the next person that buys it. And this last summer Deere traded 6 red ones in for 6 green ones to try and buy the farmers business. Now there has been 3 of these deeres swaped back in for new red ones. So Deere has got there share of problems also.

 

[dave_morgan]

Yeah, see what you mean. However CaseIHNHFiat might be contributing trade in money too. I am wondering what happened to that all important dealer support-customer loyalty that seems to have disappeared...Is money really that much more important than quality of machines and service or am I looking at this all wrongIJ Every thing costs money, dealer service cost has to have went up too...His cost of keeping mechanics, tools, inventory, insurance, fuel...I hate to see him become a millionaire off of two farmers' business but also realize he has to make money to stay in business to be there when we need him. I also wonder if we are expecting too much from combines these days...I remember 20 years ago it took a year to get the bugs out of a new combine...actually a better machine the second year than it was when new. As to service, think about all the combines a dealer sells in a year...All farmers want to start the same week...How can a dealer have enough full time help to be at all those places at the same timeIJ

 

[Case_Farmer]

I was thinking that as well The guy cornking will be pretty MAD!!!! whenever his new deere blows up before 300 hrs lol hopefully he has better luck i guess

 

[Case_Farmer]

Do remember dealer support varies on where you live i guess we are just really lucky and have a great dealer Which has 1 really really great mechanic and then the others are good too. Its just always handy to have that one guy who has all the parts books by memmory it seems lol

 

[Harvester]

Yes, they all have their problems. But there's a difference between an isolated machine having isolated problems, and the same chronic problems affecting all machines year after year. As I live in ND, I don't have experience with Ziegler, but just across the border into MN, I know a number of people who run a lexion (many new 500 series machines) and they had great seasons, both from the machine and from Ziegler support. They can't believe that Ziegler would permit him to be broken down everyday of corn harvest; something fishy. Meanwhile, I'm told that Ziegler has had 5 8010s they traded in for lexions and the guys couldn't be happier.

 

[Case_Farmer]

well send them down here

 

[CORNKING]

There add says 2 were traded so have the other 3 already beed soldIJ I sure hope them guys like how noisey that cab is. We demoed one for a day and that was enough for me. And as hard as the cat engineers tryed to put out more corn then the 8010 they couldnt do it. 3800bu per hr with a 585 5000+ with the 8010 and there was a lot of people around that watched and drove the machines. After running the 9760 bullet that would be my 2nd choice. The cat was rather disapointing.

 

[Harvester]

Not sure about where they are; was just told it was 5, and I think they are probably so happy to have a combine that runs day in and day out that they probably could care less about a noisy cab. Heard there's an update for that by the way (that infamous word, update). Cat engineers you sayIJ I wouldn't think that Cat would send out engineers since they have nothing to do with the design of the combine's processing system, only engine and track system. That said, that would explain its poor showing that day. A 585R will do in excess of 5000 bu_hr without a problem, but I've found too often that hot-shot engineers who are from the office and come out to the field thinking they know it all are quickly humbled - combines will do that. I'd take an 8010 over an STS as my second choice. The STS is more reliable, but its a dismal performer, and the bullet rotor is just another coy marketing ploy by Deere to get people excited to trade. All they did was taper the nose of the rotor more to reduce congestion in the intake area, theoretically requiring less hp and maybe reducing wear rates in this area that have been excessive in the past. I still have little respect for the STS.

 

[Wind]

Well at least the 9860 has the 12.5, not the 8.1 (which is no longer as replaced by the 9.0) so he should not have the crank problem. As for tracking down the bad cranks, the engine works keeps very good track of which has which crank. But I did not think there were 2 supliers, just one, and they were making only what the engineers told them to make. Yes, they all have problems.

 

[land_Surfer]

I've seen an awful lot of Hot Shot farmers forced to eat huge amounts of crow because they think they know more. If it weren't for those Hot Shots that you refer to you wouldn't be farming with any thing more than a handful of seed and a stick.