Combines lEXION STORY

When I read through the history bookds I always find farmers making the big inventions, like the reaper or the combine or the tractor. Rotor threshing for example was invented back in the 19th century by some German farmers. The bi-rotor was invented in detail by a farmer. As far as I remember, the Baldwin brothers were farmers. Engineers have only refined the ideas and come up with the gadgets and gismos, that still need refining.

You said it Dakota, it takes engineers (hot shots or not) to refine and finish the job - it's always a work in progress, everything is.

Sadly today it seems, that often design engineers have lost touch with reality. They often seem to design something, pass it on to production and forget about it. It takes decades if at all to get them to correct mistakes. Just as an example: JD cleaning fan speed adjust has a couple of washers bouncing on the spindle that over time are destroying the thread on it. It took JD from this invention to the 60 series to correct it. When you get into electronic and software it gets a lot worse, because the designer of software tests his program to see, that it does what he programmed. So he never punches other botton combinations or jumps around in menues. Any program or machinery needs to be tested by competent endusers who are capable of detailed documentations. Then engineers need to address all problems and remedy them. This and many other things are explained in the book "Simultaneous Engineering". But if a combine engineer has never been in the drivers seat, he will have a terrible time just understanding the farmers words. This is another issue where large companies like JD, CNH, Ford, GM and others lack vision and action. Much too often they higher young college graduates with no practical experience and stick them on the drawing board. It would be extremly beneficial if these colleges graduates go on a harvest crew for a full season first and then through a dealer shop for the winter. In the second year they should go on a service truck following the harvest support van. When he has finally learned and understood to see things from the operators and buyers point of view, then he might try the drawing board. In the combine market all manufacturers struggle with the same problems. This is why we do not see major changes. In the autmobile industry the situation is a little different and we have better competition. Here we can see companies who poorly listen to the enduser lose market share and money quickly, like Ford and GM for example.

Unfortunately, faliure has to be designed into a product to ensure corporate longevity. Without faliure means no parts sales, without parts mark-up and sales there would be nothing to support product design and manufacturing. Not one manufacturing company lives off of product sales alone, product support is what pays the bills. Just like in banking, banks don't make money off of loans, they make their money fromt he interest they charge.

yep, problem here is all the good people aren't at the same dealership...Terry Chestnut is best parts, Neil is close behind and closing fast, but they are at the same place...Pat used to be planter-combine wiz but he went to Alcoa...lucky they have replaced him with almost as good, Donnie Kemper is best mechanic in these parts now, but he is with AC, not much help for me. You summed it up pretty well Case Man.

There is plenty of parts sales through wear and tear. We don't have to add to it. Or it will go as with my neighbor who had GM pickups for 20 years and the same thing go wrong on every one. He owns a Toyota now and GM and Ford both are in big trouble. If it wasn't for government intervention the Japanese would have completely taken over the car market in America and Europe just like they did with the motor cycles.

One word sums up why GM and Ford are in trouble: "U-N-I-O-N-S!" and their high demands. Right now at GM, over 12,000 people are paid to do NOTHING! HHMMMMMM sounds like agriculture!