Mike
Guest
In 2000 we demo'd a 9650STS, R72, 465 along side our R62. The 9650 probably had a little more capacity than the 62, but much of that I think is from JD's superior head. The 925F is way better than the 525 we had and better than the 830 flex we have now. In corn I would say they were very close. The Deere seemed to be looking for more power as the tach jumped around more than the 62. I thought the JD is still more complex than the 62. Why all the long chainsIJ Stuff wasn't as open to access, especially the engine area. The 465 and 72 were quite a match. We didn't get the Cat in beans, but in corn it ran right with the 72. The 72 had more capacity than the STS in beans and corn. The big difference was in tough beans, the extra power in the 72 showed. In corn I'd rate them capacity wise as follows(least to most): 62_9650STS 465_72 In Beans 62 9650STS 465(estimate) R72 The gleaners seem to be the simplest to work on follwed by the Deere with the Cat a mile behind. I'm sure you know the price so I won't go there. We got into our 72 for about $5000 less than a 9650STS. The Cat was about $25000 more than the Deere, but with tracks. We do have decent Gleaner sales and service so our choice was easy(plus many of the spare parts we keep around work on our 72). The 9650STS machines in this area have been hit or miss. They are either trouble free or a mechanics nightmare. A few of the later can really sound like a lot. I did like the cab of the Deere, but other than the electronic gadgets I didn't see a big difference. I hate JD's 3 speed throttle.