Combines sidehill combines

Hillco makes leveler kits for CIH, Deere and Agco that will level over to 27 to 30 per cent. They have a bolt kit for Deere 96xx machines if you like green. Check them out at their web site:http:__hillcoweb.com Another option would be a newer hillside combine. The dealers in the Palouse have plenty of used hillside machines for sale in all three colors. Check with the dealers in Moscow ID, Colfax, Walla Walla, Dayton, Pomeroy Wa and others. Don't know what it would cost to haul one down to you, but I'll bet the seller could fix you up.

Just wondering how you guys get on seeding on hillsides, that must be pretty hairy at times.How do you get on if it is wetIJ

I think the hillsides are why I like farming so much. There is enough variety to the slopes and hallows that it makes the many hours on a crawler interesting. I've been scared many times and my father always forbids me to talk about the work in front of my mother. About the only times that we have problems with wet ground is in the spring on some of the north slopes. I've done some spring tillage where I worked through the remains of some snow drifts. As long as we're working along the slope contour we do OK. If we try to turn uphill we get into real trouble. Going downhill isn't much fun either because the crawler doesn't like to turn. I've done some summer fallow work on some of those same slopes with an International 1066. Not recommended even on dry ground. When we finally stepped up to a Versatile FWD it made the work less scary. We've not tried seeding with the latest air seeders. We only use iron wheel press drills. They seem to hold the ground better. Since the air seeders are similar to our chisel plow I don't think they'd do very well. The chisel plow slides down the slope and the depth is very uneven. I think my drills though are going to be in the same situation as my 95H. They'll be tough to replace with what is currently on the market and I don't have the skills that my father has in working miracles at keeping old equipment maintained and in the field. Thanks for the question.

Do you know anyone that has experience going from a factory machine to an after-market bolt on system like the Hillco unitIJ I'm not sure I trust a bolt on unit. Not the time for a system to fail when I'm on a steep slope. But then again if I wasn't a risk taker I wouldn't be in farming let alone farming on moutain goat country.

There are quite a few CIH machines operating with the new style leveler and have been for several year. I have not heard of one failure. The first Hillco equipped Deere machines were used for the 2000 harvest without and reported failures. M Squared in Spokane Wa also has a few machines out with a leveler that is similar to the Hillco unit. The new design is much simplier and in my opinion safer design. No more swing arms, U-joins and sliding axles. Also, the dual bar tread tires resist side slipping better than the old single with the nobby tread. The tires are always flat on the ground too.

How steep are your hillsIJ We harvest with a 9600 with a Racho 32 conversion kit which levels 47%, and a 9500SH.They both stick on the hill great. We farm on the centeral coast of california. We have ran experimental flatland JD combines for the past 15 years, and have never had a problem with rollovers. We tried to roll an experimental sts for fun, and couldn't. They just slide of the hills. We run our 9500SH on most of the hills, but it does kick some grain out the back end because it only levels 18%.

I don't know the exact angle of the steepest slope but I know that I've pushed the limit of my 95H and that still wasn't enough so I'd guess that I'm close to 45. I've not heard of the Racho 32 kit, do you have any further informationIJ Also I don't have any experience with a rotary, but it was mentioned to me that with the rotary you don't loose as much grain as with a cylinder on the step sidehills. Is that trueIJ The other concern that I have is about power. How do the hydrostatic drives do going up and down steep gradesIJ Can they pull up a hill without pooping out and can they brake going down a hillIJ Thanks!

The 9632 is a 9600 converted to a hillside machine by the R A Hanson Company in Spokane Washington, commonly called RAHCO for short. The hillside combine business in Spokane is now done by M Squared who is associated with RA Hanson but only does combine levelers. I think almost every hillside combine in the Palouse has a hydrostatic transmission and have had for many years so they must work. Call Columbia Tractor in Moscow Idaho or Arrow Machinery in Colfax Washington they are two Deere dealers that sell a lot of hillside combines and they can fill you in on the latest info on the Deere hillside combine business.

Our 9632 combine is a dog in the hills. On most hills that we have to climb, we need to down shift into first gear. The conversion company uses the same 225hp engine that is in the flatland machines. With all the extra hydraulics the engine is running, the machine will bogg down while climbing, and hydraulic oil gets hot. I try not to climb hills because of grain loss. The hydrostatic will hold you going down hill, that's if the transmission does not fall off. The front disk brakes fell apart during the first season, and have not replaced them sense. Even if the disk brakes were still on the machine, there is not enough surface area to stop this machine loaded or unloaded with 7 tons of grain. lost the transmission three times, went for a hell of a ride. Sinse our sidehills are so steep, it puts the drivlines in an awkward bind that moves the transmission,and breaks the grade 8 bolts that hold it to the frame.The machine is so big and heavy that it will not spin the front tires while climbing, like an 6602,or 6622. The combine will hydrostatic out first. However, once you get the combine on the hill and leveled over, it's hard to get it to slide. Even through ditches and down grain, I don't need individual brakes.

I might disagree with the previous discussion. I farm in the Palouse Country and have experienced different conditions. I have spun out way more than I power out. This could be due to heavier straw (3 ton barley, 100 bu wheat) My brakes seem to hold good but if I start sliding off a hill it doesn't matter what the tires are doing. I feel that a 6622 or 6602 would climb a hill way better because they have the engine over the drive tires instead of trying to pull it up the hill.