Combines Thinking of a new combine

Need a little more information. What crops are you runningIJ If corn and beans, what row onfiguration are you using, planter and headIJ And what is the time factor that you are looking at, do you have the capability to take away the grain effectivelyIJ The 9860 will be a substantial increase in capacity from the 9600, so if you are running tight on getting the grain away now, you will be waiting. If you are growing mostly small grains, then the grain handling should not be as big of an issue. Another thought would be to get a 9760, the only difference between that and the 9860 (with the optional high unload rate system on the 9760) is horsepower. The 9860 will be slightly faster in heavy crop conditions and many on here feel that the 9760 is horsepower starved. Regardless, the high unload rate system is a must for those kind of acres. The graintank is much heavier and much better on wear. Also the boronized concaves are a must for those kind of acres regardless of the crop. Concave selection will depend on the crops you are running. As will the choice between chopper and spreader. The CIH 8010 is an awesome machine, and you are right, the cab does look spacious. But the Deere cab is no open platform either. The Case is a good machine. Guess I would look very carefully at both and the servicing dealer. Get both in the field if you have the opportunity. lastly, with those kind acres and the three daughters, be prepared for several marriage proposals for yourself or your daughters! :0)

We do not have any problems with grain movement ,we have a grain elavator. We would like to terminate all of our tenants and farm the remainder of our land ourselves. We have looked at all combines and have winnowed them down to the Deere and the case. We will be running a twelve row head. Two of my daughters will be runnimg carts and one will drive combine. Trucks will come from elavator. We just want the biggest combine made.

Quote "We just want the biggest combine made" Then what you want is the 512hp Claas_Cat 580 lexion, nothing and I mean nothing will stay with this machine in harvesting performance PERIOD!!!!! P.S. I just hope this model is going to Husker Harvest Days this year to "smoke" JD,Case and NH Again!!

If the largest combine made is what you seek, Case and Deere cannot offer such a tall (large) order. The largest (and most productive) combine in production in North America (and the world) is the CAT lexion 480R. Compared to the largest combines offered by Case or Deere, the lexion is very comparable in price with like heads.

Just wondering why in America and nealy 90 percent run green or red (including NH) ones! sounds very strange to me - that they all dont the great lexion!

Not too sure about everyone else....but poor resale value and an absolutely poor dealership network are two reasons why I won't look at the "great" lexion. The machines performance is very impressive(no question about it),but that's about all that impresses me after I look at what they resale for and the complete lack of dealers carrying the CAT lexion product_parts. Heck, I'd look at Gleaner too if there were more good Gleaner dealers around. Until then, CaseIH, NH, and Deere will be the only places I shop when it comes time to buy a combine again.

landsurfer's bias aside, the lexion is the biggest combine made, however the statement as to dealer support is the biggest factor not to own the biggest combine. Only if you have a very strong dealer in a close range would you want a lexion. Not that the machine will go down, just when it does you do not want to drive 150 miles for the parts. Again, this sounds to boil down to dealer strength and support for the 2 machines you have chosen. I have heard many stories on both machines, both good and bad. Things are never going to be perfect, so that dealer will be the breaking point for the decision. I realize that you would like to get all the land back, but one machine of any size will be hard pressed to get all that out in a timely manner. Unless you are prepared to run 24_7 for a long time. By the way, in a rainy year, remember the Deere is about 5,000 lbs lighter. Both machines have plusses. The unload rate on the Case has not been proven to be accurate. Can't say how I know that but take my word. The Case runs at an average of about 2.8 bu_sec, with a peak of 3.1. The Deere averages 3.3, with a peak of 3.8. The Deere system is much gentler on grain, with a slower larger system and reduced horsepower requirement over previous Deere systems. While the Case has a larger cleaning system, the Deere can still keep up in most conditions. The real problem for the Deere is the clean grain elevator cannot keep up with high yield crops. Both machines have excellent header hook up systems, quick to change. Case probably has the better residue handling system. For soys and small grains, the 635 Hydraflex is second to none in ground hugging capability. Cornheads are equal. Both combines have some history with overheating. With the massive engines they are carrying, they need a lot of air. Add to that the requirement for emissions, and the heat they create is amazing. Case has made modifications, but I have not heard how they are working out. Deere has made modifications, and they appear to be better. From what I have read on here, Deere has something coming next year that should greatly improve cooling cpapcity and I think it will be retrofittable to earlier machines. Bottom line is still dealer support in my mind.

Personally, I think this posting is a joke. Check out the sources of the posts.

lexion sales and support is of absolutely no concern in the corn belt and much of the wheat belt. Coverage is covert by resident technicians, whereby machinery hasn't to be taken to an actual facility, the technicians come to you and there are many out there, you just have to ask. All Cat dealers participate in strategically placed parts drop box programs, with accessability only to the Cat dealer customers and these drop boxes are run every 12-24 hours (same day service). If you take notice of current blue book values of lexion combines, they are now holding their value better than the trends of the STS. Auction prices are not realistic values on any brand (less than whole sale typically) and no reputable dealer in their right mind uses auction values to determine used trade values or otherwise! Those who think differently are not versed in the ag equipment retail or jocky business. equipment

Give it time. The lexion has only been in production in North America since 1997. Compare that to the rest, they have all been around for over 30 years. However, looking at the current ag dealer network, it is diminishing. Multi-branch dealerships are consuming the one and two branch locations to grain greater territory. I wouldn't doubt it very much that in the next 3-5 years you see a 30% reduction in the number of Deere dealers throughout North Amercia. As these dealers continue to grow, reducing the number of branch locations and covering greater area, the Cat dealer with its lexion is already at the coverage level desired by many. Most of the major Cat ag dealers are spinning off their ag divions to be more farmer friendly and attracting many qualified sales and support personnel with excllent pay and benefits. As the farming trend in North American continues (less farms, with larger ones remaining to farm relatively the same amout of ground),so doe the trend in equipment and its dealers.