If you want to run STS combines past 800 hours, you need to be aware that it's up to you to make them last. We had fountain auger tubes wear through at 750 hours. We had a machine shop roll 14 guage steel to fit inside and lined the others before they went. The piece costa about $300. You also need to hardface all augers, intake impelllers, threshing elements, and seperator tines to run past these hours. We ran ours to about 1400 sep. hours- had unbelievable wear. They will certainly do more in an hour than a 9610, but your per hour cost of maintenance on the STS will be higher than the 96's, even if you factor in the extra acres they will cut.