Combines Why doesn t Agco put hypermods on new combines

[tbran]

To wit: n1. The engineers sold the idea of one combine fits all needs to mgmt. - Mgmt has a new face, that is changing. n2. Engineering mentality - if it is not my idea it will not work. - that is also changing but at a slower rate n3. They are petrified to find a kernal of grain on the ground. Thus the idea is to back the material up and beat it to death to get every kernal out and separated. That has changed with the CDF cylinder. n4. Change takes money and development time and energy and testing. This is not good return , short term to stockholders. longer range vision now exists. n5. Much energy has been expended to bring the MF up to snuff , we feel at the expense of the R series, that is my feelings and my opinion. n6. MAny of the things we do are for corn and soybeans, Wheat is what has driven the sales in the past. That is changing. n7. The R85 and MF equiv. has been a consuming project. In flat lands the 85 might be usefull. However in rolling hills the lack of accelerator rolls and the advent of the cdf cylinder plus our 'tweaks' will put the R75 at an equal to the 85 if it had the bigger bin. n8. lack of dealers in the south and mid south. This is where the demand or necessity for the hyper mods are mandatory. The hyperization makes the units perform over the stock machine. Here in our territory in green stem beans (I am talking dry 50 bu soybeans with 60% green leaves and stalks that will yield water when twisted) stock machine will not run. Thus the hyper mods. n9. All this has finally 'sunk in' to the folks at Duluth. Change is slowly on the way. n10 can't post - infringes on letterman's top ten list

 

[PETE]

Very well put tbran. It is refreshing to hear that things are changing at AGCO.... I hope it is not too late. I have worked with chemical engineers in the chemical (olefins)industry for 20+ years and have had my share of frustration with their educated ego's. I have also worked with some really sharp engineers that had common sense. Amazingly we actually got something accomplished for the better! Pete Hinrichsen

 

[NDDan]

Can't answer for AGCO but can say hyper mods have been showing up on factory machines a little at a time. Some quicker than others but none as fast as we all would wish. Doesn't take much at all to hyperize the latest machines and really not much (depends on how much much is) on older machines. Tbran points out that concentration was put on wheat harvesting but I was allways thinking it was on corn and soybeans. I havn't heard of a crop or condition anywhere on this planet that won't benefit to some degree with hyper mods. Making these things work like they can in the toughest crops and conditions makes working the dry conditions a walk in the park. Only some quick adjustments required to switch from harvesting the smallest grass seed to highest yeilding corn. I believe Gleaner or Allis Chalmers had a combine called an All crop one time and think we are finally back to that. Hopefully this coming year Gleaner will catch up with their CDF and get it in the hands of dealers that aren't up to speed with hyper mods. This may be the boost they all needed. I'm sure all us Gleaner fans hope so. Have a great harvest.

 

[R_O_M]

Yep! AC had PTO "All Crop" models 60 and 66 that I know of and others including engine functioned versions. Worked the 66 in about 1955 _ 56. I was still a bit wet behind the ears! 66 inch wide chain slat pick-up on the left hand side. You went around the paddock the opposite way. 60 inch wide thresher with rubber covered, angle iron drum bars. likewise with the concave. Single throw bed shaker at right angles behind the concave delivering the trash out to the RH side. 15 - 18 bushel grain box on the RH side. Very compact and very simple. Cheers!

 

[Tim_nj]

Very versatile machines. A good All-Crop 72 (engineering finally eliminated the canvas on that one) will still get some interest where I live from the specialty seed growers. Old timers used to say that they can even thresh seeds from pumpkinsIJIJIJIJ