Ritchie Brothers Saskatoon

[fjlip]

2007 9760, 700 thr hrs, 160000 yesterday. Farm sale, low risk. Perfect shape, like new, owner known as careful operator , therefore worth more.

[Hopperbin]

This is crazy yet the big boys keep selling auction. Now think of their auction fees to deduct from bid yikes.

[blackpowder]

That 9760 is only " worth" what the owner can now get out of it by using it. Age is against it heavily by the "book".

[Ache4Acres]

Lots of life left in some of the slightly older equipment..and for me all these fandangled computers scare the hell out of me. Five years from now those 9230s are going to be beeping and lit up like a Christmas tree in the cab! Going to need to keep Youngs Equip on speed dial and they will just shrug their shoulders and offer to sell you a new machine with double the bells and whistles.

[Hopperbin]

Exactly. If need a Christmas tree buy a Christmas tree. True so many good older combines on the market. Go buy a trouble free well maintained 2388 for 50.000 or less. I would consider casih to be the better combine.

[hobbyfrmr]

I will take a turned up Case IH 1688 and a John Deere 9600 any day. Strong, low maintenance not too many electrical over hydraulic. No Christmas tree action with these machines.
Nowadays they are waaaay too small for most farms.

[Hopperbin]

Hobby I had two. The jd dealer pick told me to sell them to the wrecked. What a drink.

[blackpowder]

There is an end game with older combines.
Combine cost studies for me have shown a big change to cost of repairs over last few years.
Running old machines means you need lots of them. Lots of manpower. And the resources required to fix. A lot.

[tizhot]

Blackpowder The trick with the older combines is maintainence. We run a 97 9600 that gets greenlighted every year. You can usually bank on $10k/year but that combine is in great condition. 2 minor break downs in 8 years. Also run 9760 and the same happens with it. Greenlighted every year. I understand where guys think you need new to perform but sometimes its a bit over the top.

[blackpowder]

No arguments here. I ran 3 older case rotarys which may be more expensive to take to 4000 hrs than the 9600.
Other factors affect your resulting cost per acre as well.
$30/hr operator. $200/hr shop.
Increasing parts cost/unavailability. Timeliness.
Cant argue whats easier to cash flow when there is no flow as in drought.
Just feel the days of running an older design combine forever may be gone for a lot of reasons. Right or wrong.