Combine Machines

Combine Machines: Operations and Manufacturers

If your farming is not limited to your own livelihood and extends to offer value to the market, then combine machines are one of the vital machinery you have to invest in. A versatile machine makes many major harvesting processes easier. Ever wonder how combines do it?


How do Combines Operate?


Combine machines are often praised for their components that make processes more manageable and convenient, but that’s not everything good about a combine machine. How it functions and operates has a depth of its own. With about 21 parts that include sieves, rotating blades, grain tanks, conveyors, belts, layers, header, reel, cutter bar, etc., combine machines play a great role in reaping, threshing, and winnowing. Harvesting crops like corn, wheat, pulse, sunflower, soybeans are more efficient today because of the use of combine harvesters.


While earlier crops like corn, wheat, sunflower, soybeans, etc., required manual labor, where they used their hands and other gears to cut, thresh and clean the edible parts from the inedible parts, combine machines replacing these manual processes with machine process. This eventually cuts down a significant amount of labor time and effort.


Combine machinery replaced tools like a scythe, sickle, and reaper and settled for essential features in the machine-like header platform, which is present at the front of the machine. This header part collects the cereal crops, which are later pushed towards the cutter bar through the pick-up reel.


The cutter bar cuts down the crops, and the revolving reel gathers them. These cut crops then go through the conveyor to the threshing area, and then they are shaken and broken for the separation of grains and stalks. Both grains and stalks have distinct features, easily meant for different paths. While grains go to the collecting tank through the sieve, the stalks become another addition to the inedible or unwanted parts during the harvesting process. Grains will be loaded onto a truck later, while stalks at the back of the machine will be properly disposed of later, mostly to the harvested ground.


Top Manufacturers of a Combine Machine


Combine machine brands matter more than the name and quality because different brands and manufacturers offer different specifications and weights. Here are some of the top manufacturers of the combine machine.


1. John Deere


John Deere is quite a popular name worldwide and has more than 5 different combine machines and various series of combines that keep getting better. It has a basic T series and 4 model levels of the STS series combine. The brand is the largest farm equipment manufacturer, which never fails to amaze with features and stock availability. John Deere equipment can be found easily in the areas or countries that are known for farming, and dealerships are quite common in many countries.


One of the standard pieces of machinery from John Deere is John Deere S690, which offers speed and maneuverability and is suitable for heavy crops. This machine weighs around 15,636 kg, and a second-hand combine would cost you starting from $12 500 and can go up to $376,690.


2. Claas


CLAAS is another international agricultural/ farm machinery manufacturer native to Germany, with around 11,500 employees worldwide with about 4 billion in annual revenue. CLAAS is known for more than its combine harvesters in the industry, as it also offers other agricultural parts like balers, mowers, tedders, silage trailers, etc., to the market.


One of the notable pieces of machinery from CLAAS is CLAAS Lexion 8900, which is the largest combine harvester to exist; that is better performing in terms of efficiency and grain threshing than most competent ones. This machine weighs 22,400 kg.


While reliable and high-performing, CLAAS is also a pricey brand, with used machinery starting at $55,000.


3. Case International Harvester


Case International Harvester is an international brand that offers 6 models of axial flow combines with different power outputs and grain capacities. This makes it easier for many types or sizes of farms with convenience. Case’s axial flow combines are suitable for family-owned and commercial/ industrial farms.


Case machinery is preferred because of its fewer components on the machine, making repairs more accessible and faster.


One of the most known machinery from Case IH is Case IH 9240, which has a compact design that offers productivity and efficiency with upgraded grain handling. Case IH is one of the top brands in the US, and since they offer axial flow combine features, their average pricing is higher than most. A used Case IH starts at $12,500 and can go up to $399,900.


How are Combine Prices Determined?


Combines prices are determined based on their brands, but not restricted to it only. The prices also depend on the total engine hours. If you combine clocks with 1000 machine hours, it costs you higher than the machine that clocks 3000 machine hours.


Like any other used products, used combines will cost you lower than the brand-new ones. But the machine models will play a great role in determining the differences in prices between the old and the new machine.


Conclusion


Are you looking for combine parts from different manufacturers? Estes Performance Concaves offers some of the best and most innovative combine parts that increase profits for your business with less grain waste.