[4x4ord]

Assuming the following:
1. the Lexion 760 will harvest 1500 bu/hr in wheat each
2. combine hoppers are 360 bu
3. 1200 bu/hr/combine in canola
4. fields are dry
5. bins are never more than 1 mile from the field the combines are in
6. tridrive truck can dump on the go and come away with 800 bushels after dumping the second combine.

Would one tridrive truck be able to keep up to the two combines in wheat and canola if it were dumping in a 14" Meridian swing auger? (claimed capacity of 15000 bu/hr)

If not would a 16 inch make the difference?

Is it worth buying a tridrive to find out?
Two tractor units with tridem trailers would have 40 minutes per load which is tons of time but we only have one reliable truck driver. (who loves to run non stop and would find 40 minute per load boring) We currently only own 1 tractor/tridem trailer but could buy a second for about $120,000. How hard is to find a second driver who could be trusted with the task of using a semi to dump the combines and drive through the field ect?
Buying a grain cart and installing a PTO in the 4wd is about $130,000 option that leaves you with a piece of equipment that can only be used a couple weeks out of the year.

I've been wrestling with this and have a hard time coming up with the perfect solution so I am open to your thoughts.

 

[PlatoSask]

I think that you could keep up with one tri drive. Might want to be sure it has the right gears and lots of ponies and it would keep up. Both augers would be fast enough I think, always depends on the yield.

 

[460]

I don't know much about tridrive trucks. For the extra weight of the truck are they similar to most tandems being totally inefficient unless your always loading them way overweight. An 800 bu cart will do on a smaller pto tractor, if you have one. With two combines I like that 800-850 size best. Don't believe all the bs about cart matching truck. The cart should never be chasing combines. Empty them when there close to trucks. Cart has lots of time to unload if he's close. Thought I read that you were using a tandem to haul all before so you use that as overflow if need.
If you do have a tandem than stick a guy in that and don't do anything.
Sounds like you have quite a full bank account or a good lender so decide what you really want, and go for it.

 

[460]

And if he can keep up in a tri drive, why couldn't he keep up with the truck and trailer?

 

[lester]

I can't add much but will say I can dump my semi with 950 bushels of corn in 9.47 minutes in our 14 inch auger. That's from setting the brakes to releasing the brakes and pulling out.

 

[megrizzly]

From the sounds of it, you are currently only using the grain truck for hauling form the combines? 2 things going for you is that you aren't harvesting high yielding crops like oats or corn and you have such a short travel distance. I don't see the need in your operation to upgrade to a 14" or 16" auger as long as you already have a 12" or 13". Gotta remember that those big augers still need a good sized tractor on the front of them.

Put the grain trailer to good use and put it in the field. Then either put a driver in the semi or run one driver and invest in a grain cart. You could easily purchase a 800bu hydraulic grain cart and have lots of capacity in the field. This option would also have advantages in wet conditions. Also, the cart driver could always drive the grain trailer.

 

[joesixpack]

Grain cart!!!!!!!!! Just can't fathom driving tractor/trailers over all those acres chasing combines. A single tractor/tridem only hauling a mile would have no problem at all keeping up.

 

[Johnny the Farmer]

Trucks are best at pulling something heavy down the highway. In a dry fall you could pound the radiator right out of that thing. In a wet fall you might pull it apart. I'm sure you have all seen pictures of trucks with the front axle pulled off. And there are always the plugged radiator issues if nothing worse ever happens. How many times are you willing to let it get a little hot to keep up to the combines? Sounds like your mind is made up, and that is fine, I just think if you rode with a neighbor with a grain cart for a few hours...

 

[SWMan]

Trucks are best at pulling something heavy down the highway. In a dry fall you could pound the radiator right out of that thing. In a wet fall you might pull it apart. I'm sure you have all seen pictures of trucks with the front axle pulled off. And there are always the plugged radiator issues if nothing worse ever happens. How many times are you willing to let it get a little hot to keep up to the combines? Sounds like your mind is made up, and that is fine, I just think if you rode with a neighbor with a grain cart for a few hours...

I second this. You would be surprised how far a 760(or any other large combine) travels down the field while unloading. It would take two very organized combine operators to keep the truck from having to drive all over the place! That is a job for a grain cart.

What are average yields because that plays into things too? If your yields are modest and you are always dry then maybe.

The 14" Meridian auger sounds quite fast, probably a good time saver. Also when I used to haul with a tandem I would seal around the sides of the radiator and cover the front with window screen. That way all the chaff would be stopped by that and all you had to do was shut the engine off and tap it a couple of times....everything would just fall off.

 

[SouthernSK]

What size of head and how long are your fields for the yield of your crop? If things are not sized right the truck will be unloading all over the field. With our 590r and a 40ft head I extended my grain tank by 30-40 bushels so I could go a half a mile and get back without having to dump in high yielding wheat. I did not want trucks chasing the combine all over the field. The unload speed is not super fast on a 760. To unload two machines you will be at least a 1/4 of a mile down the field especially travelling 4+ mph. Personally I would go for a grain cart and use your triaxle. If not I would buy a second triaxle. It has a lot more wheels on the ground than a tridrive and find them easier to unload on the go into than a tandem.

 

[Price]

Not much help with the how many truck/trucks since I'm a one combine and long miles between fields and storage. I do agree with the grain cart only being used a couple weeks a year, were a another truck could be used for hauling grain out of bin or at seeding/planting. But I mainly wanted to comment on the meridian 14in auger since I just purchased during harvest. Someone at meridian CLAIMED 15,000 bu/hr. I don't think they will make 15k... We ran our 1495 meridian at 800 pto Rpms and fill the swing till its full. And got around 10,000 bu/hr. This was in corn and setup to a 42ft 8ring bin ( 35k bu and 44ft tall?). Could get more with full rpm and prolly more yet if you started removing tins in the swing away. We didn't cause auger wasn't limiting factor and worried about shear pins if over loaded. Not to steer you away from meridian they have been very good to work with and auger looks excellent. 8345r doesn't even know the auger is there.... 4850 turning higher hp can barely hear motor work when auger is full. Corn 16-19 moisture. 150hp tractor may run it in dry grain but would work. Also 1495 don't come with extendable axles as advertised... Learned that after delivered.

 

[catpower400]

Buy a good used cart for oh idk 35,000 and and add a pto for around 15,000 or less. Thats 50,000. I guess I live in a different world down here but I can't fathom taking trucks through the field without getting stuck all the time or compacting the snot out of the ground. BTW how in the world are you never more than 1 mile from a bin site and still have enough acres to keep 2 big combines busy??

 

[Haystack]

option that leaves you with a piece of equipment that can only be used a couple weeks out of the year.

The thing about really big augers is they don't auger anything when you're moving bin to bin and they can be a big hold up if you're moving from farm to farm. At times like that one truck could kill the productivity of the truck and two combines unless there is some bored person to move the auger always.

Often one extraordinary piece can make an outfit effective though, so maybe the tri drive would hit the need.

Worst case scenario, you'd have to harvest for a couple of weeks plus a day.
.

 

[alfred123]

Tridrive is a waste of money far more case just to haul 4 more tonnes of payload buy a semi or two I cant imagine your ever going to keep up with one truck we can barely keep up sometimes with a semi and cart and our combines are half the size of your lexions

 

[Don Boles]

if it were dumping in a 14" Meridian swing auger? (claimed capacity of 15000 bu/hr)

Huge difficulty with the red number.

The rest of your premises are fine.

 

[alfred123]

I should also add to answer the driver shortage I run two trucks if needed and a cart the cart driver has a tarped loaded truck ready for me at field edge and I leave him an untarped empty truck to fill while im gone a big auger takes less than 10 min to empty a tridem

 

[bud]

Using 1 truck would benefit from a 14 or 16 auger. Just remember it takes more time to position a big auger in smaller bins.

If you were able to finish your harvest before in a timely manner, you will be just fine with 1 truck and a large auger. So what if your not at maximum efficiency. You will still harvest more bushels/day than with your old combines and using the same labor. It can be a real pain trying to find more help.

If you have dry fields it is not much harder to use a tridem trailer at harvest than a tandem truck. My tandem hardly gets used any more.

If you need the new lexions running at max capacity to get your harvest done then that is a Different answer.

 

[alfred123]

I think for the cost of a lexion a hired man and a cart is cheap. Having half million dollar machines waiting isn't efficient

 

[offroadnt]

If your only a mile from the bin why on earth would you want to add another operation to binning your grain guys?

I would go for the tridem and if flotation and traction are an issue go with floaters on the truck, there isn't a grain cart and tractor that will go near where that truck will go. You can easily do 50km/hr across almost any field in a properly equipped truck, it dumps nicely into any auger (you could setup two conventional augers if your concerned about not having time to move one and still be money ahead). If your current truck driver is good he/she will already have enough sense to know how to keep the radiator and air filter clean.

 

[bkenneth]

If your only one mile away from the bin site just park your tridem at the auger and get a 800-900 bushel grain cart to haul to bins. Then you only need to hire one more person to just run the auger and move it from bin to bin. Anyone can do that so you will not have to worry about them having a Class 1. Make sence?