[caleb2684]

I read on here all the time but have mostly nothing to add so I dont say much, but today I am full of questions. My younger 19 year old brother has been working for a very small customer cutter for the past two seasons and will this one too. He drives the cart. They cut a little more than a 1000 acres of sorghrum and 100 acres of corn. The owner has been a family friend my whole life and I've watched his operation anually. He is one of those owners that is obsessed with preventive maintenance. Last year for example he rebuilt the transmissions on the combine and replaced the drive tires (old ones were 75-80%) just in case. The year before that he completely rebuilt the guts from front to back. All new from JD, bars, beater, concave, feeder chain, walker bearings, walker fingers etc...it had 2700 seperator hours. This year he replaced the radiator and the cab interior just because and order a new spare axle for the grain cart just in case. He only uses OEM JD parts and runs Amsoil synthetic in the engine. I said all that to say this. Its a 1991 or 2 9500 with 3900 engine hours and 3100 seperator hours. It has some wide axle extensions on it so that he runs in the row and not on the beds. He runs a 925 header and its pretty much all been sorgrhum. He said he doesnt run the filler bars because they hold dust and chaff and cause extra wear on the cylinder bearings by making it get out of balance?. Also, he has never washed it and its only been rained on three or four times in its life. He blows it out weekly and then again at the end of the season. He said water in those hundreds of cracks and crevices will rust out the panels real quick in South Texas. Its located in DEEP south texas (San Benito 78586).

What is a machine like this worth? My brother and I will more than likely buy it from him in the coming years and were wondering a good average value.
Can this machine run an 8row corn head without any mods? If so what models or mods necessary?
Overall is this a machine model that is worth investing in?
Any tips on increasing its life and maybe capacity?
Do I sound like a rambling loonatic?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to the replies.
If the pictures work one is of my brother driving me riding, then a back shot and side shot. We took it out of the barn for the first time and got it up to temp to check teh radiator. Harvest starts in 20 days for them sooner for most others in the area.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/112/img1132d.jpg
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3871/img1139g.jpg
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7512/img1137c.jpg

 

[txfarmer]

Sounds to me like you have found a very special "needle" in a stack of needles !! By that I mean it sounds like this guy has taken extraordinary care of his combine. This should make the combine fetch a premium when he goes to sell it. Personally, I dont think that looking at "average prices for 9500's" would be real fair to him, for it is evident that this guy has put way more than average repairs into his machine.

You said: "The year before that he completely rebuilt the guts from front to back. All new from JD, bars, beater, concave, feeder chain, walker bearings, walker fingers etc..."

The quote above is quite a mouth full, or should I say fist full (of dollars !!). If the combine fits your needs, it sounds like you have found a real jewel. Again, it is my opinion that you should take all of his care and preventative, proactive maintenance into account when making an offer. We all know that all of these parts equals peace of mind in the field. If it doesn't equate to peace of mind to you, then go get another 9500, one which you know little to nothing about. If it were me, I would much rather spend $5k more on the combine that I knew was well maintained, rather than get the combine that was $5k less and knew little about--just think about it: if the present owner had not done all this stuff, then you would have to do it..."going in one end of a combine, and coming out the other" is not a small task. I've done it on several combines, and it's usually a costly, time consuming endeavor. You've been spared that event, at least for quite a while !!

Q #1: $38-$41k (again, sounds like this machine is above "average") w/rigid header
Q #2: It should run a 8-row corn head as-is
Q #3: From what you've told us, I think the 9500 is a great machine for you; and is worth investing in. Will your maintainenance be simular to what the previous owner has done? I hope so--that is just about the only way it will continue to stay "above average".
Q #4: (Increasing life/capacity) Keep the preventative maintenance going (for extended life). For capacity, add 2 risers to each walker. When it comes time for cyl. bars and a concave (on down the road), you can look at aftermarket pieces, and maybe get more performance out of the 9500..(?) I do not think you ought to chip the engine, and a beater speed up kit would be counter-productive in milo (in my opinion).
Q #5: No. This is a big, important purchase for you, and you don't want to screw up.

One last time, IF this combine really is the cream puff it sounds to be (i.e.: it's in great shape--it has had things replaced before the part fails; thereby effecting other parts) then don't hesitate to spend a little more than "average". Don't be penny wise and pound foolish, because all those parts he put on the combine has saved you from doing it (for now). When most people buy a used combine, they "pencil-in" a fairly hefty amount for repairs to get it up to par. Sounds like you won't have to do this 'cause the work has already been done for you.

 

[tractor8100]

Q 1: Based on comparable age and houred machines on the market, current prices are in the $35,000 range, plus or minus in the midwest, don't know if you have a premium on prices way down there, but look at your local market and compare it to Tractorhouse or other sources. What the price will be in future years, don't have a clue, but will probably slowly decline unless some other market factors change current trends.

Q 2: It has been cutting corn, so you should be able to hook up to a corn head. Don't know th answer to that, but should not be a big issue.

Q 3: Increasing life: keep fixing and maintaining it like the current owner has. Capacity: no.

Q 4: No, but that is my opinion.

That is a nice looking machine. Those are kickass milo machines. We have been running a maximizer in milo for the last 16 years. It should last a long time. Watch sheetmetal wear.

 

[GleanerKid]

To answer your question about the 8 row corn head... yes, it will handle an 8 row corn head just fine. I'm pretty sure JD made two different 9500's, one with more horse power than the other... I have some relatives that run a 9500, and it is the smaller one and it handles the 8 row just fine.

 

[ccjersey]

BUY IT!

We paid 40,000 for an 89 with 2500 engine hours W/0 heads out of the upper midwest.

Seems to be in good shape and well maintained, but I haven't been inside the cylinder etc yet. Had to chase down a loose connection on the starting circuit today and greased everything. We're going to put our old 216 platform on it tomorrow. Getting ready to cut oats here in Alabama.

This is a replacement combine for a 4420 so it's sort of a shock!

I agree with the guy about washing one! I never saw anyone who would get one clean enough that washing it helped keep it from rusting instead of making it rust. We're in the same climate or maybe more humidity than he is.

 

[caleb2684]

Thanks for the educated words. I am just about to start school at Texas A&M and will have two years to finish up. Im a non traditional student being that Im 25, married, have two successful careers and am paying for my house. I do airconditioning in the daylight and Im the night manager for UPS here in town. My goal is to start custom cutting as soon as I graduate. Ive got the credit and some down cash to get started and the drive to succeed. This guy wants to upgrade to a newer machine in the coming years and is talking about selling my brother and I this machine and running together and increasing the acreage. I then would bring the machine north and continue the harvest in my area to make enough to make all the payments etc. The good thing is it wont be my primary income maker so a payment for a good machine wont kill me. My life dream is to have two or three maybe four combines and custom cut in Texas only. Start way down south and end in the panhandle. I think there are enough acres to be cut that my brother and I could make ends meet and not have to be gone all year like the big guys. I love running old machines that have been well maintained rahter than flaunt new machines and spend several grand a year in payments. Let me know what you think.
Also anybody within a couple hours of College Station that would let me come hang out around harvest on the weekends Id love to just come puppy dog. Id help if youd let me but Im only available on weekends.

Caleb
Texas Aggie Class of 2012. (could have been 06! Oh well)

 

[oklahomajoe]

Hey Caleb2684. Check your P.M.

 

[deerefarm]

A well maintained machine is well worth extra $, not just for piece of mind but for the time and $ saved from not being broke down when you should be combining, this sounds like a VERY well maintained machine.The 9500 is a good machine. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and not anymore of a rambling loonatic than the average farmer.