[mat]

just back form an auction and there was a 2004 9660sts with about 1000 sep 1500 eng hours and it sold for only 75,000
the only thing wrong that i could see was that it was a custom combiners machine, and somebody told me to never buy a custom combiners machine. any truth to this, what do you guys think ?

 

[benny]

75,000 is about half price for this machine around here. Even if it was neglected a little you would have a lot of room for repairs at that price.

 

[davedan]

As often as electronics fail on the newer machines like cornerpost modules and such the hour meter may have been wrong. Its up to the installer of new components to enter the correct hours on some models to retain its original records.

 

[ebertfarms]

i was always told custom machines are a big no-no as well, with the makeshift repairs they have to do sometimes in certain situations i could see why as well.

most of them trade em off every year, so they can pretty much beat the livin heck out of them and not worry about problems because of it next year.

We're lookin at 9660STS since we paid the 9600 off last month, and we're lookin at about $115,000 for a 1100-1200 sep hr machine. Engine hours dont matter to us that much since there's not really any harm with it if nothing is turning....our (96-97) 9600 has 1700 sep hours and 2700engine hours and its hardly complained, lol.

 

[9500my89]

I think most CH look after their equipment quite well;after all they make their living from their machines.One thing about CH machines they are out on the road and out in the weather;they wonn"t be tucked in the shed every nite like a farm owned combine and they won't have had the same operator either ;but at that price sure makes for a cheap combine.

 

[placeholder]

All I'm going to say as far as looking at it as a CH combine, is if you are questioning if it's been through heck and back, take a look at the rest of their equipment, pickups semis trailers tractors etc. it should give you a pretty good idea of how well taken care of equipment really is.

 

[jl12122000]

As far as I'm concern there is no truth to the custom machine being a no no. I think because the machine is there living they take better care of them because it has to run around the clock with out break downs. It gets preventative maintenance done on it. What I've found though its that a machine around the 1500 to 1800 sep. hours mark is when it cost's a little more maintain so typically thats when we traded them in. I guess each out fit is different though. I had the theory if you take care of your equipment it will take care of you.

 

[jd9600guru]

Custom Harvester machine or not may not have been the issue on selling price - how was it equipped? If it was a 2wd levelland machine with a spreader and minimal rubber underneath it, I could see a 75k rig. Also, where was this sale at, BFE? Location is a big factor, mat did you look the machine over? For all we know it may have a pipe stuck in the rotor cage or a gaping hope in the rotor.

Care is usually not a problem on harvest run rigs, wear is.

jd

 

[combiness]

There are many pros and cons on buying former CH combines. Guru hit the nail on the head when he mentioned wear. That's going to happen, regardless of how well the machines were maintained. However, I've seen a lot of rather sorry-lookng farmer-owned ones, too. It seems that as many farmers just DON'T take as much time to maintain their combine or for some reasn, do not feel that the once a year machine is worth it. I know of one farmer who had a rather nice shed, plenty of room for his then young John Deere 9600 AND his semi, but instead, preferred to store not only his semi and at least one big tractor in the shed, but the poor 9600 had to just sit outside all winter. NOT GOOD!

Yes, I even talked to him [in a very nice way] about it, reasoning that the tractors are more durable to weathering than the thinner skinned combine, but he was just seen a lot more in one of them, so the arrangement stayed.

 

[mat]

i did look the machine over and it was good, it also has good rubber(duels), straw chopper and contour master, however i did not mention that there was another 9660sts not a custom unit, had a few less hours for only 105,000 so maybe just good prices at this auction.