[Run]

Established run in TX (2 stops), W OK (2), W KS (2), E CO (2) and SE WY (1). Fall work in KS, OK, TX, and CO starting August 15. Most stops are single customer ranging from 1300-4000 acres, 90% ten mile haul or less. Customers range from 2 to 25 years. Average stop is about 2200, we have been doing this with 2 machines and a tractor/cart. Draper and stripper heads a must.

Year one will be a trial year, we will run 1 machine a piece, older IH combines.

We have billed 19200 acres with 2 machines for 2014.

PM for inquiry and interview, we will be VERY selective about who we turn this over to, it is a great opportunity to work for some great people.

My folks are wanting to retire and my farming operation is growing.

 

[Run]

SOLD! Thank you!

 

[phantom970]

Impressive figures for two machines.

 

[madsnake]

Impressive figures for two machines.

All with older IH machines maybe you need a few 1480s?

 

[Don Boles]

Well done!

A very honourable way to sell a going concern that is based on keeping people happy, good job Run.

 

[newbie]

Think it is a legit deal? Very impressive if it is. Someone will have a good run.

 

[Badridge]

Impressive figures for two machines.

Do you believe in the easter bunny to?

 

[phantom970]

Do you believe in the easter bunny to?

Yeh, why's that?

 

[beh]

I have watched this with some interest.

A couple comments:

1. The largest mistake many (small) cutters have made the last year is NOT GOING.

Our run was primarily focused towards NM. We have picked up really, really good jobs at Altus and in the Concho Valley because cutters have not showed up. I don't know if I will go back to NM again given the chance.

2. Stripper heads make money. We cut a couple 3000 acre jobs with 2 2388s. The netter the wheat is, the more benefit there is. When you cut 40 bushel wheat at 25 acres am hour, the acres add up fast.

I wish my acre numbers looked that good but I can see it as attainable. There is always work out there.

My question is, what did he get for his acres? How, in a falling equiemt market did they establish equipment values? How does the transition actually happen? How can acres be ascertained? Lots more questions than is this believable....

 

[farminflyboy]

As a family owned custom harvest crew of two machines for 32 years, this claim boarders on ridiculous at worst and outrageous at best. I mean no ill towards the poster, but seeing as the vast majority of TX, OK, and KS this year were a complete bust for drought it would be virtually crazy to claim that many acres harvested this year...most crews didn't even go to those states. And crews with the largest machines with fleets of grain carts and semis could never constantly cover that many acres in a harvest run per machine.

We do 3-4000 acres with 2 2388s without leaving Kansas, and with out much fall work, so why isn't the acre count feasible? We honestly could handle more. Year before last we covered a 750 acre job in less then 48hrs time start to finish, and that is rough ground. Stripper heads and drawers would have helped. That was with our 2 23s and a 1480 no cart.

 

[beh]

I will say it again, if you didn't go, it was a mistake. We had our best south end ever this year. And if we have a wheat year next year we will be looking to give work away. We had to give some away this year.

Stripper heads are not a niche, we are down to strait cutting 2 jobs, there will be more stripper heads where we worked last spring. It may not last but I drive the high plains and I see more stripped than cut.

As far as work, it really isn't that hard to find, get in a pickup and start knocking. Laugh a lot. It doesn't have to be hard.

 

[beh]

I certainly don't cover the acres that the OP does, but the key is finding the right guys and training loyalty. At our job at Altus we will do 3500 next year, he wants 2 combines, 2 stripper heads and a cart. I asked him if we needed to rent a 3rd machine if the wheat was good and he told me he thought the way we worked 2 machines would be good enough.

I won't say I am without work at times but we usually come up with something.

 

[americanmade_033]

Farmerjones, sometimes I agree with you, most times I think you do to many recreational narcotics and pretend to know more than you ever imaginged. I am with Brad on this one tho... Acres don't add up on this post. We ran two big machines (7230 Cases) at their max capacity (2 good owner operators pushing every acre-bushel/hour)for the year. We went and talked to our customers, looked at crops, and were concerned that acres would be thin. Also had the discusion of only taking 1 machine to tx, because anyone who would take 4 machines to a quarter deserves to be out of business on principle alone. Yes our run was much better south of I70 than we could have ever imagined based on what we saw on a crop tour 4-6 weeks before harvest. As far as stripper heads being a niche... come to NW KS and SE CO and try to get a job without one... We cut 4000 with 2 machines and never put a drapper head on. Niche my butt... they are catching on in a lot of places I never imagined, and have got me a lot of work because I had two of them. I realize FJ that you know it all but if you would just keep your comments to your self, the rest of us wouldnt realize just how smart you are!!!BTW, JF, how is your new Case running compared to your new John Deere, just curious?

 

[madsnake]

Farmerjones, sometimes I agree with you, most times I think you do to many recreational narcotics and pretend to know more than you ever imaginged.

I realize FJ that you know it all but if you would just keep your comments to your self, the rest of us wouldnt realize just how smart you are!!!BTW, JF, how is your new Case running compared to your new John Deere, just curious?

Maybe this is why FJ struggles for work at times?

 

[beh]

You live in a hole of you think blue headers are a niche. Of the major wheat producing areas in the US you only failed to mention 2 states, the Dakotas. They are not the answer everywhere but many, many places they are making tracks.

Big crews:
Wilson
Beckley
Struck
Kuhn
Friesen
Franke

 

[redline73]

In my area stripper cut wheat went from maybe 20% to probably 80% in the last 5 years. Its growing in leaps and bounds and depending on your variety its the only way to prepare for no-til corn. Granted some tall wheat when stripped becomes a disaster the next spring since it goes down like a mat in some cases and the ground wont dry out while keeping the ground cool.

 

[cptusa]

Okay, so... strippers end up wet and cold, I was thinking last time I was around strippers they were hot and wet, but I had been drinking.

 

[farminflyboy]

Okay, so... strippers end up wet and cold, I was thinking last time I was around strippers they were hot and wet, but I had been drinking.

That's just the lighting, and cotton candy scented spray.

 

[redline73]

No doubt they have their place in some areas and are gaining popularity. I've also seen areas that were heavy into stripper headers only to move away from them almost completely due to wet, cold seedbeds.

These issues can be fixed by switching to a semi dwarf. I have yet to have it fall over when using shorter varieties. The others that refuse to change varieties and love all that tall straw are the only ones who experience problems on any kind of consistent basis. There is little difference between the ability of stubble thats up to your knees and tall straw thats up to your waist to catch snow during the winter months. Ya want to run a stripper header to prepare for no til corn, choose the right variety and take it easy on the N it all works out in the end.