J.D. 8820 T2 vs I.H. 1680

better by capacity? ease of repair? what are you looking for ?

It depends.
What harvesting conditions specifically are you wanting to compare them in?
Either one can outshine the other depending on the crop and conditions.

I had them both. 8820 is bigger in canola but and runs longer at night. If the 1680 has the cummins and the long sieve it is probably stronger in most cereals when the sun is up

Sorry. I`ll try to clarify the original question. Looking for the combine that ticks the most boxes esp in Durability ( build strength and heaviness of componants ) engineering balance and reliability. Also ease of working on, most versatile in various crops, nicest to operate... Cab, general ergonomics, ease of operation, capacity, grain sample. LYNAS

We had a 7720 T2 at 1500 hrs and a 1680 with the 466 IH and 900 hrs. 1680 cab is quieter and no feeder dust. 7720 was always bigger after sundown. 7720 was way more reliable, but harder to work on, which was rare. I could write a book on the 1680 repairs nightmare. Many weak components. Due to the straw spreaders, the1680 engine compartment was always full of chaff, airfilter plugged often. The 7720 engine is always clean air filter lasted all season. The 1680 was great in barley, 30% bigger no damage, but similar in wheat loss due to unthreshed loss. We used cover plates, new bars, tight concave but no solution found. In canola the 1680 always had shoe loss, so was smaller than the 7720. Both had airfoils. The rotor drive was never positive despite lots of new parts. Stressful to drive at capacity. Traded on 9500, and never looked back.

I had a 1680 that was one of the most reliable machines I ever owned, I really liked that combine. I used to run a 25' header on it. Since that machine I have owned several more and looking back it was a darn nice unit. I like my 2300 series and my 7010 better, just for obvious reasons(cab, hp, more capacity)
I guess some machines run better than others, my buddy had a 9500 and I helped him finish up every year. He ran a 20 foot head, even he would admit the 1680 out cut his, but in my honest opinion dealer support matters more to me than anything, red or green they are both great machines, (if not one would be out of business) So if I were to ever give an opinion as to what color to buy, I'd have to tell them to buy which ever one your gonna get the best service for. Just my 2 cents.......

Well I certainly hope a larger 1680 would out cut a 9500.Make it an 8820 or 9600 with a 30 foot head and you'll have your hands full keeping pace.I've run 1680s,2188s,2388s,8820s,9600s and while they are all good machines,I like the walkers better in wheat,threshes better and cleans better than any rotary.

I would take a 1680 over a 8820 T2 any day of the week. Easier to work on, much better cab, better capacity until things get really tough. Just an overall more rounded machine IMO.

Hi there,
I have a question, which might seem dumb, but where 1680's that all of you ran standard rotor's, or Specialty rotors. In wheat would that make a difference?

Yes Standard rotor threshes wheat better. specialty tends to break up straw and put more MOG on the sieve. Another question is did they have rock traps, those definately cut down on feeding ability especially at night.

Back when the 1680's first came out we had an 8820 TII and the Case IH dealer brought one out because "it will do so much more." So it had a 20 foot head and our 8820 had a 22 foot head (ok two feet does not make any difference) and needless to say, an 8820 will eat a 1680 alive. At least under our conditions.

As far as service goes the 8820's are just about bulletproof, we put alot of hours and alot of acres through ours.

What years were the 1680's built?

One reason for bringing up this topic is that I`m thinking of getting an older combine for the farm here. Our rotation is 40% Hard wheat, 20% Barley, 20% Chickpea and 20% Sorghum ( Milo ) to give you an idea of types of crop the header would be expected to work in. My Budget could maybe be stretched to allow for a 9600 or a 1688. Theres been no clear cut winner in response to the topic question yet.

I dont think you will find a "clear cut winner" both are good machines, one will outdo the other depending on the conditions, I would look at dealer support and parts availability. Yes they both break down.

instead of buying a machine have you thought about a custom harvester. you can stay ahead of your farm work. most cutters have2 or more machines so they get the work done faster. even if you own a machine operating cost will run 2/3 of hire cost. not to mention trucking, cart, labor, etc.....

jbharvest. Thanks for your input. Up until now weve been using custom harvesters, same one for last 5 years. He`s selling out, so I`m taking the opportunity to reassess the situation. We do have a shortage of labour here and custom cutters do work well. I could buy a reasonable combine for about double the cost of my yearly hire fee. If, as you say, my running costs for a bought combine are going to run at about 2/3 of hireage costs then it simply wouldn`t be worth owing a combine. LYNAS.

Lynas, what is your buget? In A$? I have seen some 9600 for 40-50K that I would not touch! Have seen a few cts around here that are for sale for under 100k and look good not to high on the hours. Could you let use know a bit more? Were in NSW are you? gessing northen? and I will give you a un bys apoining over what I see, had a bit to do with both Case (1688, 2388 and 2588) and Jd (cts, 9600 and 9660 sws).

Madsnake

Many variables factor into individual operating costs, you could be much lower than the 2/3 of hire. I run much closer to 1/3 of hire cost...but can't get it done as fast which can cost you big $ also.

Did the Titan II still have seperate levers to control the hydro and header height? Can't remember for sure when John Deere started putting header height in hydro handle.