I am looking at a 7700 JD Combine (low hours) to combine my 50 acres of beans. I am also looking at a 216 head for this machine. I have always had a custom havester do this but most of them don't want to mess around with something this small any more, so that is why i am thinking of doing this myself. Would like to get some feed back on if the combine and head would be a good choice or should i be looking in a different direction.
Give us some more information.
1. How many hours?
2. Price?
3, Your average yield of bushels per acre.
4. General location if you dont' want to be specific for some reason.
agreed with the above poser.... we have 2 7700 jd combines and if you are not looking to pick up mor work over the years then a 7700 combine is definatly too much overkill in my opinion for 50 acres.. a good day and you would be done.
also would like to add a 216 is a little on the small side for that combine.. we run 20's and is a perfect match in beans and wheat. we also have a 6600 combine that doesn't see much action because of the larger combines and a 16' platform is a perfect match for it
Go ahead and buy the 7700 if that's what you want. Why would you want to spend 2 or 3 days cutting beans when you could get it done in 1? I would look for a bigger header, maybe a 220.
Hey I agree totally, if you have a 7700 already located with low hours and are good with the price then go for it. You'll get work done quick.
BUT on the other hand, if you only do 50 acres of beans - I'm thinking its going to take a long time for those beans to pay for a 7700 and grain head with low hours on it.......
This is the perfect combine for you. I dont' know if it is still for sale. We sold it to the guy who has it now. It is most excellent for a machine for you.
Wow, Combiness, sorry for your loss. That was or is the cherriest 55 on earth, probably. It was very low hour (estimate under 1000) and was sheded every night from 1968 until 2006 when we sold it. It did not run or move from 1995 until 2006. We were second owner. Do you know where it went?
There are two 55s on Tractorhouse.com. One in Illinois that sounds decent and the EB which is not 1969 as advertised, a 64-66 and rough. There are a couple of 45s and 95s listed also, but the Illinois 55 would be your best bet if it checks out and you are interested in this model, which would be a good fit for you.
Thanks for the input. I'm in Nebraska and the combine is located 50 miles from my farm. A retired farmer is selling it and is asking $2,800.00. He has receipts showing a little over $8,000.00 spent on the machine in the last five years with the local JD Dealership. But i am still questioning how hard is this combine to set or adjust and after reading some of the comments, maybe it is to big. Were these good machines and were they hard to maintain?
The combines are going to north of Kansas City, a couple of brothers bought them. Sounds like they collect machinery. It's still a darned nice combine. I sold it on account of the age old problem of no shed space. It's too nice to have set outside. I didn't need it anymore since I got the 6600. At first I was going to keep it, but need the funds to upgrade different machinery. As I'm getting more ground. It was one of those hard business decisions. I'm trying to make a go of farming, and to do that, I had to let it go. That 55 sure was fun to run, very trouble free. It also taught me a lot about combines, how they work, maintenance, settings. A perfect machine for a small farmer. I am sad to see it go.
Those are very nice combines, Custom. I do not have a collection, but since I grow various kinds of vegetables on a 1/3 to 2 acre each scale, a small combine would be very nice for seed recovery, since even in bulk, this stuff brings dollars per pound, not bushel.
Some seed just needs to be only collected in a large canvas bag under the CG elevator spout, but just 10-20 lbs makes the combine effort worth it.
Though not mine, I do have access to a local All Crop 72, which is perhaps the most ideal combine for the above purpose, though something like that 55 is just more entertaining and drivable in local event parades and such.
Not hard to set at all, if you have a manual. You'd still have to set a smaller combine, doesn't matter the size. The newer the combine the more user friendly they are to set. Example: 60's model 55 combine, to set the cylinder speed, you have to change sprockets, and shorten/lenghthen chain. On a 70's model 7700, the speed is controlled in the cab by a lever. A 7700 would be handy if you ever decided to expand. A 7700 is overkill for 50 acres, but it's close and the price sounds about right (for one in decent shape). It would be different if there were smaller combines in the same area, but it doesnt make any sense to pass over this one and buy a smaller one that maybe more your size and have to travel 3x more and/or pay more. It would be different if they were sitting side by side and priced the same.
All the last comments are valid. The newer the machine, the more user friendly. It sounds like the 7700 has been cared for. With that size machine, you might even become a custom cutter, picking up jobs in the area after you get yours cut.
Grab the 7700, and go with a header size you can get around your farm with, and in Your shed , as long as it is wider than your track. A 16 would work just fine.
Connor, I sold the Gleaner M back in late January, to a farmer near Stillwater. Yes, she went to a very good home and I got my investment back, which is how I was able to finance my small produce farm in the first place.
Now, back to the topic of little old John Deere combines.
Info on a 7700 Deere combine. Depending on the year, the air conditioner can be tough to maintain. I have a 1974 7700. I finally changed the air con. system to the later models. Now works great. Pretty hot in those cabs with out air. Can you tell us what year 7700 you are looking at? The price sounds pretty good. Depends on condition of course. E-mail me if you need help or questions. jps scheernj@mtcnet.net
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