Probably like everyone else we are fighting mud. We break a lot of new land every yes'r dozing bush etc and that stuff has no bottom. This year I bought a few sets of 68/50.00 tires for the combines but they sent cutting it. Just curious about tracks or possibly a quad track tractor then swapping the tracks into combines in fall. We've never ran tracks and have always been worried about how they would stand up in stony ground. Some of it has a lot of footballs but in the breaking anything that's gone in a windrow and burnt then exploded throws out a million sharp shards. Tires seem to handle it fine just not sure if it got rattling around in the undercarriage in tracks how they'd stand up. Anyone have experience?
Tracks for combine
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Don't really think they would get in the rollers or bogies area unless you turned real sharp in a heap of stone.
Only experience is rolling over plenty of nasty old boulders and stones, some sharp most not, with the lexion. Heavy machine with heavy cutterbar and full bin, often at 12kmh +. no harm except the usual expected chips and small splits, marks. Nothing to worry about except at trade in time.
Only experience is rolling over plenty of nasty old boulders and stones, some sharp most not, with the lexion. Heavy machine with heavy cutterbar and full bin, often at 12kmh +. no harm except the usual expected chips and small splits, marks. Nothing to worry about except at trade in time.
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That strikes me as one of those events that will only happen once.
Simply way too much work and trouble to make it a regular occurrence.
On a much smaller scale MacDon has a system of switching headers between combine adapter and tractor.
Turns out to be a excellent way to market a second header.
And you can use the combine and swather at the same time much like you could use the quadtrac and combine at the same time.
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Look at ATI - Rubber Tracks for Combines | Four Wheel Drive Tractor Tracks | Combine Tracks | Tractir Tracks , they make the modular tracks for Deere combines.
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31,417 Posts
Ya think?
Yeah, I would think the Deere version would probably attach with Velcro.
It's just hard to justify the cost of tracks for something you use a few hundred hours a year. Last night I watched a colony close by that out tracks on a couple machines, they didn't seem to be having a lot more luck then I am with my floaters. So for 7500 a combine I will keep pulling and skip the 60-70,000 tracks. Different if it was factory ordered like a cat I think but to buy aftermarket not convinced it would be worth it. The other thing with switching off a quad track is maybe it's only one in ten years you'd need them maybe? I'm hoping this isn't the new normal haha. Farmer optimism.
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49 Posts
I have a set of soucy tracks for sale. Ran them for wheat harvest on S680. They will fit just about anything too. Asking $60,000 obo. Feel free call me at 620-786-1220.
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I have to say that did a lot of research on rubber tracks. I am still looking to put 'em on the combine as I just got sick of flat tires. This year we've got a lot of rain and couple of major floods here ( Croatia ) and rubber tracks make more and more sense to me.
So, depending on a usage and terrein, what combine and tractor you have etc, look into a different manufacturers available on our market. Try to see what you expect from the tracks. If want a smooth ride, get ones with a good suspension system ( Tidue makes great ones and you can get the speed multiplier so that not loosing any ground speed ). ATI makes really great ones ( big ones too ) and you can choose from the standard ones and/or HIM ( High Idler Module ). The last one is the one you get as OEM from John Deere on US soil. In EU, JD is equipped with HaRain ones, that are my personal favorites but really hard to get. In US and Canada, Soucy is really popular and they make rubber track systems for almost every application. Soucy has made an interesting research and came with an interesting number at the end of it. Cca. $44.000,00 in savings when using rubber tracks on 1000ha ( i think it was corn ). They said that lesser compaction, less wheel slip, and more corn that was grown in return resulted in such savings/profits.
Rubber track systems are expensive, so of you can switch em between the combine and tractor(s) that defenitly helps to pay 'em off sooner and get more for your money. And it is a lot of money. If not mistaken, JD is asking $96K for rubber track system, PER SIDE !!!!!!!!
Now, if you are looking to buy a quad track tractor like new JD 9RX and have two combines to use those tracks on, have more than 1000 ha of land and a good will to switch those tracks around, than go for it, you won't regret it.
Once i find that investment viable, i shall do so too
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There is so much more to the equation then just spending 60K on a set of Soucy tracks, in some cases it would take 7 tires on each side of a combine to achieve the same floatation.
What is the cost of the damage to the soil? With todays heavy combines what does the compaction do to your yields and or extra tillage costs?
Combine stability, improved traction and floatation and what does it cost in not being able to get to your crop when it is the proper time
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What is the cost of the damage to the soil? With todays heavy combines what does the compaction do to your yields and or extra tillage costs?
Combine stability, improved traction and floatation and what does it cost in not being able to get to your crop when it is the proper time
.
I have grip tracks on a 2wd r76 gleaner. I also have a r72 with r1w 800 tires and rwa. The tracks will go through way more than the rwa combine could even think of. The rwa combine will sit an dig ruts and the tracks just float along. The tracks have paid themselves back in just having the ability to get a crop off when needed. I have grip tracks and I can not say enough good about them. I bought my machine second hand with them on it and when I called grip tracks to ask questions about them the actual owner answered the phone and chatted with me. He knows his stuff! I have had zero issues with my tracks and undercarriages.
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No Don I think they have developed a zipper that works. The velcro get clogged up with thistle down.
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Seriously there is nothing like tracks. You end up doing half the damage to your land and can seed with half the effort in the spring. Lexion tracks are great and so are the big ATI. You can stand on the cat tracks to grease is the only difference I found. You can always sell the tracks. It is always wet somewhere.
I assume John that if you paid 75 and get 60 you figure the 15 was worth it for one harvest and you will let the money sit in your account for the winter and then buy another set if wet otherwise run tires next harvest?
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They where worth every penny!! Love the tracks in our soil type you could run with a 40 head and 3/4 full grain where you would sink walking. The only track left by combine was from rear tires. That was usually only 3 to 4 inches deep. We didn't have to pay 75k for them, that must be list price. We had a very unusual wheat harvest this year and I don't expect to go through one like that again!!! I would like to sell them and not have the money tied up. We are looking to try a lexion next year with tracks and won't need them if we go that way.
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31,417 Posts
Good point!
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We have had 36" on our 9230 from new in 2012. 1000 hrs and a little wear from stubble but no problems. Turn fine on ends when straight cutting with 35' header no problems at all. If swathing with narrower header you can skip a pass when heading back the other way. Never have a combine without tracks again. Very stable when cutting beans on the ground. Never make ruts when wet in our grass seed land. Only thing is a bit rougher on road and they recommend staying under 16 mph on road to hot over heat the roller seals.
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562 Posts
I went from rice and cane tires to tracks. The tires never got me stuck but the fields were a major mess if wet. Glad I had tracks this year but still made ruts in the drains but that was to be expected. Only down side was when mud and water gets inside the belts they would slip. Overall very pleased
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