MACHINERY AND TRACTOR Combine harvesters continue to increase in capacity and sheer bulk, but for smaller or mixed farms, there are still plenty of options, extending to used or hired machines. Jane Carley reports.
Cutting through combine options I nvesting in machinery takes serious consideration, not least when they have such a pivotal role to play as a combine. While redundant for much of the year, come harvest the threshing machine needs to be firing on all cylinders, leaving farms of all sizes with multiple options with how the crop is bought in, be it with an owned, hired or contractor’s machine. Smaller new combines now make up a tiny percentage of UK sales – just 6-8 per cent, suggests New Holland’s Robert Mills. “Many small farms find it more convenient to use a contractor or buy a used combine,” he says. However, he adds that used
choice is not necessarily restricted to older, high hour machines. “Some buyers will only keep a combine for one or two seasons, or an ex-demo combine can be a good buy. Younger machines can also come with the balance of a service contract and warranty, and on a CX7 or CX8 it is possible to upgrade the warranty with a service plan for up to five years.”
Acreages However, an older combine can serve smaller acreages well, says Adam Hayward, Claas combine specialist. “There are Dominators still going strong with customers who bought them when they felt the
Many small farms find it more convenient to use a contractor or buy a used combine ROBERT MILLS
Lexions were too big or had too much technology. But gradually the small straw walker Lexions replaced the Dominators, with the
availability of options such as auto-steer proving more appealing,” he says.
Option Nigel Worthington, sales director at John Deere dealer Rea Valley Tractors’ Shrewsbury depot, says the used combine is the cheapest option on paper, with hiring coming in at about £60/hectare and a contractor at £84/ha or more. “But remember that the contractor
BUYING USED With fewer new small combines being sold, good examples of machines such as MF’s Activa are highly sought after.
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MR Hayward says one drawback of a higher capacity used machine is it will generally have been owned by a large farm or contractor and been worked hard. “A used Lexion will have had a large tonnage put through it, so you may need to spend money on parts such as bearings and other wearing components. However, once the work is done, it could still be a good buy as a smaller farm will put fewer hours on it.” He suggests it is worth a good look at the service record, as larger businesses will generally have covered their investment with a full service maintenance package such as Claas’ Maxicare. “It is possible to cover all the preventative maintenance for up to five years, so this would be a benefit, although it will obviously put a premium on the price of the combine.” Finance is also freely available on older combines, along with a one-year warranty if bought from a Claas dealership.
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24/11/2020 13:52
