Which combine would be good for me a pt allis chalmers or a sp massey harris combine

[masseyharriskid]

Hey I was wondering what would be better for me a pull behind allis chalmers combine or a massey harris combine. Im looking to do oats and soy beans this year, I am a massey guy so I would rather have the massey combine but im concerned about price getting it from Wisconsin to Michigan.
And I know there probably not as efficient as a newer model but I cant afford those. I am open to other old combines in Michigan near Lansing ish 1,500 or less but im only 16 so im just trying to get something worth the money not great condition just good enough to get buy looking to upgrade next year also if I get a pt type of combine ill be pulling it with a massey 33 of 44sp so nothing special I was just giving reference as I've seen some pretty big pull type combines on YouTube so I can't pull nothing to big. My boss also he said he didn't know how they would fair with soy beans would either be good with soy beans.

 

[rustred]

Hey I was wondering what would be better for me a pull behind allis chalmers combine or a massey harris combine. Im looking to do oats and soy beans this year, I am a massey guy so I would rather have the massey combine but im concerned about price getting it from Wisconsin to Michigan.
And I know there probably not as efficient as a newer model but I cant afford those. I am open to other old combines in Michigan near Lansing ish 1,500 or less but im only 16 so im just trying to get something worth the money not great condition just good enough to get buy looking to upgrade next year also if I get a pt type of combine ill be pulling it with a massey 33 of 44sp so nothing special I was just giving reference as I've seen some pretty big pull type combines on YouTube so I can't pull nothing to big. My boss also he said he didn't know how they would fair with soy beans would either be good with soy beans.

I would not fool around with a pull type combine. Nothing wrong with them Massey self propelled 82 or 92’s. But to find one that has been shedded. Better yet is to look for a 542 or 5542 Cockshutt. Those are excellent combines for a small farmer. I have seen nice shedded ones for sale for less than 2k. Very simple and easy to grease and a cab is a must. I had a 4292 Minnie which is the 5542 Cockshutt. I really liked it. Used it for about 14 years. Still have it here also. Just got a bigger combine. Have a 850 Massey now. A combine sitting outside will have the grain pans all rusted out. To buy them is worth more than the whole combine. You got to check out everything on anything you buy. As nobody can afford to fix them at todays prices. That’s why I say look for a shedded unit.

 

[Tony in SD]

There are more modern (less than 30 years old) combines that are too small for BTO like John Deere & CaseIH. Parts may be easier to get. And as others have said, shedded is very important with very old combines. They may look good on the outside but if the grain pans are rusted out, you will have more work on you hands than you probably want.

 

[560Dennis]

I prefer the combines with scoured cleaner. Really get seed cleaner. I won’t buy a combine without that.
Hydraulic header. To pick up blow down. Header must be redone with sharp ledgers and section ,a must have.
The other thing about the tractor is how slow can it go? In blow down you have to slow down to process grain with extra straw . You will be clutching till the clutch leg falls off. Must have live pto ,a must. You will be the only one to run it so you will have to be in shape. Cuase the wife and kids won’t be there to help after one session in blow down. Labor revolt.
Hoppers are small how many hopper wagons you got ?
The grain must be clean of all greens straw or it will spoil. A must have .
What I can remember ,there's more.
Get that crop in early ,or fight the rag weed growth. If you don’t have enough problems, add it to your list .
The Farmall ihc with good working hydro is the best set up for combining ,( bale ing) .
If you get an AC all- crop you will need to replace cylinders bars ware plates ,that was about 600 last I looked long time ago.

 

[rrlund]

Keep watching Craigs List or other ads for a decent Gleaner. I bought a real nice K2 with two heads down by Athens a few years ago for $1400. I paid the neighbor $400 to go down and haul it home for me up here north of Ionia. I still see them coming up now and then. There was a Massey 300 on an online auction just recently that was talked about on here. It was down by Lansing somewhere. I don't think it brought any more than you're looking to spend.

 

[Duner Wi]

Massey Harris Clipper 50 would look real nice behind your 33 or 44. We used one for over 30 years. There are better combines I think but Clipper 50 worked fine for oats. Owners manual said you could harvest many different crops. Long long list.

 

[redtom]

There was a really nice looking JD45 in Morrice on FB a little while ago. Idk if still on there

 

[NY 986]

OK. You stated your budget and your choices. Around here an AC pull type combine would be far easier to find than a MH regardless if pull type or self propelled. If this is just for play for a couple of afternoons you should be alright. If for production work meaning you have quite a number of acres and little time to spare you might want to rethink your idea. John Deere 3300 SP combine would be the next step up and have decent parts availability.

 

[NY 986]

There was a really nice looking JD45 in Morrice on FB a little while ago. Idk if still on there

Would be a decent choice if one can be found in good condition. I don't know that I like exposed parts such as belts around a 16 year old that presumably has minimal experience around combines. A couple of combine yards both within an easy hour of me have 3300 combines in stock. The 3300 also shared some parts with the 4400 combine. More money than the OP is talking but a 3300 gas with rigid table could be found for 2,500 dollars w/o cab. The Dubuque gas engines were fair if not great.

 

[rustred]

and one thing with a john deere combine ,... they throw out the seed for next year. lol. saves you time that way. after combining there is rows of green growing in the swaths we know that was a john deere combine.

 

[NY 986]

and one thing with a john deere combine ,... they throw out the seed for next year. lol. saves you time that way. after combining there is rows of green growing in the swaths we know that was a john deere combine.

I know that you are joking but the geese love the work that the local BTO does with his late model Case IH.

 

[rustred]

I know that you are joking but the geese love the work that the local BTO does with his late model Case IH.

thats operator error . john deere are know for throw over. never had one or operated one. have heard that all my life. any combine will throw over if not set correctly, plus speed is a factor. this was actually field that the farmers did have john deere combines.

 

[rrlund]

Which model of AC combine are you talking about by the way? If it was a 60 or 66, my answer would be different than if it was a 72 or 90. One issue with pulling a combine with a 33 or 44 would be the lack of live PTO.

 

[NY 986]

thats operator error . john deere are know for throw over. never had one or operated one. have heard that all my life. any combine will throw over if not set correctly, plus speed is a factor. this was actually field that the farmers did have john deere combines.

I've watched the BTO's combines at work. They go very slow and the service truck guy is right there looking over just done passes in the field. Lets just agree that no combine is perfect but my MF 760 combine when I had it did a very good job in terms of minimal field loss.

 

[rustred]

i use a massey 850 now and happy with it.

 

[masseyharriskid]

Which model of AC combine are you talking about by the way? If it was a 60 or 66, my answer would be different than if it was a 72 or 90. One issue with pulling a combine with a 33 or 44 would be the lack of live PTO.

The one's around me are allis chalmers all crop 60 and 66 and my massey harris 44 special has a live PTO and I do have a wd allis chalmers wd as well, but I know massey harris live PTO was kinda notorious for slipping so my grandpa offered his massey 444 with a live PTO and he said it's never slipped on him.

 

[masseyharriskid]

OK. You stated your budget and your choices. Around here an AC pull type combine would be far easier to find than a MH regardless if pull type or self propelled. If this is just for play for a couple of afternoons you should be alright. If for production work meaning you have quite a number of acres and little time to spare you might want to rethink your idea. John Deere 3300 SP combine would be the next step up and have decent parts availability.

I have quite a bit of time I work from 5pm to 9pm milking and I could take some days off school if it was necessary. I Looked at the john deere that you said and it is definitely a better option I went on tractor house and found one for 3,500 I just would need to get small loan from my grandparents I think im gonna look at some auctions first and see if I can find one cheaper.

 

[rrlund]

I'd feel better about the Allis pull type if it was a 72 or 90. The 60 and 66 have canvases.

 

[TerryfromSWIowa]

and one thing with a john deere combine ,... they throw out the seed for next year. lol. saves you time that way. after combining there is rows of green growing in the swaths we know that was a john deere combine.

Only if they don't take the time to adjust concaves and speed when they start combining.

 

[DanielW]

I had always assumed the Allis All-Crops were the benchmark of all PT combines and good units. And I accordingly have three: Two 66's (though one's now parked outside for parts) and one 90.

But after having used and worked on them extensively, and having now been around many other PT's from that era, I'd have to say that the All-Crops weren't really all that spectacular. They were found everywhere, because their low price and ability to thresh all kinds of crops made combining accessible to farmers everywhere. For that reason they certainly deserve some credit in the history books. But that doesn't make them great combines. They were built far lighter and more flimsical than many other combines of the era. And the rubber concave bars were neat in that they'd allow fine threshing of delicate seed crops. But for 95% of combining, the rubber doesn't do anything for you. Just something to wear out faster and cause varying clearances in the cylinder. Almost any All-Crop you find these days will have the rubber worn so much that it won't be usable for fine seed crops, and be no better than regular steel concaves on the more common crops. I had new, high-durometer urethane cast onto my cylinder bars and new fixed bars made for my 90. But I'm not sure why I bothered. I could have stripped the rubber and used steel bars and it would be fine (actually better) for anything I use them for. And if I did want to have rubber/urethane bars, I could have urethane bars cast for a better-built combine.

The IH 82 or Oliver 18 would be my choice for a PT, with Deeres being a close second. Far more robustly-built and no-nonsense. I'd lean toward the IH, as sickle parts are identical to their sickle mowers, which were extremely popular and aftermarket parts are readily available. But you can still get sections & guards that work with the All-Crops as well (if you do some searching, you can find parts you need for any PT combine of the era). You can even convert the bar if you want to: I did that for our 66 before I bought my 90: I had a new bar plasma-cut out of AR450 plate on our plasma table at work, with the spacing and guard mount pattern to match JD sickle mowers (we used JD sickle mowers for all our hay, so it was nice to be consistent).

With all that being said, I'd let condition dictate what I bought more than anything else. Although I'm no longer a fan of the All-Crops, I'd still take an All-Crop in good condition over a different model that was rusted/beat-up. If sticking with the All-Crops, I also suggest the 72 or 90, because it's nice to avoid canvases. The canvases aren't a problem if you maintain/store them correctly and they're in good condition. Just one more irksome aspect. One of the nicest units I've seen run was a Cockshutt 422, which also had canvases. Very, very solidly built, and it was running circles around the restored 66 that was set up in the same field.

Any PT should work fine for beans when set right, But you will need the correct screens/sieves. I made my own for my 90 with some perforated plate (3/8" round holes) I bought form the local steel supply.