Road my 95 combine 65 miles?

[Chris Susie]

Thinking of going to go get my 95 combine this weekend. I cant find any way to haul it economically, so what do you guys think of roading it for 65 miles? Some gravel roads but mostly non-busy rural pavement. Got to go from Tuttle, ND to Bismarck, ND. Anything I should check specifically before attempting such a trip? Tires appear OK. With a road gear around 14 mph, do you think it could be done in 6 hours or so? How much gas might it take?

 

[DeltaRed]

Go for it.I once roaded a 55 rb 65 m in January.Just make sure all fluids are up,the tires are in good shape,the drive belts are good.Enjoy the ride.But,you could find a car dolly and tow it backwards 20mph.Done that couple of times.Chain the steering axle to the dolly,unhook the final drives,drive/tow.Steve

 

[DeltaRed]

You should do it in 5-6 hrs.10-15 gallons of gas should be plenty,but go ahead and fill the tank.I would install an electric fuel pump just under the tank to push gas up to the mechanical pump.Those old mechanical pumps can be problematic.

 

[Chris Susie]

Ill check that fuel pump thing out, it maight have one already. I was a little afraid of that. The batteries are weak right now but just want to get it home. have to pull start it but if it dies im dead in the water. Hoping to have a friend follow me with a pickup or be "on call" but dont know for sure so might be on my own. Id do the car dolly thing but I dont own anything with a hitch besides my 60 and it is in Bismarck!

 

[DeltaRed]

The hitch thing is a problem...Combines dont pull hard.Pictured is a '70 ford F-100(1/2ton),2wd,302,4sp.Might want want to put 500 lbs in the back to be sure to have plenty of traction.I never added wt,never had a problem with slippage.But I did tow on mostly flat paved roads.gravel on hills may need some wt for traction...

 

[D beatty]

I would take some extra fuel filters with if it has throw away filters.Its hard to tell whats floating around in tank.

 

[1206SWMO]

I"ve roaded several combines 50-70 miles home with no problems..I live in flat country and took mostly back roads..I had an escort behind me..My 715 IH gas hydro burnt about 20 gallons in 70 miles..It took me nearly 5 hours..

 

[oleclint]

First 95rb that I bought was 75 miles from home. Dealer checked it over , was good to drive it home. Took the 14' header off, headed up the road, mostly on rural blacktops Followed with the header on the truck. It took a big afternoon. A few yrs. latter it was drove about 150 miles a year to a custom job for family member. clint

 

[mb58]

Back in the 60's a lot of folks here in Northeast Louisiana drove their cotton pickers down to the area around Raymondville,Texas because the cotton down there got ready to pick earlier than it did here. About 700 miles. Took about a week. They say that traffic would be backed up for miles (curvy, two-lane highways)and that going through Houston was a real experience.

 

[casecollectorsc]

Be careful pull starting it. Have seen combines have the variable speed input housing broken from jerking from pull starting. If you do pull start make sure you put it in third or fourth gear.

 

[Bradley K]

Watch the machine drive belt, if not adjusted right the belts can heat up. Once in a while engage the machine so it moves the belt a little. Or what I have done with driving two different 95"s 100 miles each is to take the pin out of the linkage behind the pulleys, right under the engine. This gives you room to tie the belts off to the side so there is no way for them to rub on the pulley, maybe not always necessary; but belts are expensive.

Also need to make sure variable speed drive belts are tight, and may need to tighten them along the way. Otherwise should be no problem and a fun little trip, 95"s have a pretty fast road speed, faster than a 105.

 

[BANDITFARMER]

As everyone has said take some time to go over it. Clean and regap the plugs and the points and cap. Extra oil, coolant and fuel filters would be good to have handy with you and tools. Check the belts for sure and check the oil in the final drives and transmission, And it might be worth repacking the rear wheel bearings. If its been sitting awhile I would making sure the brakes work! 9 times out of 10 if the brakes don't want to move or stick look on top of the axel under the feeder house there are 2 cast brackets that the brake shaft pivets on that don't have grease zerks that tends to freeze up. It can be a pain in the butt to free up, But you never know when you will need them. I would put at least 30 gallon in the fuel tank and have extra just in case. Take your time going over it and try to think of all the little things that could wrong on a tip, and you should be all right. Just take your time and above all... Be Safe! Bandit

 

[fixerupper]

An old neighbor of mine drove a 55 from somewhere in Illinois to here in Northwest Iowa in around 1960. He put a tarp over the grain tank and slept there or ducked under it if it rained.

My 105 book recommends checking the traction drive belts every so often when roading it for a long ways. You might want to check the final drive oil level along with the tranny oil. You probably have done that already. If any of the tires look questionable you might not want to road it. They might last a long time in the field but running on a hard surface at speed will bring out the weakness in them. We had a few blow outs while roading combines on the harvest. It happens real fast. One second you're cruising along and the next second you're being pitched half out of the seat and you're headed for the ditch. Jim

 

[retired farmer]

If it was me, I would get a decent battery for it before you start out. I wouldn't want it dying in the middle of the road somewhere. I had my balewagon die right in the middle of the railroad tracks one night with a full load of bales. Luckily that was the only night the train never came thru.