transporting pull type combine?

[Mountain_anderson]

Hi all
Found an all crop combine that supposedly worked but needs a few things. A fair price but my first question before I even consider handing over the money is how would I transport something like this? It is about an hour away if i take highways, 10 mins more if backroads. Is my best bet just towing it away very early in the morning with my pickup so lessen the risk of people being on the road? Any ideas from people who speak from experience would be much appreciated

Doing research also got my brain wondering on a side question, why where there still pull type combines until the late 80s? Corn pickers seemed to be phased out a little bit before that period but they where still unique as a different sort of harvester to harvest a whole cob for livestock it seemed, why did the pull type remain for so long? They seemed not as efficient and just more of a pain and hassle compared to SP combines of the day, is it just because they where cheaper to purchase back then? I guess that theory holds true because here I am purchasing a 80 year old pull type.

 

[tom upton]

I think I might qualify as a experienced pull type combine hauler as I have been bonkers enough to haul 4 different pull types from 25 to 75 miles. Two were model 18 Olivers, then a JD 30, and just last week a Cockshutt 18 ( really an Oliver) The problem with trying to load on a trailer is wheel base is too wide for trailer. Just make sure you have good tires on it grease the wheel bearings up or at least give em a spin to see if they roll nice!!
Oh yea and obviosly narrow the head into transport position. Stick a slow moving sign on the back and watch you dont clip a mailbox and you will be home with it in no time. There will likely be the odd citioit that curses you for holding them up for a minute or two but dont drive too fast and whatever you do dont pull over too far to let them by. ( They need to slow down and enjoy the scenery more anyway!)
I thought I was crazy but the young lad that bought the JD off of me towed it around 200 miles home!
For me the pull type combine means you dont have another engine to maintain, but I rarely have more than 15 or 20 acres to do.

 

[560Dennis]

Towed a AC 72 behind my f150 . Not as far as you are.
I made an off set hitch so , it reduces the mailbox fatalities. Some combines hav an adjustment hitch . Unfortunately the AC all crops don’t.
good luck

 

[Scott 730]

Some years ago I bought 2 AC 72's from a farm about 15 miles from home. I pulled the first one home and vowed to never pull one on the road again. With the left hand cut (who ever came up with that idea???), and the non adjustable hitch it was the most miserable experience I have ever had towing a piece of equipment. You have to dodge mailboxes with the truck, and the header is still over the centerline, with zero visibility behind you. I paid a rollback tow truck to haul the second one home. My 80 and 82 IH's are a dream to tow compared to an All Crop. YMMV.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Manufacturers continued to produce pull type combines well past the point of obsolescence because they were pandering to the "I don't like change" crowd. These farmers grew up with pull type combines. They ran pull type combines all their lives. They don't want a self-propelled machine. The reasons are often contrived and/or irrational, but they're reasons nonetheless.

 

[rrlund]

This is one of those times when you just do, don't think. I had a channel iron bumper on a pickup back in the day and had an offset hitch that would bolt to either end of if. We used to buy a lot of stuff in Archbold Ohio, 150 miles away. We had to take I 94 around Jackson Michigan for a ways. Just act like you own the road. I can't even remember all the stuff I hauled home from there, but one was a John Deere 30 combine. They were left hand cut too. Balers, corn pickers, choppers, we'd just hook on and head home. The only time we ever had to leave anything, Dad started home with a one row Woods Brothers picker. That one was left hand. Trouble was, it didn't have wheel bearings, just brass bushings. He figured if he greased to every ten miles or so, it'd work, but he had to leave it in somebody's yard and go back after it with a flat bed truck. He made it about 40 miles towing it.

 

[DeltaRed]

Tow it at daybreak on a Sunday morning.

 

[Scott 730]

Manufacturers continued to produce pull type combines well past the point of obsolescence because they were pandering to the "I don't like change" crowd. These farmers grew up with pull type combines. They ran pull type combines all their lives. They don't want a self-propelled machine. The reasons are often contrived and/or irrational, but they're reasons nonetheless.

I wouldn't call not wanting another engine to maintain "contrived and/or irrational".

 

[Brendon-KS]

Hi all
Found an all crop combine that supposedly worked but needs a few things. A fair price but my first question before I even consider handing over the money is how would I transport something like this? It is about an hour away if i take highways, 10 mins more if backroads. Is my best bet just towing it away very early in the morning with my pickup so lessen the risk of people being on the road? Any ideas from people who speak from experience would be much appreciated

Doing research also got my brain wondering on a side question, why where there still pull type combines until the late 80s? Corn pickers seemed to be phased out a little bit before that period but they where still unique as a different sort of harvester to harvest a whole cob for livestock it seemed, why did the pull type remain for so long? They seemed not as efficient and just more of a pain and hassle compared to SP combines of the day, is it just because they where cheaper to purchase back then? I guess that theory holds true because here I am purchasing a 80 year old pull type.

The big pull-type combines that were available into the 1990s were common in areas where grain was typically all windrowed such as the northern US plains states and western Canadian provinces. When picking up windrows there is no crop to run down when opening the field like with direct-cut pull-types so the advantage of an SP combine was greatly reduced. Made much more financial sense to get more use out of your large tractor than to pay for another engine, cab, and drive system. When crop developments made direct cutting more practical and the needed combine capacity increased it shifted the appeal to SP's.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

I wouldn't call not wanting another engine to maintain "contrived and/or irrational".

Also, the engine is a lot easier to work on when it's in the nose of a tractor vs buried in the bowels of the machine or up & out of reach where you have to call in a sky hook to get it down.

Mike

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

The big pull-type combines that were available into the 1990s were common in areas where grain was typically all windrowed such as the northern US plains states and western Canadian provinces. When picking up windrows there is no crop to run down when opening the field like with direct-cut pull-types so the advantage of an SP combine was greatly reduced. Made much more financial sense to get more use out of your large tractor than to pay for another engine, cab, and drive system. When crop developments made direct cutting more practical and the needed combine capacity increased it shifted the appeal to SP's.

Are there any of the newer pull types left working in your area of KS?

Mike

 

[Leroy]

Hi all
Found an all crop combine that supposedly worked but needs a few things. A fair price but my first question before I even consider handing over the money is how would I transport something like this? It is about an hour away if i take highways, 10 mins more if backroads. Is my best bet just towing it away very early in the morning with my pickup so lessen the risk of people being on the road? Any ideas from people who speak from experience would be much appreciated

Doing research also got my brain wondering on a side question, why where there still pull type combines until the late 80s? Corn pickers seemed to be phased out a little bit before that period but they where still unique as a different sort of harvester to harvest a whole cob for livestock it seemed, why did the pull type remain for so long? They seemed not as efficient and just more of a pain and hassle compared to SP combines of the day, is it just because they where cheaper to purchase back then? I guess that theory holds true because here I am purchasing a 80 year old pull type.

To start with NO roller bearings, just sleve bearings so no truck speeds. Best way is using a tall tractor , no cab so you can stand to see over top of machine.hat you can see over to look for trafic behind you. And then get the hitch offset to right as far as possible and carry a spair tire and also a few tubes of grease. Tractor would not let you overspeed and ket you see over top of machine. Had 3 AC 60 combines starting when I was about 14 years old. Too old now to do anything.

 

[Brendon-KS]

Are there any of the newer pull types left working in your area of KS?

Mike

There were never any of the "modern" ones here in Kansas - cereal grain here has always been direct cut so SPs became the normal back in the 1950s. Years ago I'd see big pull-types in Alberta and Saskatchewan but any more they are all obsolete.

 

[DanielW]

I've pulled an all-crop 66 and all-crop 90 from the same seller to our farm - about 80 miles. Go slow and watch the oncoming traffic with their left hand cut (one of the many irksome things about the all-crops) A key thing to remember: The AC 72 and 90 had tapered roller bearings, but all others (60, 66, 40) had bronze bushings, so you want to go a little slower and stop frequently to put a couple of shots of grease into them. They tow fine, just not fast.

But are you sure you want an all-crop? They were everywhere back in the day, and at one point I thought (like many people) they were the best pull-type combines of the era (hence my owning three). After being around several Oliver 18's and Cockshutt 422's (and even a few Deere's) I've become throughly disillusioned. The AC gained popularity because of their low price point and ability to thresh all types of crops - especially good for fine seeds with their rubber concaves. They brought the ability to thresh all types of crops to farms everywhere, and enjoyed a good following because of it. But for 99% of the combining anyone's going to do with an old pull-type these days, other makes will cut circles around them. The AC's are built light, flimsy, the canvases of the 60 and 66 are inclined a steeper angle than most others (causing feeding issues with some crops), the side discharge throws crop into the uncut grain on your first and second rounds (and makes them plug easier as the crop has to turn 90 degrees on the racks), they can clean well but are uber-slow to do so (even compared to similar-era pull-types), etc. And you can bet dollars to buttons the rubber on the concaves has been beaten up or missing, so one of their few beneficial aspects is almost certainly lost. I've had new high-durometer urethane bars made for mine, so it's definitely possible to rebuild them. But I wouldn't do it again. Or at least, not for an all-crop. I could have made urethane concave bars for an Oliver/Cockshutt/Deere pull type and thus added the same ability to thresh fine seeds to a better combine.

 

[Mountain_anderson]

I've pulled an all-crop 66 and all-crop 90 from the same seller to our farm - about 80 miles. Go slow and watch the oncoming traffic with their left hand cut (one of the many irksome things about the all-crops) A key thing to remember: The AC 72 and 90 had tapered roller bearings, but all others (60, 66, 40) had bronze bushings, so you want to go a little slower and stop frequently to put a couple of shots of grease into them. They tow fine, just not fast.

But are you sure you want an all-crop? They were everywhere back in the day, and at one point I thought (like many people) they were the best pull-type combines of the era (hence my owning three). After being around several Oliver 18's and Cockshutt 422's (and even a few Deere's) I've become throughly disillusioned. The AC gained popularity because of their low price point and ability to thresh all types of crops - especially good for fine seeds with their rubber concaves. They brought the ability to thresh all types of crops to farms everywhere, and enjoyed a good following because of it. But for 99% of the combining anyone's going to do with an old pull-type these days, other makes will cut circles around them. The AC's are built light, flimsy, the canvases of the 60 and 66 are inclined a steeper angle than most others (causing feeding issues with some crops), the side discharge throws crop into the uncut grain on your first and second rounds (and makes them plug easier as the crop has to turn 90 degrees on the racks), they can clean well but are uber-slow to do so (even compared to similar-era pull-types), etc. And you can bet dollars to buttons the rubber on the concaves has been beaten up or missing, so one of their few beneficial aspects is almost certainly lost. I've had new high-durometer urethane bars made for mine, so it's definitely possible to rebuild them. But I wouldn't do it again. Or at least, not for an all-crop. I could have made urethane concave bars for an Oliver/Cockshutt/Deere pull type and thus added the same ability to thresh fine seeds to a better combine.

I dont have too much to harvest, only a few acres for my chickens and cows. I sell my stuff organic and its gotten way to expensive buying organic feed when i can just make my own. Not too too concerned with how well they can clean and such but was hoping in the off season to sell some cover crop seed as well and make a few bucks and i thought the all crop would be great for that. But the rubber on the machine was a issue i was questions and wondering how readily available parts are for them or how easy it would be to make my own?

 

[Mountain_anderson]

Another question I had, though it could be a stupid one is, if an all crop has a corn head, from which i understand are very rare, would it pick corn cobs or shell it? Theres little information online about them and they are called corn pickers from a few resources and are seen towing a wagon behind like a picker them but could that just be from how high yeilding they are and the all crops have small tanks? i know its a stupid question but that just seemed a bit off putting

 

[Scott 730]

You may find www.allcropharvester.com useful.

 

[Brendon-KS]

Another question I had, though it could be a stupid one is, if an all crop has a corn head, from which i understand are very rare, would it pick corn cobs or shell it? Theres little information online about them and they are called corn pickers from a few resources and are seen towing a wagon behind like a picker them but could that just be from how high yeilding they are and the all crops have small tanks? i know its a stupid question but that just seemed a bit off putting

The All-Crop corn headers worked just like modern ones and the combine put shelled corn in the bin. I had the privilege of seeing one one these running in the field a few years ago in NE Kansas. Like you say, they are quite rare, especially in operating condition. The cylinder had filler plates installed to keep ears from going places they didn't belong.

 

[DanielW]

Some years ago I bought 2 AC 72's from a farm about 15 miles from home. I pulled the first one home and vowed to never pull one on the road again. With the left hand cut (who ever came up with that idea???), and the non adjustable hitch it was the most miserable experience I have ever had towing a piece of equipment. You have to dodge mailboxes with the truck, and the header is still over the centerline, with zero visibility behind you. I paid a rollback tow truck to haul the second one home. My 80 and 82 IH's are a dream to tow compared to an All Crop. YMMV.

The 72 was by far the most painful to tow. Wider than the 60/66 and with a fixed tongue. The 90 was even wider, but it had a pivoting tongue which helps significantly. They're undeniably still a little irksome to tow (especially for people trying to pass), but the 72 is by far the worst of the AC's.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I dont have too much to harvest, only a few acres for my chickens and cows. I sell my stuff organic and its gotten way to expensive buying organic feed when i can just make my own. Not too too concerned with how well they can clean and such but was hoping in the off season to sell some cover crop seed as well and make a few bucks and i thought the all crop would be great for that. But the rubber on the machine was a issue i was questions and wondering how readily available parts are for them or how easy it would be to make my own?

You can gauge parts availability on how many machines you see around, and still in operation. Don't see any? Don't know of anyone still using one? That's a good indication that you're not going to be able to go to a dealer and get machine-specific parts.

Basic things like chains, belts, bearings, are all generic and can be cross-referenced. I think there is an outfit out there that will make you a new canvas for the head. If you want to use it, you should start looking for a parts machine ASAP, the more complete it is. and the better condition it is in, the better.