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April 06, 2022

Combine Harvester

Whether your sights are set on new or used equipment, there’s no way around it: a combine harvester is an expensive piece of machinery. No one wants to overpay, though—or pay for more than you realistically need. With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide to help you understand pricing and navigate the market for new and used combines for sale. 

Let’s start with the basics.


What Are the Types of Combine Harvester?

There are two main types of combine harvester, self-propelled and controlled. These categories are based on the combine’s working mechanism. 

Self-propelled combine harvesters are the most popular type today. A self-propelled combine harvester runs by itself with a dedicated engine. By contrast, a controlled (also known as “tractor-pull” or “pull-type”) combine harvester is more of a standalone implement. It needs to be pulled by a farm tractor to operate, and it relies on the tractor’s power to execute core functions including threshing, cutting, separating, and cleaning.


Parts of a Combine Harvester

In most modern agricultural applications, the self-propelled combine harvester offers better versatility and convenience. That being said, the essential parts of a combine harvester do not change from one type to the other. In addition to a cab for the operator to sit in and control operations, these include:

  • Chassis: The chassis includes the engine, fuel tank, wheels, steering mechanism, and ground power train.
  • Combine header: This is what attaches to the front of the combine, to collect the grain.
  • Threshing unit: This element separates the grain from unwanted vegetation.
  • Separating straw walkers: These further separate the grain from chaff (which may include vegetation, dirt, insects, etc.).
  • Cleaning system: This system sends separated and cleaned grain to storage, discarding any chaff.

What Factors Impact Combine Harvester Price?

As it represents a substantial investment, it’s important to make sure you get what you pay for when it comes to a new or used combine harvester. The good news is that unless you’re running a gigantic and advanced operation, you probably don’t need to pony up for the biggest combine harvester (or the most expensive combine harvester) on the market. With that in mind, let’s cover some of the factors that impact how a combine harvester is priced. This way, you can prioritize what’s most important to you and avoid paying for features and functions that you might never need or want.

Type
As discussed above, self-propelled combine harvesters are the most dominant type used by farmers across America. For many farmers, the controlled combine harvester is inconvenient, and with their large size and cost are not widely available or sought out.

New or Used, Condition
If there aren’t any cutting-edge, brand-new features you can’t live without, most farmers can find exceptional cost savings by seeking out used combine harvesters for sale. “Used” can mean a lot of things, though, so you’ll want to be savvy when evaluating your options. When you browse used combine harvesters on MachineryPete.com, you can see features and photos, pricing information, detailed listings, and more. At the time of this writing, we have over 3,000 used combine harvesters in our listings.

Additional factors that determine how a used combine harvester is priced include total engine hours and model year. Similar to any used vehicle, ongoing wear and tear should impact the price. Generally, the more usage hours, especially in more-difficult conditions (think “highway miles” vs “city miles”), the lower the price. Even if the total engine hours remain relatively low, age still matters. New combines tend to have improved technology, greater fuel efficiency, increased versatility, and more.

Brand
Like any investment, the manufacturer matters. You want to make sure you’re getting machinery that is well-built, and you want to buy from a brand with a reputation for excellent service and support.

Who Makes Combine Harvesters?
Major combine harvester producers in the U.S. include John Deere, Case IH, New Holland, Gleaner, Claas, and Massey Ferguson. You can browse these manufacturers and over a dozen others at MachineryPete.com


What Is the Best Combine On the Market (and Is It Worth It)?

By this point, it’s hopefully clear that there’s no single answer to this question. It’s true that you typically get what you pay for, but the converse should also be true—you should only pay for what you want. Just because a brand new or used John Deere X9 1100 offers a long list of features, if you won’t have any use for some of them (JDLink™bluetooth connectivity, for example) it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay for them. This is especially true when you can find a used combine harvester that has the horsepower you need with only a few engine hours under its belt.

Finding the Best Combine Harvester for Your Farm

When evaluating your options, consider your usage needs first. Among the long list of combine harvester uses and functions, which ones are the most important to you? Prioritize those!

What else matters to you? For example, are you loyal to a particular manufacturer? Do you need cutting-edge features, or would an older model (in working condition, of course) suit you just as well? Are you comfortable buying used equipment? When you browse the inventory at MachineryPete.com, you can see our inventory’s specifications, including pictures. You can also search by year, make, model, or keywords that relate to what you’re looking for.

A Better Shopping Experience With Machinery Pete
If you decide to go with used machinery, shop through a reputable marketplace like MachineryPete.com, where you can find thousands of used combine harvesters (and their farm equipment) for sale. Ready to browse? Check out our full inventory of combine harvesters on sale. Run into questions? You can call or email the seller without even leaving the page.