Hi everyone, found this thread in a search...I own
www.yazallcrop.com
Wanted to put in my two cents..most of it in response to George..
>>>Uh, save your money, folks. Yes, they are fascinating machines,
and do the job of threshing all kinds of grain, can be run with a tractor with a PTO, etc, etc, but: Changeover time to convert concave to different grain--about four hours.
Keep in mind making adjustments per the grain is common to all combines, new and old.For the All-Crop it depends from what grain to what grain. Sometimes it could be a lot of changes, sometimes just an easy cylinder speed change.
Change(s) could be only ONE or ALL of the following:
1.Cylinder speed
2.Concave clearence
3.Ledger plate clearence
4.Blower speed
5.Number of cylinder bars
6.Number of concave bars.
7.Finishing screen.
the hardest to do is to change the number of concave bars or cylinder bars. Thankfully, most grains use the full compliment and no change is necessary.
>>>Running a rock thru the cylinder means big, big bucks.
Depends on the rock! LOL! but yes rocks can do harm.
>> Thrashing efficiency is governed by spacing of the concave bar as opposed to the spinning cylinder and its speed. Has to be adjusted frequently for grain conditions or you will lose them out the back
end in tailings, or cracked grain.
Again, adjusting threshing to the grain and conditions is required for all combines.
>>>Grain seives had to be interchanged for different grains.
Not hard to do (two small bolts in easy reach)
and the specialized screen is part of what makes the machine so great.
>>Big flat panel screens--doubtful if you could find a full set today.
I can provide any screen needed.
>>You had to have a special knowhow to twist the back belt to go around the pulleys. (This is the twenty-five foot one.)
This not real hard. The key is in order to have the belt in the grove correctly on all pulleys, as opposed to upside down, one is forced to put a twist in two particular places. I hope to make a video on this someday.
The good thing is most belts are relatively easy to change compared to other machines that often are surronded by sheet metal
>>Cross auger and grain lift auger had to be cleaned out between grains, and after rain(swollen grain)
Cleaning out combines between grains and before rain is a common task for all combines.
>>A million zerks.
Tis true
>>Most were operated without live PTO, so the machine had to be backed up and given a full power start to get it up to threshing speed if you had been shut down for any reason. Otherwise you lost unthrashed grain out the back end.
Not sure about that..never heard of this
>>Sickle bar cutter--doubt if TSC would have sections and fingers today
I have the sections and you can still get them from AGCO (mine are cheaper). Can still get the fingers from AGCO too.
(I have only sold used fingers thus far)
>>>Just my humble opinion--not worth the money and headache for small homesteading operations today. Won't somebody, please, invent a safe, working small model? Think outside the box, but not inside the bucket.....
geo
I agree for a homesteader with an acre or less an All Crop maybe overkill...You can get a stationary thresher - For $25K:
http://www.seedburo.com/online_cat/categ10/slpt.asp
I found a much cheaper stationary machine made in Italy(perhaps imported from
china?) for $6.5K:
http://www.ferrari-tractors.com/PDF%...20Thresher.pdf
But for a person with 1-50 acres an All-Crop is a good way to go. The All-Crop does a fine job even by todays standards. I have had more than one farmer tell me it does a better thresing job than their modern counterpart. Yes it is a simple machine. On purpose. These were sold when farmers had not much more than a toolbox to work with. The simplicity makes maintenance a far easier task. It also makes the parts easier for me to make. This served farmers well back then and the small scale farmers of today. So there was a reason why this pull-type far outsold all other brands.
FarmBoyBill, I have made more than "but a couple" parts made. I have about 20 parts made thus far, and always more in the planning. Bringing new parts on line is a captial intensive job so its a slow go. The bad load of the for sale page was probably a temporary glitch. It works.
Yes parts can be expensive. But that goes for ALL combine models. And when it comes to availability for pull-types I suspect the All-Crop has the best. I have over 700 customers here and abroad, and am actually starting frame-off restorations. Most of my customers are hobby farmers, organic producers, CSA's, seed producers. Finding and maintaining an older self-propelled is impractical and too costly for many of them. Many of them also do a wide variety,specialized crops and this combine handles it very well.
I recall one turf farmer who uses it to save his own seed as grass seed was getting very expensive..I use one to harvest an heirloom wheat that gets me .60 per pound. I only had 2.75 acres. Was well worth it.
8Likes
Al
