In the middle of wheat harvest this year, our old combine failed. Completely fell apart--the frame broke, and in doing so the combine disemboweled itself. You can read more about it here.
We ended up discing the rest of the wheat in--a major loss. (If you're starting to think this is the year from Murphy, you're not alone.) The rye has been ready for over a month, and we have not been able to hire anyone to custom combine, nor have we been able to buy a new combine.
But I'm happy to say that yesterday we took delivery on a new old combine.
We hired a trucker to help us get it home.
Many prayers were said--during loading, hauling, and unloading.
The combine was too wide for the trailer, so the trucker put the wings out with extra boards. Looks really stable, doesn't it?
Everything's more stable with a mess of chains.
We drove behind, with an "OVER SIZE LOAD" sign on the back of our van. We had only 3 close calls on the 2-1/2 hour drive home. Nutty drivers.
Almost home!
The combine is now in the shop, being repaired. You didn't think we could afford to buy a combine without issues, did you?
Hopefully, they are minor issues. I'm not holding my breath for a rye harvest, but at least we've got a combine to use on the beans.
Congratulations on the combine! I totally understand about a new old combine. We'll never really have a new one. Can you imagine???
ReplyDeleteHoping the repairs are minor. So sad you lost a lot of your wheat. Is the rye ready soon? We only grow a bit of wheat and it is rare around here. We harvested that in July. But I don't know much about other grains like that.
The rye is past ready, Jules. The longer we wait on it, the more the weeds poke through the canopy, making combining it more difficult. Waiting also makes it more likely that the grain is past its prime, though we haven't had rain enough to sprout it in the head. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteI think new combines are overpriced. But I'm glad people buy new combines, so that we can buy the old ones!