The new combine, after much TLC, is working pretty well. The head (the front part with the roller bars that actually does the harvesting) still needs some tweaking. But it works well enough to be able to get us through the crush of harvesting beans.
A side note: it is NOT good stewardship to run your machines into the ground. But on the other hand, we were only able to afford this combine because the former owner had a "drive it until it won't go anymore" mentality. Many, many things were overlooked and neglected, giving us nearly two weeks of solid work to get it up and running.
The old combine (on the left) still had a lot of life left in it, but the broken frame (and the damage that caused) made it not salvagable. But it was a virtual treasure trove of parts, many of which we were able to install on the new combine as we administered first-aid during those first two weeks.
More posts and photos later--we're in the thick of bean harvest, and have hardly any time to do indoor things.
Good luck with harvest, Lona! We have light showers here this morning and will be thinking of you guys as you work to stay ahead of the weather.
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