Sidehill Leveling Kit For New Deere Combines

Sidehill Leveling Kit For New Deere Combines COMBINES Accessories 30-3-20 "We recently introduced a new sidehill leveling kit for Deere STS combines. It was developed for harvesting the lower angle slopes typically found in the agricultural regions of the Midwest," says Dennis Solbrack, RAHCO International, Inc., Spokane, Wash. The kit fits Deere 9560, 9660, 9760, and 9860 STS combine models. The patented design allows the leveling system to operate with minimal change to the machine. A new front axle takes the place of the Deere cast axle spacers. Final drives and the transmission bolt back on in their original positions. According to Solbrack, farmers in Washington successfully tested two prototypes last summer. These machines were moved to the Midwest for further testing in the field. Other converted machines are now working in Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. "Combines equipped with our sidehill kit level to 18 percent, which is enough leveling for nearly all ground in the Midwest," says Solbrack. "With the addition of a RAHCO leveling system, a Deere combine designed to operate most efficiently on level terrain, is transformed into a unit that operates with the same level of performance on hillsides." The company has integrated Deere's auto header height control and auto contour master control with the new leveling system. The operator uses the standard Deere controls for these features. Solbrack notes that RAHCO has been in the sidehill leveling business for 60 years. In 1946 Raymond Hanson, the son of a Palouse farmer, invented and patented the first automatic leveling system for combines. It made use of a level sensitive mercury switch and a glass tube with electrodes in it. When the tube tilted to one side or the other, mercury ran downhill and electrical connections then forced the machine to level back in the other direction until the connection was disconnected. Hanson started up his own business, and the name of the company evolved to RAHCO, which is short for R.A. Hanson Co. Three generations later, the Hanson family still manages RAHCO. A typical Deere STS combine can be equipped with a sidehill leveling system for about $30,000 plus freight and setup. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Solbrack, P.O. Box 7400, Colfax, Wash. 99111 (ph 509 397-4377; dsolbrack @arrowjd.com; www.rahco.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.