Combine Rebuilt To Handle 50° Slopes

Combine Rebuilt To Handle 50¦ Slopes COMBINES Modifications 28-2-17 Gary Cochran farms on steep hills in the Palouse region of Washington. He wanted a combine he could use on hills with slopes up to 50 percent. However, combines equipped with hillside leveling systems that can handle such steep slopes haven't been available since the mid 1980's. "For the past 20 years, no one has offered a hillside leveling system that can be used on slopes above 28 percent. If you want a 48 percent leveling system, you have to use a combine that's old and getting worn out," he says. He solved the problem by going to J & M Fabrication, Cheney, Wash. They mounted the body of a 1998 Case IH 2166 Axial Flow combine on the wheels, axles, and frame of a 1980 Case IH 1470 Axial Flow combine which has a 48 percent leveling system. J & M completely overhauled the 1470 leveling frame, machining everything out and rebushing it to get it back to factory tolerances. Large color photos of the conversion were on display at an exhibit sponsored by J & M at the recent Spokane Ag Expo in Spokane, Wash. "It was a one-of-a-kind project that drew a lot of interest," says Justin Miller of J & M Fabrication. "The conversion provided Gary with an almost-new combine that's equipped with a full blown 48 percent leveling system. We charged $30,000 to make the conversion. Including the cost of the two used combines, Gary's total cost was about $135,000 But now he has a fully modern combine equipped with a like-new leveling system that he can use on his steepest slopes. Last summer he used it to harvest about 2,000 acres of dryland wheat and barley, with no problems." Cochran bought the 1470 model at a salvage yard for about $5,000. The combine had been in a roll-over accident but the frame and wheels were still good. He bought the 2166, which had 500 hours on it, for $95,000. J & M unbolted the 1470's body from the frame and then used a pair of home-built overhead hoists to lift it off. A pair of winches on the front hoist were attached to each side of the combine. A single winch on the rear overhead hoist was attached to the motor mounts. "The body of the 2166 is the same width as the frame of the 1470 and fit perfectly onto it," says Miller. "We did have to drill new holes and cut out a couple of pieces on the 2166 to make everything fit. The hardest part of the job was adapting the 2166's electrical system to the 1470's leveling system." When the project was finally complete, they gave the combine a new 2176 model number to reflect the update. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J&M Fabrication, 9901 Dewey Rd., Cheney, Wash. 99004 (ph 509 235-2675 or 509 220-1063; fax 509 235-4774; website: www.JandMFabrication.com).

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