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Return on Investment
From extensive harvest yield studies Hillco developed formulas and built calculators to account for the amount of grain loss for wheat, corn, and soybeans. We took into account varying slope ranges, combine speeds, estimated price per bushel and the harvesting equipment used. We can also calculate the impact of these factors on productivity as well as the cost of ownership to give you an estimated Return on Investment.
BUSHELS PER ACRES LOST FOR SOYBEANS AND CORN WITH A NON-LEVELING COMBINE ON VARYING SLOPES
(harvesting at full level-land harvesting speed)
BUSHELS PER ACRES LOST FOR WHEAT WITH A NON-LEVELING COMBINE ON VARYING SLOPES
(harvesting at full level-land harvesting speed)
* Please refer to the Background Test Information box below.
More Bushels per Acre, More Acres per Hour
So why do farmers buy larger, more productive combines? It's a matter of time - more acres and more bushels in fewer hours - and time is money! So why buy a new combine and then sacrifice up to half its' capacity in the hills? The technology incorporated into Hillco Leveling Systems eliminates the need to reduce sidehill harvesting speeds and is a perfect complement to today's powerful combines.
Try our wheat, corn, and soybean calculators and see how great a difference a Hillco Leveling System will make for your farming operation.
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Lower Operating Costs
Operating costs account for a large portion of many harvest expenses. When running a level land combine in the hills, those costs are guaranteed to grow as you slow down to reduce grain loss - increasing man hours, separator hours, fuel consumption, and the overall time it takes to harvest.
Fewer Combine Hours
Fewer hours on your combine means greater value at trade-in time. With the depreciation on new combines running well over $100 an hour, the advantage of putting fewer hours on the combine is obvious.
Lower Labor Costs
A shorter harvest means fewer man hours required by your combine operator, truck drivers, and other harvest support personnel and this means more money in your pocket at the end of the season.
Get it in the Bin!
The longer the crop stands in the field the greater the exposure to weather and the risk of dry down. When the crop reaches optimum harvesting condition the quicker it can get in the bin the better. Getting the harvest out even a week earlier can be worth tens of thousands of dollars to your bottom line.
Cost of Ownership
A close study of the sidehill used equipment market using dealer input, pre-owned equipment data base companies and classified listings revealed that whether a Hillco Leveling System is 5 or 15 years old it still retains an average of 60% of its original value. With your added efficiency, grain savings, and lower operating costs the depreciation is actually offset!
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Background Test Information
Extensive field-testing was done in both corn, soybeans, and wheat across many slope and speed combinations. The studies used a much more accurate gauge of combine grain saving performance: how much grain reached the grain tank. The technical term for this measurement is "Machine Harvested Yield" or "MHY". The data was plotted to form a MHY curve that reflects the combine's grain savings performance over various slopes. The graph illustrates the results of the testing.
In the graph, MHY loss curves are shown for a Class 7 combine harvesting on slopes from 0 to 18% for corn and soybeans and 0-24% for wheat at full level-land harvesting speed. The three curves represent the change in the combine's MHY whiles harvesting on these slopes. These slopes curve downward reflecting an increase in grain loss due to tilting of the combine's cleaning system; the greater the slope the greater the grain loss. (See the above leveling shoe graphic) The top blue line represents a combine's MHY curve that is equipped with a Hillco Leveling System. This curve is flat since its grain saving performance remains unchanged on slopes to 24%.
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Disclaimer: The information regarding crop loss as a function of slope and speed was obtained as a result of extensive testing conducted at the request of Hillco Technologies, Inc. and every effort was made during testing to create "average" harvesting conditions and yields. However, since there are countless numbers of variables that impact sidehill harvesting performances, your performance may vary from our test results. Hillco Technologies, Inc. expressly disclaims any warranty that if you purchase a Hillco Leveling System you will achieve the sidehill leveling performance indicated by our test results.
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