December 14, 2022

Return on Investment Calculator

This calculator is designed to determine the return on investment for a Hillco leveling system equipped combine versus a non-leveling combine operating in sloping conditions.

Crop Type

Wheat Corn and Soybean

Acreage Information

Crop Information

Enter your operation's statistics and estimates.

Wheat

Average Total Acres

Avg. Yield (bu. per acre)

Estimated Price (per bushel)

Corn

Average Total Acres

Avg. Yield (bu. per acre)

Estimated Price (per bushel)

Soybeans

Average Total Acres

Avg. Yield (bu. per acre)

Estimated Price (per bushel)

Acreage / Slope Information

Estimate the percentage of total harvested acres that lay within the various slope ranges in your farming operation.

For all Wheat Acreage

See Slope reference chart

On 0-6% slope

On 7-12% slope

On 13-18% slope

On 19-24% slope

Greater than 24% slope

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

Percentage slope values must equal 100%

100%

Your Harvest Speeds and Machine Harvested Yield (MHY)

Non-Leveling Ground Speed in MPH

Enter the average harvesting speed for your non-leveling combine in the various slope ranges at the average yield entered in the Crop Information section above.

Wheat

On 0-6% slope

On 7-12% slope

On 13-18% slope

On 19-24% slope

Greater than 24% slope

Corn

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

Soy

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

Reduction in Machine Harvested Yield (bu/acre)

Estimate the reduction of Machine Harvested Yield (MHY) for each slope range if you were harvesting at the speed you entered for 0-3% slopes. (The calcultor will then project expected reductions in MHY for each slope range at your previously estimated ground speeds.)

You may opt to enter the test data which was determined by actual field testing by Hillco (based on 5 mph harvesting speed).

Reduction in MHY is used in these calculations rather than field loss. Reduction in MHY is a more accurate guage of combine harvesting efficiency because it can be determined by actually weighing the harvested yield rather than estimating the amount of yield lost to the ground.

Use test data or your own

On 0-6% slope

On 7-12% slope

On 13-18% slope

On 19-24% slope

Greater than 24% slope

Corn

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

Soy

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

Your Combine and Header Information

Enter your expected combine harvesting efficiency. Typically a combine operates at approximately 70% efficiency. If the Total Annual Separator Hours calculated below look too small you may want to decrease the combine efficiency. If the Total Annual Separator Hours calculated below look too large you may want to increase the combine efficiency.

Wheat head width in feet

Corn head width in feet

Flex header width in feet

Combine Field Efficiency (Typically 70%)
(Must enter value other than 0%)

Your Operational Costs

This total should include additional cost of benefits and taxes. If you wish to include the grain cart operator's cost add the hourly wage to the combine operator hourly labor costs.

Combine Operator Labor Cost (per hour, including taxes and benefits)

Combine Fuel Cost

If you wish to include added grain cart fuel add hourly grain cart fuel usage to the combine fuel usage.

Combine Fuel Consumption (Hourly - Typically 11-13 gph)

Cost per added separator hour usually runs approximately $180 per hour for new combines to $30 per hour for older used combines. If you don't want to consider the added benefit of lower separator hours enter $0.

Cost Per Separator Hour
(How much does your combine devalue for each added separator hour of use?)

Use example prices below or obtain a quote from your local dealership.

List price examples for leveling systems used on John Deere combines:
Leveling System Model 2955S for -- 9560-70 STS combine dual tire, w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $42,960.00 List Price

Leveling System Model 2970S for -- 96-97-9860-70 STS combine,dual tire w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $42,085.00 List Price

List price examples for leveling systems used on Case-IH combines:
Leveling System Model 2800 for -- 2577-88 combine, dual tire w/Hillco Leveler, Installed = $42,210.00 List Price

Hillco Leveling System List Price
(Including Header Kits and Installation)
See examples or call your local dealership for a quote.

Annual Interest Rate(On Leveling System Financing)

Enter the number of years (from 1 to 5, whole number) for the desired calculation period.

Calculation Period

Market value at the end of 5 years regardless of the length of the calculation period.

Leveling System Market Value after 5th year of use.

Used in net present value calculation

Annual Inflation Rate

Cash Flows (Totals for Calculation Period)

Positive Cash Flows

Labor Savings

Fuel and Lubcriation Savings

Increased Income from Machine Harvested Yield

Residual Value of Leveling System (At end of Calculation Period)

Increased Combine Value Due to Reduced Separator Hours

Total Positive Cash Flows

Negative Cash Flows

Leveling System Cost (Total Principle & Interest Payments)

-0

Remaining Principle Balance On 5 Year Note

-0

Leveling System Maintenance Cost (Annual 2% of Purchase Price)

-0

Total Negative Cash Flows

-0

Total Net Cash Flow (Positive - Negative)

Investment Analysis

Total Average Annual Separator Hours (without leveling system)

Total Average Annual Separator Hours (with leveling system)

Average Annual Separator Hour Savings

Total Separator Hour Savings as % of Total Separator Hours

Average Payback Period (in years)
The length of time it takes for an investment to recover its initial cost.

Total Net Present Value of Cash Flows
NPV compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking inflation and returns into account.

Internal Rate of Return
The internal rate of return (IRR) method allows you to consider the time value of money. It is the interest rate that is equivalent to the dollar returns you expect from your project. Once you know the rate, you can compare it to the rates you could earn by investing your money in other projects or investments. Usually a business owner will insist that in order to be acceptable, a project must be expected to earn an IRR that is at least several percentage points higher than the cost of borrowing, to compensate the company for its risk, time, and trouble associated with the project.

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