Hillco Technologies

Hillco Technologies – Through the Years

Hillco Technologies is an agriculture manufacturing company that provides innovative solutions. Read more about Hillco Technologies below. 

Hillco Technologies mission is to build good stuff that the big guys don’t. Hillco offers innovative products, high value, and exceptional quality.

Hillco continually focuses on offering product solutions to solve unique problems in niche ag markets.

Hillco Technologies, Inc. is an aftermarket agriculture manufacturing company that provides innovative solutions to today’s farmers and ranchers. We provide a variety of products that we engineer in house. Not only do we do our own product development, but all our products are built, marketed, sold and supported through our home facility located in Nezperce, Idaho.

Hillco is a second-generation company. Owner Lenny Hill’s father (Arlie Hill) began what was once Hill Industries back in 1963. Arlie was famous for his revolutionary harrow cart designs, as he was the first to design a hydraulic fold up harrow cart in the mid-1950s. Hillco eventually stopped manufacturing harrows and carts in the early 1990s to focus on manufacturing Leveling Systems.

Hillco developed the first dual tire compatible combine leveling system in 1998. This design provided the traction, flotation, and stability necessary to harvest steep hillside conditions with high capacity combines. With installation of the leveling systems near the combine factories by authorized installers, leveling combines are shipped throughout the country and arrive at the dealers as field ready leveling combines.

Lenny, along with other family members throughout the years have since taken over the family business that is now Hillco Technologies, Inc. Hillco has grown to become the largest employer in Nezperce, Idaho with approximately 55 employees – four of which are third generation family members. It provides a wide spectrum of job opportunities including engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing and customer support providing a host of well-paying opportunities to people who cherish the rural lifestyle.

Hillco has almost doubled the size of its manufacturing facility in Nezperce over the last 3 years and grew its workforce substantially. With a vibrant line of new products just coming online and an aggressive new product development effort Hillco plans to continue to grow aggressively over the coming years.

1950

Wallace (Arlie) Hill began building first generation harrow carts and other “problem solving” agriculture equipment. Arlie was the first to design a hydraulic fold up harrow cart in the mid-50s.

1950

1963

Wallace & Frances Hill open Hill’s Industries. Wallace was famous for his revolutionary transport cart designs including harrow, Spring Tooth and packer carts. He also developed various multi-unit hitches for drills and plows.

 

1963

1993

The first Hillco, Inc. Leveling System rolled off the production floor; It was built for a Case-IH Axial-Flow combine. 

1993

1998

First Leveling Systems for a John Deere combine was manufactured at Hillco, Inc.

1998

2003

Hillco, Inc. finally became Hillco Technologies, Inc. as it is known today.

2003

2011

Hillco Technologies, Inc. was the proud recipient of the Idaho Governor’s Award for Excellence in Agriculture in the Technical Innovation Category. This award is presented to an individual or agribusiness that develops or implements new methods or mechanisms to advance agriculture products and/or processing.

2011

2016

Hillco began focusing on diversifying product line, outside of small grains, but within agriculture.

2016

2021

2,500th Leveler manufactured at Hillco.

2021

2022

Received the Idaho Small Business of the Month for July 2022 by US Senator Jim Risch.

2022
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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
Corn
Soybeans

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
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.

Slope Reference Graph
Wheat
Corn
Soy

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
Corn
Soy
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


See examples or call your local dealership for a quote.
(On Leveling System Financing)

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

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

Used in net present value calculation

Cash Flows (Totals for Calculation Period)
Positive Cash Flows
Labor Savings
0
Fuel and Lubcriation Savings
0
Increased Income from Machine Harvested Yield
0
Residual Value of Leveling System (At end of Calculation Period)
0
Increased Combine Value Due to Reduced Separator Hours
0
Total Positive Cash Flows
0
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)
0
Investment Analysis
Total Average Annual Separator Hours (without leveling system)
0
Total Average Annual Separator Hours (with leveling system)
0
Average Annual Separator Hour Savings
0
Total Separator Hour Savings as % of Total Separator Hours
0
Average Payback Period (in years)
The length of time it takes for an investment to recover its initial cost.
0
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.
0
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.
0