Looking at an N6. The good, bad, and ugly??

Looking at an N6. Don't know a lot about combines. Always hired it. Any ideas thoughts experiences to help me decide if an N6 will be suitable machine for 100+ acres of corn and a few acres of beans. Norms book says 7800 built. There must have been fairly decent units?

There are people that know more than me about it but it depends on price and if its had parts put on it. This sounds like a later model so the rpms should of been turned down on the engine. I know a 426 in a combine is getting tired at those amount of hours. LTD was just a model that had the most popular options on it.

I just spent the afternoon in my N6 trying to finish up my wheat harvest. I absolutely love it. Darrel

Darrel can you give me more info on yours? What year? How many hours? What have you done to it?

tornado8070 wrote: Darrel can you give me more info on yours? What year? How many hours? What have you done to it?

Mine is a 1984 model. I first bought it last year. I would not buy one that is not at least a 1983 or newer either. I did about 550 acres of wheat with it last year, and a little over a thousand this year. The only things I've done to it is a cab power solonoid last year, and a clean grain elevator drive belt this year. (Ooops, forgot, one grand into air conditioner last year after I got it) Paid 5 grand for the machine; came with 24 foot rigid auger head and 13 foot dummy head with a sund picker on it.
   I bought it from a neighbor to us where I grew up. I was working at the implement dealership where he bought it when he bought it, so I did the pre-delivery on it. I can't remember how many hours were on it when he brought it in for a re-build, but I did that, too. Put in a sunnybrook concave, new seperator and thresher bars on the rotor, new feed chains and sprockets, elevator chains, and I can't remember what else. I do not know if rods and mains have been done or not. Has 3000 plus engine hours on it. Has no seperator hour meter. The cage is not too bad, but there are a few thin spots.
    This combine has sat outside more days in the year that I've owned it, than it did in the prior 30 plus years of its life. The guy always kept it inside, and looks good accordingly so. The PO re-tired about 5 years prior to me buying it, so it sat inside, un-used during that time. My son did an absolute complete detailing of the cab interior, so it is very pleasant to run now. Just over the last two days, the AC blower started blowing fuses, so I have to get that dilemma resoved. Lack of the blower isn't so much fun, but at least it hasn't been too miserably hot. 99% of my grain samples are less than 1 per cent dockage; they usually run about a half a per cent. All in all, for a 32 year old machine, it ain't bad. Darrel

Good machines, just takes more $ to keep up than a L2. For 100 acres, I personally would lean more towards the conventional, but then again, if the N6 is cheaper than a L2, it would probably be worth it.

THe 426 is breathing pretty hard in them, use good oil and keep them cool and think about rolling some bearings in.

They are a 12 row capable machine, but will also do OK with a 6 row.

Look at the cage, bars, and accelerator rolls, as those will be the high dollar items to replace.