GM Guy - 6/21/2016 18:05 Here are some factors: 1) figure out how big of combine you need for your acreage/ harvest window, 2) determine if you can do the repairs 2a) If yes, make sure parts are obtainable 2b) If no, figure out which dealer will be the best to work with and let that weigh in on the decision. 3) do research on what the cost is to run models of combines you are interested in. pay attention to not only fuel consumption, but machine design and how many high dollar parts are on the machine. Since we can do our own repairs, we shift our focus to primarily machine design, and choose Gleaner because there are few (if any, depending on model) gearboxes, and the way the processor is designed, we feel it is the best for our crops (mostly small grains, and corn) with low to no loss and much fewer augers to crack grain, which is docked at the elevator. The fan is constant speed and is driven by a belt. not a hyd. motor or a variable sheave. there is no primary countershaft gearbox. there is no reverser gearbox. there is no engine gearcase, there is no unloader gearbox. one floor auger, one angled unload auger linked by a u-joint. not a mess of floor augers and a vertical. bin floor is a sheet of metal, not a complex housing to feed a vertical. and my favorite: no re-thresher on the returns. Over time this makes for a much lower dollar repair bill, and it still has great capacity, so we are happy. So while we feel the Gleaner is a superior machine overall, it may not be the best machine for everyone due to mechanical ability and parts availability. In my opinion, upkeep costs should be of greater concern than re-sale value. who cares if you get 10 grand more if its costs you 20-30 grand more to keep up in shape. With commodity prices where they are, I feel people need to spend more time researching the money it takes to run a machine and see if its truly best for your operation, or if you need to switch colors.