NEWTON, Kan. - The combine got its name by combining three separate harvest functions - reaping, threshing and winnowing - in one machine.
Now, a Newton, Kan.-based company has introduced the Tribine Harvester, which the company calls "the world's largest threshing and cleaning system."
The new machine can help farmers "be more efficient and more productive," says Greg Terjesen, vice president of marketing and sales.
The Tribine's most obvious difference is its 1,000-bushel grain tank: think of a conventional combine with an attached grain cart.
Other differences from conventional combines include: reducing compaction through low-ground pressure tires; two engines, one to drive the hydraulic system and the other for propulsion; and a single joystick control instead of a steering wheel.
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Ben Dillon, company president, formed Tribune Harvester and is leader of the Tribine team. An inventor and entrepreneur who holds many worldwide patents for harvester designs, he came up with the basic concept 20 years ago after returning to his family farm in Indiana, Terjesen says.
Dillon was frustrated that grain carts pulled by tractors caused greater soil compaction and decided there needed to be a solution. Eventually, he came up with the Tribine, Terjesen says.
To help finance the project, which includes a new production facility in Newton, a town of about 20,000 near Wichita, Dillon auctioned off 716 acres of his Indiana farm. The land sold for $8.282 million, or $11,567 per acre, according to published reports that quoted the auction company handling the sale.
'Timing couldn't be better'
Some in agriculture might think poor crop prices and farm profitability make this a difficult time to introduce the Tribine.
"I beg to differ," Terjesen says. "I think the timing couldn't be better."
Tough times encourage farmers to become more efficient, and the Tribine will help them do so, he says.
The ag downturn also has helped Tribine attract skilled engineers who previously worked for other ag manufacturers in Kansas, he says.
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The company is offering Tribines for the 2017 crop season, but is focusing initially on Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas initially. That will allow the relatively small company, which has locations in Newton and Logansport, Ind., to work closely with customers there, Terjesen says.
Logansport is where Dillon farmed in Indiana.
"I'm not going to put a product into an area where we can't support it," Terjesen says. "Our key to success is having the best product out there, and providing the best level of support."
But the company hopes to expand its sales territory for the 2018 crop season, he says.
Terjesen declines to give the Tribine's price tag, but says it's comparable to the combined cost of a combine and grain cart.
The Tribine has received excellent responses at farm shows and field demonstration, he says.
"We're definitely on the right track," he says.
To learn more, visit tribine.com.
