John Deere Leveling Systems

If you harvest in the hills with a John Deere combine, there is no better investment you can make than equipping your John Deere combine with a leveling system from Hillco Technologies. Browse our Hillside (27%) & Sidehill (18%) Leveling Systems.

Hillco Leveling Systems

John Deere Hillside Models

Hillco Leveling Systems are packed with a long list of industry leading features and benefits such as true bolt-on design, fully automatic variable speed leveling, and fully automatic header height and lateral tilt control.

Other benefits include increased hillside capacity, reduced hillside grain loss, improved sample quality, and comfortable hillside operation. Additionally, Hillco guarantees that your combine’s original John Deere warranties will remain in full effect after installation of your Hillco Leveling System.

Hillco Technologies offers a broad range of leveling systems specifically designed to maximize STS & S Series combine’s performance in all terrain.

Hillco Leveling Systems

John Deere Sidehill Models

Hillco Leveling Systems are packed with a long list of industry leading features and benefits such as true bolt-on design, fully automatic variable speed leveling, and fully automatic header height and lateral tilt control.

Other benefits include increased hillside capacity, reduced hillside grain loss, improved sample quality, and comfortable hillside operation. Additionally, Hillco guarantees that your combine’s original John Deere warranties will remain in full effect after installation of your Hillco Leveling System.

ROI Calculator

Calculate Your Return On Investments Today

The Hidden Cost of Compromise

Every harvest, Jake thought he was doing “good enough.” What he didn’t realize was that compromise was costing him over $27,000 a year in lost grain alone. One calculation changed how he looked at his entire operation—forever.

Jake Morrison's Story

Click the button below to read Jake Morrison's story and see what the numbers revealed.

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.

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.

Slope Reference Graph

For all Wheat Acreage

See Slope reference chart

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)

Level Land Combine Ground Speed in MPH

Enter the average harvesting speed for your non-leveling combine for the various slope ranges based off the average yield for each crop type. For comparison, our study data shows that for corn the average ground speed is 3mph and for wheat and soybeans ground speed averages 5mph. These are the speeds that we use for our calculation of fuel usage and separator hours.

Wheat

On 0-3% slope

On 3-9% slope

On 10-16% slope

Greater than 16% 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.

You may use yield lost to the ground; these numbers are likely to be less than MHY.

Use test data or your own

On 0-3% slope

On 4-9% slope

On 10-15% slope

On 16% slope or greater

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 (Separator Hrs./Engine Hrs.). 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 (Fuel price per gallon)

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 from approximately $300-$400 per hour for new combines to $150 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 list prices below or obtain a quote from your local dealership.
For used Hillco Leveling System values, consult your dealership.

John Deere Combines:

Sidehill Leveling System (18%) for S7 Series combine w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $84,000 List Price.

Hillside Leveling System (28%) for S7 Series combine, Dual Tire & Wheel Package w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $155,400 List Price.

Case IH Combines:

Sidehill Leveling System (18%) for Flagship Series combine w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $82,000 List Price.

Hillside Leveling System (28%) for Flagship Series combine, Dual Tire & Wheel Package w/ Hillco Leveler Installed = $152,500 List Price.

List Price of Hillco Leveling System 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

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