No, excellent idea. If you don't think this hive will make it through the winter on its own, the time to combine is now.
Best practice is to remove the queen from the weak hive at least 24 hours in advance of the combine, and not more than 3 days.
I have sometimes removed the queen at the time of the combine, but only when the weaker hive was VERY weak and all bees were sprayed with vanilla-scented water. Spraying with a mild scent or dilute syrup may make the combine go more smoothly. Some insist on using newspaper, but I have never found it necessary when the bees are given time to realize that they are queenless.
The week after the combine, do a quick check to make sure there are eggs being laid. Sometimes the queenless half will start one or two queen cells. This is the only time when I ever cut out queen cells - check within the week after the combine so you get them before they are capped.