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Jungle Gym Made From Deere 6600 Combine
We’ve seen other “combine jungle gyms” over the years, but this one in Indiana is unique. It’s the featured attraction at Wendel Farms’ Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch and was built by Smith Welding using the frame of a “retired” Deere 6600 combine.
    Phillip and Susann Wendel purchased it from a neighbor and brought it to their welder friend, David Smith. Smith removed the grain tank, the straw chopper, and the hydraulic lines and says, “Other than that, it could still be a functional machine.”
    He added two large stairways and platforms around the cab, installed structural braces, and welded the windows closed for safety. A large slide was designed for one side of the machine, extending off one of the stairways, and another was added out the rear. When the manufacturing finished, Smith masked the identification decals on the machine and used 7 gal. of green and yellow paint to “make it look like a brand new combine,” he says.
    The project began in the spring of 2016, and the combine was delivered to the farm by flatbed late in the summer. Smith said it took the better part of a day to attach handrails and position the tall steps in the back. Those were made with a metal frame and composite decking material and led to a grain tank tube slide. That feature was made using two sections of culvert tubing. A second curving slide off the side came from a backyard play set. There’s a yellow bench seat between the tires and 3-in. pvc tubes for playing “telephone.” Smith says the custom work required about 250 man-hours to complete.
    The Wendel Farm has been operating since 1973 with ag education and other events started in 2000. From just after Labor Day through October, they’re open every day.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wendel Farms LLC, 8134 North State Line Rd., Brookville Township, Ind. 47012 (ph 812-775-9051; www.wendelfarms.com).


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2016 - Volume #40, Issue #6