2005 - Volume #29, Issue #3, Page #11
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Self-Propelled, 2-Row Corn Picker
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That's the headline FARM SHOW reader Robert Breyley suggested to us when he sent in pictures and a description of the homemade two-row corn picker he and his son created to pick the corn they grind into feed for their milk cows.
The Breyleys put it together using a late model 2-WD Minnesota Moline Uni tractor's power unit. It has three speeds forward and one reverse plus a variable speed belt drive. They also used an older style New Idea husking bed with attached wagon elevator. They attached the husking bed to the front axle and rear main frame on the right hand side of the operator's platform and engine. The snapping head, from an Oliver 83 2-row picker, was attached in front of the whole thing.
A snap latch detaches the head quickly. The husking bed and wagon elevator are one unit for quick removal.
Learning on the fly, they overcame many problems. One of the first was a very close clearance between the power unit, powered components unit, counter driveshafts and chains.
They also had problems with the rpm ratios of snapping rolls to husking bed and forward speed. "I had to mathematically figure out how fast the speed shaft had to be turning compared to my driving pulley. The first two ratios came out too slow. Finally, I figured it out," he says.
Another problem dealt with the tires. "The problem was I needed to narrow the tread width to get it down to 38-in. rows. That was a challenge," he says, adding they needed to rework the dish of the rim on the right hand front driving tire.
They also extended the wagon elevator 3 ft. and cut out new rubber paddles to replace the original street paddles.
Breyley says he spent between $1,600 and $1,800 on it.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Breyley, 11007 New London E., Spencer, Ohio 44275 (ph 330 667-2472).
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