1888 Self-Propelled Combine Had A 40-Ft. Header
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When it comes to big headers, few modern combines could match the 1888 Berry self-propelled. It sported a 40-ft. header and harvested 100 acres in a 24-hour day.
The combine was also ahead of its day with its biomass fuel source. Forget about biodiesel or ethanol. The steam engine that powered it was fired with straw gathered as the wheat was harvested.
George Stockton Berry, Lindsay, Calif., designed and built six of the big machines. His first in 1886 had a 22-ft. header. None of the machines still exists today.
The straw-fired steam tractor served a dual purpose. It traveled in reverse as motive power to push the harvester components. It could also be used as a plow. The traction engine used differential gears instead of wheel clutches for turning.
The Berry even had power transfer, a steam version of a pto. Steam from the traction engine was piped to a second engine that drove the harvesting mechanism.
In recognition of the role the Berry combine played in later combine designs, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recently designated it a historic landmark. A plaque commemorating the Berry has been placed at the Tulare County Museum, Visalia, Calif.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kathy McGowan, Mooney Grove Park, 27000 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, Calif. 93277 (ph 559 733-6616; www.tularecountyhistorical society. org).
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1888 Self-Propelled Combine Had A 40-Ft. Header AG WORLD 32-1-22 When it comes to big headers, few modern combines could match the 1888 Berry self-propelled. It sported a 40-ft. header and harvested 100 acres in a 24-hour day.
The combine was also ahead of its day with its biomass fuel source. Forget about biodiesel or ethanol. The steam engine that powered it was fired with straw gathered as the wheat was harvested.
George Stockton Berry, Lindsay, Calif., designed and built six of the big machines. His first in 1886 had a 22-ft. header. None of the machines still exists today.
The straw-fired steam tractor served a dual purpose. It traveled in reverse as motive power to push the harvester components. It could also be used as a plow. The traction engine used differential gears instead of wheel clutches for turning.
The Berry even had power transfer, a steam version of a pto. Steam from the traction engine was piped to a second engine that drove the harvesting mechanism.
In recognition of the role the Berry combine played in later combine designs, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recently designated it a historic landmark. A plaque commemorating the Berry has been placed at the Tulare County Museum, Visalia, Calif.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kathy McGowan, Mooney Grove Park, 27000 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, Calif. 93277 (ph 559 733-6616; www.tularecountyhistorical society. org).
When it comes to big headers, few modern combines could match the 1888 Berry self-propelled. It sported a 40-ft. header and harvested 100 acres in a 24-hour day.
The combine was also ahead of its day with its biomass fuel source. Forget about biodiesel or ethanol. The steam engine that powered it was fired with straw gathered as the wheat was harvested.
George Stockton Berry, Lindsay, Calif., designed and built six of the big machines. His first in 1886 had a 22-ft. header. None of the machines still exists today.
The straw-fired steam tractor served a dual purpose. It traveled in reverse as motive power to push the harvester components. It could also be used as a plow. The traction engine used differential gears instead of wheel clutches for turning.
The Berry even had power transfer, a steam version of a pto. Steam from the traction engine was piped to a second engine that drove the harvesting mechanism.
In recognition of the role the Berry combine played in later combine designs, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recently designated it a historic landmark. A plaque commemorating the Berry has been placed at the Tulare County Museum, Visalia, Calif.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kathy McGowan, Mooney Grove Park, 27000 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, Calif. 93277 (ph 559 733-6616; www.tularecountyhistorical society. org).
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