Vermeer Harvester on a backwards tractor

Straw Boss

Well-known Member
Anybody ever see one of these in real life?
I've put a few hours on an 86 series IH and I don't know how there would have ever been enough room to turn the seat and steering wheel around.
Couldn't have been easy to do. If it was it could have been pretty handy as a snow blower tractor. IH had a hydro tractor at the time. That may have worked better in reverse.
a178868.jpg
 
No,I have never seen one of these pickers in the 'flesh'. But I do remember one being demo ed in the far northwest Ill. hill country .A Vermeer hay tool dealer was demostrating it. Pretty sure it was not sold in that area. If I remember rite it was on a Massey Ferguson super 90 tractor .
That thing would be interesting to see working at a present day corn picking show! clint
 
No, cool!

They developed a picker that mounted on the front of a tractor. It was spendy, $40,000 I think, and that was before front wheel assist was really available, so I believe it was nice on the factory floor, but impractical lot front heavy in the field. It is in the 'Farm show' magazine archives if you search.

I never saw the rear mounted setup, he musta kept working with it.

I don't believe any were ever sold commercially, none got out into the public?

I recall seeing ads in the farm magazines. For the front mount.

Paul
 
That appears to be a black strip IH of the "10" series. How in the world was there enough room in that cab to flip the controls? It wouldn't have been permanent - no farmer would have dedicated his new tractor to that full time. The hood sticks far enough into the tractor that I will bet that guy has his knees up around his waist. I'd be willing to bet that the tractor handled the extra weight better than the mounted pickers when they first came on the scene.

Neat idea, but self propelled pickers came on hard about this time. Vermeer should have seen that coming. 40K isn't worth the extra hassle - someone buying this would have been ahead to by a SP unit.
 
I used to have that very brochure but have misplaced it. I believe I got it at the 1976 Farm Progress Show. I was told at the time that they were using John Deere component parts and used some of their own sheet metal on the corn head. Mike
 
I think UFT was the ones who had the one row up dated #5 oliver picker.I was always surprised they didnt try to improve pickers more than they did. That vermeer i think also could be mountedthe opposite way so it fit on the front of the tractor if i recall right. I think i had that brochure too.
 
I don't think they actually sold any.
After JD dropped the 300 and New Idea stopped making Superpickers, Vermeer designed a pull-type picker that used JD heads, but the market wasn't there. Never more than a prototype. Last 1-row was United Farm Tools, who bought the tooling for the Oliver #5 after White dropped it in early 70s.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top