Dearborn 16-4 one row picker

Well we have an auction coming up that has one of these in it. I went and looked at it today and it seems to be there but needs some love to come back alive. Let me start by saying I know nothing about these and I will probably not be using the correct terms trying to describe it. Looking from the back there is a chain the has wooden bars about 10-12 long. Those are pretty rough looking. Anyone know the dimensions and what they were made out of? I wonder if they could be made from aluminum or something for replacements? Also the chute going to the wagon has some rubber paddles that are mostly missing. I would need a pattern for those because I am sure you can't buy them. This ties into the thread in crop talk where my son wants to plant a few acres of corn to grow for his pigs and pick it himself. He also might be able to get a another 2 acre field from a neighbor to plant and pick. So we will want to get the picker running and of course repaint the old girl and make her look nice. Oh and the point on the right side (If seated on tractor) Is messed up I don't know how had one of those would be to come up with. And if we get it bought we will be on the look out for any manuals we can get for it. The serial number is 58820. Not sure what year it was made. Anything to look for as in wear items on something that would be a no go for this picker? Thank you for any help

I purchased one last year for $250 for no other reason than to keep it out of a scrap yard. It appeared to be all there and useable as well. Ran it to oil down chains greased all fittings and threw some ear corn in it just to make a video to send to my boys. I could take measurements but don't know what type of wood it is. Not sure of your budget but if wanting to really use it I would seriously look into New Idea. They can be had reasonable with patience. Working on the Dearborn could possibly get into the range of a New Idea.

Yep I agree. The wood prices are there but look pretty rough. I wonder if a guy could replace them with some derllin that wouldnt rot. We will see what it goes for
my son has a Ford Jubilee that he is going to get running when it shows up and likes the Dearborn to put behind it. They have a New Idea 2 row that looks to be
in really nice shape too but I think the jubilee would do better with the one row

I would probably use oak for the wood parts. If there's enough left of the old pieces you could use them for a pattern.

A few years ago I worked on a New Idea picker that had a lot of wood pieces that were in poor shape. I got hold of a parts book and looked up the numbers of all the pieces. Took the numbers in to our local Agco dealer. They have an account with Parts Depot and, believe it or not, were able to get all but one of the pieces NOS! Not bad for a 65 year old picker! The remaining piece I was able to fabricate out of a piece of oak.

I don't know if you realize that picker was desigined back in about the mid 1930's for the Orignal Fordson. It carried the Wood Brothers Name and had a few updates along the line before it got the Dearborn name for 1947 to 1954 when name was changed to Ford and with the Wood Brothers name gone in 1946 the grey was changed in 47 for the Dearborn name to the red. I am 78 now and don't remember ever seeing one carrying the Ford name. It was designed for only a high yield of 60 bushels per acre of corn. Now for to pull behind your Ford tractor you definatly would need the 11 hole cross drawbar along with the V drawbar that bolted to the cross drawbar and the lift arms, Then you need the 3 piece stay straps to set and hold the drawbar to correct height, they are marked with a notch in both upper and lower parts to set for PTO height and third piece is to keep upper and lower parts from slipping the height of the drawbar so it does not destroy the PTO shaft and then you need the Factory long PTO adapter that bolts on with 4 bolts. 1 3/8 size on output end and 1 1/8 size on tractor end. If tractor has been converted to a 1 3/8 shaft I know of no way to get correct distiance from hitch pin hole to end of PTO shaft. With aftermarket swinging drawer you might be able to with a new style PTO adapter and drilling a hole in drawbar be able to get it to work. Now the wood you are talking about is to remove the husks from under the husking bed. Think about a hundred grease fittings. Remember the low yield it was designed for, stalk about every foot apart and must be a short ear as long ones will catch in lower end of ear corn elevator. Then you will have to open field by hand or some other way as you cannot turn around and pick up rows you drove over, takes 3 rows husked out to open field as wagon pulles one row to right side of tractor. Still better than husking whole field by hand. I did buy a grey version years ago with plans to take to shows to display with either my 44 2N or 41 9N tractors but never worked out. I picked about a half a load when the chain that holds those wood slats in broke and tore up the perferated screen they ride on. Too big a job to repair it never got done. Then bottom end of ear elevator was ruster out and wired in place. Set for several years untill lost farm and think it along with most of other machinery went to scrap. Operators manuals were hard to find and I never did find a Parts book.

The rubber elevator paddles you could make out of the sidewall of an old bias ply car tire. Same way with the paddles that carry the ears down over the husking bed.