JD Model 18 Corn Picker

Hi All- Anybody have experience with a JD 18 picker? Looking to get 2 acres in 2013 ( up from 1/2) by hand won't do. Sucker for old green to begin with. Will it kill me or just whittle me down little by little? Thanks

I have had an old john deere corn picker for many years, 100 model built in 1948.

I sure hope the jd model is an upgrade or you will be unhappy.

In good clean corn (no weeds, corn stalks planted about 12"-15" apart, it works ok, otherwise forget it.

most all the guys who used a pull type corn picker around west ky used an New Idea, i never had one but there were more New Idea pickers around.

Just like hay balers, most i every saw around here were New Holland balers, guess people just found the brand that worked best and stuck with it.

Just my experience, but the old john deere picker does not like weeds and heavy corn.

We had a John Deere #18 for several years
and it worked ok. As was mentioned those
older pickers don't like weeds or high
plant populations. The 18 was a step up
from the 100 and 101 pickers giving a little more capaicity. If the rolls in the husking bed are worn bad the corn won't come out very clean.
The New Idea pickers are good and will handle
higher population at a higher speed. For the
small acerage you are talking a 18 in good shape
will do the job fine and look good behind your John Deere tractor. If you get a 18 be sure to
get a manual as there are allot of ajustments
that can be made to get the most out of them with the least troubles. Do you have a picker you are now looking to buy? Good luck.
Larry

As others said, find a two row New Idea 324/325

i got a deere 18 picker. bought it last year and rebuilt it with my dad. its a nice picker and a lot less temermental than the oliver number 5 we also had. but beware, mother deere stopped making parts in 1976 according to our parts guy. but i love it we ran it with a Case VAC last year and it ran it fine. this year i am useing the WD on the Deere and the Case on the Oliver

(reply to post at 08:12:14 10/28/12) I have had an old john deere corn picker for many years, 100 model built in 1948.

Click to expand...

Maxwell99, that looks like the 101 I just picked up. Can you get a closer picture of the castor wheel under the wagon elevator? I need it to hook up to a Ford (per the book) and I'm not sure the parts are all there. Thanks, Mark.

That caster wheel is only for to be able to move it around by hand in storage, for use it comes off. There is a carry wheel on the left side that stays on to help with the load of the picker on the tractor so the left side of the tractor does not have to carry all the picker weight.

The older New Idea's were not that well respected. As many Olivers as New Idea and several of the John Deere 100-101 pickers and New Idea was only built 40 mile from here.

The caster wheel on the 101 series stays on to help carry the load with the other wheel and the mount on the drawbar.I don"t see how you could move it around by hand as the picking snouts would be dragging on the groumd. Good luck Amo

will try to get you a picture of the trail wheel tomorrow.

per my manual, when shipping, the trail wheel is attached on the left side of the picker frame,

a special Temporary shipping tongue was then attached to the picker so they could be loaded onto rail cars for shipping. With trail wheel in the locked position and the temp tongue attached the picker could be moved around like a trailer picker.

the trail wheel must be in the rear position for normal operation as it is a part of the balance of the machine, left main wheel, hitch and right rear rotating wheel.

I have the hitch setup for attaching the picker to a TO-35 Ferguson tractor.

jd never did make much of a picker, New Idea not respcted? In the 40/50's MM was top of the line with a 6A New Idea right up with it. By the time the 324 NI came out no one had anything even close. I have a #7 NI that I pick some earcorn with for my calves, we plant 30,000 and it does pretty good for it's age. As far as I am concerned a 101 or similar like the 18 you mentioned are great show pieces but not something I would want to depend on to pick my corn.

That No. 7 New Idea was not liked very well, And when it was time at that time after Dad looked at the New Idea he went with Oliver No. 5 for years And the Best picker was a John Deere No. 227 that I used for years. After it broke and was just too much work to repair (by that time we had a combine with corn head to open fields) bought a Oliver No. 73. By the time those 3 digit New Ideas came out no one was buying new pickers except for the mounted Super Picker so very few of them around, They may have been better but those old No. 7 were not very much of a picker. The old Wood Bros was as good as the New Idea No. 7 and a lot easier to run. The old JD 100 did a better husking job than the No. 7 NI. Spent many a day setting at elevator wating to get rid of the corn and new just what every farmer had that was delievering corn. Would take a load and my lunch and leave in morning for elevator and Dad would go to field, when he would get load would head to elevator, many a time would meet on road and switch tractors and wagons and I would head back to elevator or if I could not get unloaded in time he would get to elevator and when I got unloaded would switch wagons and I would stay with the load, about 3 to 4 loads a day. This was in late 50's to 1960. The better New Ideas were not yet made at that time. And the sheller at the elevator was only rated for a hundred bushels per hour. Seeing all the corn that came in you got a pretty good handle on what was doing a nice job. It was only after the other companys quit making pickers did New Idea come out with a good one.

a couple of pictures of the trail wheel
John Deere Picker #100 built around 1948

also a picture of the temp trail wheel side mount, if you ever needed it.

"By the time those 3 digit New Ideas came out no one was buying new pickers except for the mounted Super Picker so very few of them around"
In this instance, you have no idea what you"re talking about, Leroy.

Around here that is the way it was. At that time corn heads were taking over and very few pickers still used. In your area it may have been different.

(quoted from post at 11:38:34 10/29/12) a couple of pictures of the trail wheel
John Deere Picker #100 built around 1948

also a picture of the temp trail wheel side mount, if you ever needed it.

Click to expand...

Thanks, maxwell. That's just what I needed. Looks like I'll have to fab up a wheel mount. Where do you hook up a wagon to the back? I've got the manual for the 101 picker I have, it's just not a very clear picture in my head how it all gels together.

Sorry Agman101, didn't mean to hijack your thread. Mark

Dboll, it is obvious you are pretty down on anything Deere. Most folks thought and apparently still think Deere makes some good stuff. Some of your comments are simply not based in fact. You have a right to it, though, even if most would disagree. Mike

brair,

the picture did not show up well, but the plate above the small rear trail wheel has a wagon hitch hole in it near the end, that is where you hitch the wagon.

my old Series 100 may look rough, but it finished picking the corn field and pulled to the house the last load of corn.

It did not break down and have to be transported to the house. Then have some other picker brought in to finish the job.

I did notice i need to replace the rear transport tire, will do that in the next few days. I would think both tires are the orginal tires, they just do not build stuff today like they use to.