Stem Smasher Gold

Not long ago I was looking for a stem smasher, like the CO part
of todays MOCO, without the MO. IH made a model 404 which
was perfect. I located one in a local farmers lot and got it in
running order.

A couple of days ago I was rummaging around a local used farm
equipment retailer and son of a gun found another sitting back
in the rear of the lot where his old stuff is piled up.

Will stop by today and if he is interested in parting with it...$$$$
I'll buy it for parts. Can't believe it....from rags to riches
overnight...sorta. Now I can plant my Pearl Millet, cut it with my
drum mower and don't have to worry about a stem smasher.
HOT DOG!

Mark

Well he was ready to sell it. Helped him come to an equitable price standing there with my wallet out thumbing the bills in it.

Got it home, and lubed everything up real good. Worst part was the chain but half a can of chain lube and a little rolling it over did the trick. Hooked it to the tractor and gave it a good run in.

Thing was built in Corsicana, TX. So. of Dallas by a small company that was in the metal working business. Everything is heavy duty and a couple of things I like over the IH 404: Both rollers are steel and the lower one has 3/4" square stock welded to the steel drum to do the stem breaking where the IH used a well worn rubber rib covering and the bearings weren't sealed; they had zerks and every one took grease.

So here I got this thing out of a junk pile and put it in running order with a scrap metal price and no repair parts. Can't beat that.

Course we all know that the reason it was in a scrap pile was because these have outlived their time. The MOCO saves a trip over the field. But, on my little retirement hay patch, even the 9' JD 1209 was just too big and too much trouble. I have plenty of time and my little diesel sipping Ford 2000 can easily pull it.

Every body has a story. That's mine for today.

Mark