stalk chopping

Kirk Affeldt · Nov 10, 2013

Yesterday, I had the chance to try out my 'new" stalk chopper. My chopper is a New Idea #61 shredder. I bought this over the summer and hadn't been used nor out of the shed in over 20 years. The guy I bought it from said his dad bought it new, and he still had the rear hitch for it. Despite the stalks being wet the shredder did a pretty good job.

RayP(MI) · Nov 10, 2013

Funny looking thing, but looks like it works. Guessing it would be helpful for corn borrer control. Also help with plowing under stalks in the spring with moldboard plow.

paul · Nov 10, 2013

I saw one of those, a 2 row, on a sale once.

Of course stalk chopping with a stalk chopper is very commonplace here, just the single shaft style.

I was chopping last night with my new to me Balzer, until a spring broke I didn't know, shredded the belt.

Lot of folk have gone to chopping corn heads, eliminate the seperate pass.

Paul

Bob Bancroft · Nov 10, 2013

That is neat. I've never seen one. What is the rear hitch for? How is the power transmitted- belts, chains? I assume no gearbox.

Tim(nj) · Nov 10, 2013

The design makes sense for me. It's close coupled to the tractor, and most row-crop tractors were open with the rear seat hung back on the rear axle, no cabs . . . think about it, anything solid would be thrown to the side with that design instead of back up on the tractor and operator.

dustycoal · Nov 10, 2013

Think you have a nice piece of equipment. Good luck with it.

Kirk Affeldt · Nov 10, 2013

The power is transferred through belts, and they were put on new the last time the seller and his dad used it. In the brochure I have for it, there is a picture of a disk being pulled behind the shredder. IF I can find the brochure, I will post that picture. Otherwise, I don't know what else you would have pulled behind it. I have another one of these New Idea shredders but it is missing a PTO piece so it will be my parts machine. My dad had one back in the mid 1980s and I would chop stalks as a kid for him. We had a mounted corn picker so there was more material to chop. In my pictures I was out on a corn field being combined. I bought this for my corn picking day on the farm to chop up the headlands and for an opportunity for an old-timer to jump on a tractor and run around the field.

rrlund · Nov 10, 2013

I've got to get at that this week. I just finished picking the first 15 acres today. I want to get that field cut and baled before I move on to pick any more. I use an MC Rotary Scythe.

Tim(nj) · Nov 10, 2013

Maybe pull a rake behind to windrow the cut stalks for baling? I've seen that ad with the disk behind the shredder somewhere too.

Leroy · Nov 10, 2013

In case you did not know the No. 61 was built mid 54 to 57 in lots 6 to 14 and it followed the No. 60 that I have, mine is lot S2built first year 53 and 60 was lots 1 - 5. The 451 came out lots S15 to S18 for 58 & 59. And you can get through 36" rows but not 30" with them. Mine is no longer used. It was at the New Idea 100 year open house. Quit using it when went to 30" rows and no longer farming.

Alan K · Nov 10, 2013

Neat pictures. Its always fun using a "new' piece of equipment isnt it? I bought a model 60 IH stalk chopper to use. It is fun to get them running and watch them in operation. You have a neat one there.

ss55 · Nov 10, 2013

A hitch for a disk makes sense.

My first thought was the green frame might be a safety guard to keep people & animals some distance from the rotating knives, yet be open enough to not resrict stalk flow.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 10, 2013

we had one of those years ago, it beat the heck out of the long stalks from a picker, it had a gearbox or some open gears or something I don't recall that went out so we parked it, we had another one we were going to part out to fix it like it but the parts were differen't between the two

maxwell99 · Nov 11, 2013

I have a stalk chopper too: Its a little older than yours. Old guy next door said when he was young that the stalk chopper was a grand tool to have as all they had to cut up stalks was a small team disc that just rolled over the stalks.

the old one row stalk chopper made the job much easier.
___________
you have a great looking machine, I have never seen anything like it.

stalk chopping

Kirk Affeldt

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RayP(MI)

Well-known Member

paul

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Bob Bancroft

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Tim(nj)

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dustycoal

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Kirk Affeldt

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rrlund

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Tim(nj)

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Leroy

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Alan K

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ss55

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Anonymous-0

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maxwell99

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