1960 Harvest

rusty6 · Dec 19, 2019

I was posting this one to another page and thought it might be of some interest here as well. It is a harvest scene from mid September of 1960. A couple of neighbours had stopped by to help my dad finish harvesting wheat. On the left is a Case, not sure of the model but on the right is a Massey Harris 90. They were big combines compared to my dad's little model A Case pull type with it's infernal hard starting Wisconsin V4.

tim s · Dec 19, 2019

The machines were so much simpler back then,, and they didn't cost as much as a Farm...

Bob Bancroft · Dec 19, 2019

That's big stuff! Self propelled didn't come to our farm until the mid 60's.

rusty6 · Dec 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 17:50:36 12/19/19) The machines were so much simpler back then,, and they didn't cost as much as a Farm...

Actually that machine to land cost ratio has stayed fairly close. I can remember when you could buy the biggest JD combine for about the same cost as a quarter section. Round about $20,000. I think today you can pay close to half a million for a new combine so it looks like combines are a little more expensive now. I think you could buy a half section around here for half a million.

Case Nutty 1660 · Dec 19, 2019

That should be a Case SP-12 I cant see enough of it to be 110% sure but my money is on a SP-12,, only other thing it could be is a SP-9,, but that header looks 12' to me,,

rusty6 · Dec 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 18:34:21 12/19/19) That should be a Case SP-12 I cant see enough of it to be 110% sure but my money is on a SP-12,, only other thing it could be is a SP-9,, but that header looks 12' to me,,

Thanks for the i.d. on the Case. Too bad the photographer did not get a better view or some side pictures.

Bob · Dec 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 19:12:42 12/19/19) I was posting this one to another page and thought it might be of some interest here as well. It is a harvest scene from mid September of 1960. A couple of neighbours had stopped by to help my dad finish harvesting wheat. On the left is a Case, not sure of the model but on the right is a Massey Harris 90. They were big combines compared to my dad's little model A Case pull type with it's infernal hard starting Wisconsin V4.

GOSH, that case looks TINY next to that Massive Harris!

55 50 Ron · Dec 19, 2019

I'm surprised to see straight cutting in 1960. Swathing was still being done then in the area where I grew up in Towner County, North Dakota. I know I ran the swather for Dad in about 1964, Versatile 15 ft pull type and Massey Harris 444 tractor.

rusty6 · Dec 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 19:35:32 12/19/19)

GOSH, that case looks TINY next to that Massive Harris!

I think the Massey is closer to the camera which only makes it look bigger than the Case. I think they would have been close in size if side by side.
Ron, swathing was uncommon here in the fifties as most wheat was straight cut. Dad usually hired a neighbour to swath oats because they were more subject to shelling in the wind while waiting to mature. After a wet snow laid the wheat down in September of 65 a lot of guys decided swathing was the safer way to go and for years everybody swathed their wheat. Now its rare to swath wheat. Many spray it instead of swath.

GreenEnvy · Dec 19, 2019

Rusty I own both combines and I can say the Sp 12 is just as big as the MH 90 if maybe not slightly bigger.

rusty6 · Dec 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 20:59:45 12/19/19) Rusty I own both combines and I can say the Sp 12 is just as big as the MH 90 if maybe not slightly bigger.

Good to hear from somebody that knows the machines. I know the Massey was the biggest they made until the Super 92 came out about 1960.

Lee Wegner · Dec 20, 2019

I went on wheat harvest in 1961 with Ham Town of Perry Ks ,we had 9 super 92's and one 92 , we went from Texas too the Canda border

BillinCentralMO · Dec 20, 2019

All my farm experience is in Missouri. I don?t understand swathing. We just harvest the wheat with combines here in
the midwest. Why swath it before the combine picks it up ? Is that to dry it ?

rusty6 · Dec 20, 2019

(quoted from post at 12:21:16 12/20/19) All my farm experience is in Missouri. I don?t understand swathing. We just harvest the wheat with combines here in
the midwest. Why swath it before the combine picks it up ? Is that to dry it ?

Yes, its either that or spray it with glyphosate which I won't do. In an ideal year like 2018 I was straight cutting ripe and dry wheat the first week of September. This year it never did ripen or dry out. If I'd swathed it in September the swaths would have gotten well soaked and maybe never dried. Probably sprouted because they found sprouted kernels even in the standing wheat that I harvested in late October.

BillinCentralMO · Dec 20, 2019

I see. I guess because it?s cooler up there , drying it becomes something you have to try and control. Thanks for
explaining that.

DWF · Dec 20, 2019

Helped my Uncle farming in the Red River Valley in Minnesota in that time period. At one point he had a Cockshutt Self propelled #112 then a K2 Case pull type and MM G4 pull type, I operated that one quite a bit. His last combine before retirement was an 815 IH. I think he had some self propelled after the pull types but before the 815. Everything at that point was swathed.
DWF

1960 Harvest

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