A month or so ago this old Oliver 73-H followed me home. It was sitting in the same fence row for as long as i can remember. Last year the old timer who owned it passed away and his widow started renting out the farm ground. The farmer naturally wanted to get rid of the little fence line this thing sat in so he offered to start scrapping the equipment out that sat in it. One of my dads friends lives about a half a mile down the road and talks to the lady frequently. When he heard this picker was going to get scrapped he came and told us. I went to look at it and for where it has been sitting the last 15+ years it wasnt really in bad shape. The lady said she wanted 600 for it and I just couldnt justify it so I walked away. Then about a 2 weeks later I struck up a deal with the local feed mill to sell them ear corn for squirrels, and the justification presented itself. I asked if she would take 500 for it and we made a deal. Probably still about 200 more than its worth in its present state but every time i drove buy it while trying to decide it made my stomoch knot up just thinking of it getting scrapped. When we got it home we hooked it to a tractor to try it out and everything works flawlessly. All it really needs it one rust hole fixed, 3 small berrings, seals in the gearboxes, and belts to be field ready. It needs some work but its nothing you wouldnt expect from a 60 year old corn picker. I cant wait to use it this fall.
