last mounted picker models?

[swindave]

does any one have any idea what the last model mounted picker models were sold
by differant companies?
and what year would the last ones sold?

tractors stared getting big in 70s and ear corn started going slowly away in my area in
late 60s and early 70s
thanks

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

Last Deere was the 237,Last IH was the 234 which was one of the best pickers made as it had deck plates over the rolls. AC made a model 150,170 and 190 that also had deck plates. Neighbor had one of the last New Idea pickers made with the big husking bed but I do not remember the model number. Tom

 

[coonie minnie]

Another question is "what was the last 'picker capable' tractor?" For Deere it ended in 1972 with the 3020 and 4020. The 30 series didn't have removable fenders... How about other brands?

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

The 66 series IH's were picker compatible. Last AC would have been a D17-D19. I have saw a few 4000-5000 Fords with pickers. Newest Massey I ever seen was a 65. Oliver 55 series tractors. Tom

 

[J. Schwiebert]

Last Oliver mounted picker as the model 74 which was a very good picker Also the New Idea uni was a good picker and used by some to pick seed corn after most mounted pickers were done plus it was available in a 3 row narrow row model.

 

[muleman51]

The last neighbor to pick corn for us in the mid 70s had a 234 IH on a 756 that picker would really pick corn fast. The stripper plates really made a difference.

 

[jd6620]

Google "Vermeer Corn Harvester" for more info and photos
Vermeer

 

[NY 986]

Around here corn pickers in general were fading away in favor of combines with corn heads by the mid-1960's. Mounted pickers were never numerous around here I suspect due to most farms having dairy cows requiring a tractor being available daily to pull a manure spreader. Further, most farms at that time only had maybe one or two tractors with enough power to handle a picker or spreader. The equipment salesmen I knew figured the last generation mounted pickers sold very sparse like here in the lake plain region of NY (Auburn to Buffalo to either side of US 20). Maybe a couple units of JD 237 for each county along that corridor. Maybe a few more units total of IH 234 as a few were sold for sweet corn harvesting. Today it would be very difficult to find a mounted picker around here period. I've seen a couple of 227 pickers with old time area dealer stickers on them which tells me they were here since new. A recent conversation about the nearest JD dealer until the mid-1960's indicated that dealer sold a 226, a couple 227's, and one 237 which started its career down the road from me but is long gone. As to the question at hand I would guess production of new mounted pickers stopped during the mid-1970's. Perhaps New Idea produced one later as they were still in the picker business into the 1980's. I think that the last corn pickers period built by the major manufacturers happened during the late 1980's. I remember a co-worker from around that time rushing to his local NI dealer when he was informed production was ceasing to place an order for a NI 325. I would love to collect a JD 237 or IH 234 picker.
For Grandpa Love there was the perfect Ford picker (602) for sale out by Buffalo, NY that had been shedded with less than 50 acres of use on it as of last fall. Don't know if it sold but have not seen it advertised this year.

 

[Dieseltech]

The MF dealer I worked for years ago rented out an MF 180 with a mounted picker, and using a grinder on the back for a customer to fill his blue silo with.

 

[NY 986]

True in terms of being factory produced but there have been customized 30 series JD's and 86 series IH for mounted picker duty. A couple of archived discussions on the Red Power Board concerning modified 86 series tractors.

 

[8850dave]

319 ??

 

[caterpillar guy]

It's not mounted but Byron makes a sel propelled model ffor seed corn with 6row head anyway that I know of in the later 90's.

 

[Destroked 450]

Last year for the Ford 601 and 602 mounted pickers was 74.
Still use a 601 side mount.

 

[buickanddeere]

Never seen a tractor mounted picker around here . Mostly two row New Idea corn pickers and the occasional JD towed/trailer units .