Massey Combine

[rusty6]

Here is one of my favourite Massey Harris combine ads from 1953. I remember studying this one as a kid and wishing we had one. My dad did bring home a well used Massey 60 in about 1965 to replace the little Case A6 pull type.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

We had a MH combine, I cant remember if it was a 70,
or 72. The 6 cylinder flat head Continental gas engine
threw a rod one day. We pulled the head off, and towed
it into town to the Massey Ferguson dealership. They
removed, rebuilt and reinstalled the engine. And it
harvested many more crops. My dad just loved running
that combine. Even though he would come in as black
as coal some days from sitting there in the dust. Those
machines did a good job

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 18:45:01 09/16/22) We had a MH combine, I cant remember if it was a 70,
or 72. The 6 cylinder flat head Continental gas engine
Even though he would come in as black
as coal some days from sitting there in the dust. Those
machines did a good job

That would be a Chrysler flathead as old Masseys and Cockshutts all used them. My dad suffered from the dust that billowed up from the feeder house right in front of the driver's platform. Sometimes he would wear goggles to protect his eyes. It must have been miserable.

 

[Jim in Sask]

(quoted from post at 19:10:44 09/16/22)

(quoted from post at 18:45:01 09/16/22) We had a MH combine, I cant remember if it was a 70,
or 72. The 6 cylinder flat head Continental gas engine
Even though he would come in as black
as coal some days from sitting there in the dust. Those
machines did a good job

That would be a Chrysler flathead as old Masseys and Cockshutts all used them. My dad suffered from the dust that billowed up from the feeder house right in front of the driver's platform. Sometimes he would wear goggles to protect his eyes. It must have been miserable.

Years back before a neighbour and I harvested together he and his father-in-law had a couple MH 90's. He told me one late harvest it was so cold that despite being dressed like an eskimo complete with blankets over his legs, he could barely get off the combine because legs were so stiff from the cold.

 

[rusty6]

(quoted

Years back before a neighbour and I harvested together he and his father-in-law had a couple MH 90's. He told me one late harvest it was so cold that despite being dressed like an eskimo complete with blankets over his legs, he could barely get off the combine because legs were so stiff from the cold.

I bet that was the fall of 1969. Early snow came and the ground froze. My dad was trying to finish up wheat in early November. A neighbour let him use an almost new 542 Cockshutt straight cutting wheat. He worked into the early morning hour of November 11 to finish and nearly froze sitting on that open 542. Grain was all tough or damp and had to be dried the next spring.

 

[Jim in Sask]

(quoted from post at 20:32:39 09/16/22)

(quoted

Years back before a neighbour and I harvested together he and his father-in-law had a couple MH 90's. He told me one late harvest it was so cold that despite being dressed like an eskimo complete with blankets over his legs, he could barely get off the combine because legs were so stiff from the cold.

I bet that was the fall of 1969. Early snow came and the ground froze. My dad was trying to finish up wheat in early November. A neighbour let him use an almost new 542 Cockshutt straight cutting wheat. He worked into the early morning hour of November 11 to finish and nearly froze sitting on that open 542. Grain was all tough or damp and had to be dried the next spring.

Yes that could be around that time because he and I harvested together from 1975 until 1978. My dad had a 431 Cockshutt from 1962 until 1973. I recall many cold nights (no cab), while waiting for the truck to come back to get the full hopper I'd go up the back ladder and sit behind the motor to try to thaw out. "Good old days!"

 

[fdt860]

This sounds much better than memories written here in 2080: " I remember one time when we lost GPS signals and had to turn the steering wheel.....
I remember the day when the AC went out and we had to wait three days to be going again.... "

 

[560Dennis]

We had a 26

 

[JimB2]

I ran a MF 80 or 90 in 1967 for a few weeks at my cousin's farm in southern Albert until I had to return to school.
Their other combine was a brand new JD with a cab, I can't remember if the JD had AC or not.
Everything was swathed with two 16ft swathers, one was an IH self-propelled and the other was a pull type. If the crop was light two swaths were put into one windrow.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Yes I believe you are correct, a Chrysler engine.
Putting the engine under the combine instead of on
top, wasnt a great design

 

[72supr]

That would be a Chrysler flathead as old Masseys and Cockshutts all used them. My dad suffered from the dust that billowed up from the feeder house right in front of the driver's platform. Sometimes he would wear goggles to protect his eyes. It must have been miserable.[/quote] few years ago Son and I went to a farm sale that had a old combine on it. In the toolbox there was still a set of goggles. Miserable was the word for sure.

 

[jddrawbar]

Ran a 90 in the rice fields during my teenage yrs. You had to be careful of the chaff build
up on the old flat head....they were know to catch fire. Don't know why they didn't run hot
because you could hardly see the engine. First off every morning you would slug the cylinder
no matter how slow you went. We also had a 403 Int. and I thought it was the greatest thing
there was till we cut with a farmer that had JD 95's. One of his 95's was on tracks and it
could go thru the mud & hardly make a print. Brings back memories, sure doesn't seem like 60
+ yrs. ago.

 

[cdmn]

My Dad used a Massey 60 pull-type combine for a lot of work.
It was powered by a four-cylinder Continental on the drawbar.
I used to look at that engine during the off-season wondering
what I could do with it. He eventually replaced it with a JD 95
He was a Massey Harris farmer through and through until he got his
new JD 4020. He kept the Massey 444 diesel for a back-up tractor
for several years after, but then bought a second 4020.

I wasn't able to find a photo of one, but this is a pto driven one:
Massey 60 pto

 

[thehickdaddy]

Granpa bought massey harris 27 new in 1952
to ad to the custom farming fleet when my
dad graduated high school

With 12 foot header with gatorman crop
risers plus love pickup reel, it harvested
wheat, oats, peas, barley, vetch, and
spelts for at least 25 customers as well
as at home.

The 27 joined the ih 125spv that was
purchased new in 1950

Dad remembers filling grain tank
consistantly in 19 minutes in standing
wheat. In one specific field, the field
owner was driving truck to load into his
own storage on the farm. The auger that
was filling the grain bin ran so slowly,
that dad would fill combine again before
grain truck returned and would have to
wait for truck to return across the field

Massey 27 performed amazing well in
standing grain 100 bushel plus wheat in
the 1960s, considering it was designed for
20 bushel crops in the 1940s.

Engine was freshened up at 3,000 hours
with valve job plus upgraded to roto caps,
rings, bearings and new aluminum pistons,
plus cut off the restrictive small cast
exhaust manifold elbow and welded on a
steel straight pipe.

Combine was at 5,000 hours when it burned,
and most of bearings and belts were
original with exception of sickle drive
head which was upgraded from plain bushing
to needle bearing, shaker drive rubber
bushings, engine waterpump belt, and
return elevator bearings, variable speed
drive belt replaced 4 times, straw walker
which were upgraded from plastic to maple

Both were burned in shed fire 1973.

A used pair of massey harris 90 were then
purchased.

Massey 90 both had the same header as far
as 12 foot header, gatorman crop risers
plus love pickup reel, but new upgrade was
variable speed drive for the reel. Dad
also says the 90 had hydraulic header lift
compared to electric 6 volt on tbe 27.
But dad added a second battery in parallel
on the 27 to keep header operation quick.

Another upgrade on the 90 were variable
speed drive on the cleaning fan, a must
with delicate clover seed.

Dad loved the low center of gravity with
engine under the combine. Lots of steep
ground and engine would starve for fuel,
or sidehills and combine would slide but
never tip over.

Pair of massey 90s were run til late 1970s
when they were replaced with pair of used
ih 503.

Dad wanted me to ad that the reason behind
running the 12 foot headers for so many
decades was due to small grain tank size
plus heavy crop meant trouble making the
first round. Plus with narrow gates and
narrow roads encountered in custom
farming, you never knew where you would
end up, and saws and pruners were often
employed to access the field

 

[thehickdaddy]

Dad has more for me to ad

Grandpa was strongly considering between massey harris 27 and case sp12 new in 1952. But the massey harris won out due to ability to ad a sacker unit from allis chalmers allcrop behind the main bulk tank due to customer requirements that wanted it sacked. And there was no simple place for sacker on the sp12.

Also the case sp12 had engine heat blowing directly on the operator.

Also the case combine had trouble feeding at the header as did similar IH combines. Where as the massey combines flowed and handled the crop. Dad remembers some case owners built platforms on the feederhouse for an extra person to stand on to use a stock or pole to try to poke and help feed the crop thru before piling up ontop of feeder house.

Also the Minneapolis moline combines had fluid drive that did not hold the combines back when headed downhill, and ran hot when trying to pull uphill

Just sharing memmories from decades of custom farming

 

[rusty6]

(quoted from post at 12:10:11 09/17/22)
Also the case sp12 had engine heat blowing directly on the operator.
Just sharing memories from decades of custom farming

Interesting memories. Saw quite a few fifties vintage Case combines here. Both SP and pull type. I believe it is a model K pull type sitting in my grandfathers yard. Not used in decades. Same as the 95 John Deeres.