Mounted corn pickers

[Charlie M]

Been watching some corn picking videos on you tube. Some of the pickers were mounted pickers. Were those things as miserable to mount as they look like they would be? Looks like they would have to come off just to do a tune up on the tractor. I'm happy with my pull type picker. I leave enough room on the outside of the field so I don't waste corn on the first round by driving over it. Guess it wouldn't work so well on a big field. I like picking corn a nice fall day and not muddy. I wish some of the videos I see about combining small grain, picking corn and other things would happen around here where I could participate. Best I can do around here is hit a plow day. I guess its one reason why I grow some wheat and ear corn for my animals instead of buying them- so I can play with the toys.

 

[casecollectorsc]

I have a model IM JI Case picker mounted on a DC Case tractor. Once the drive parts are on the tractor it takes about 5 minutes to back out of the picker or mount it. The model IM has two elevators to convey the ears of corn to the wagon.

 

[38 Sears Roebuck]

Mounting a New Idea onto a JD 60 wasn't too much of a problem.

 

[JIM MN]

Remember the first John Deere Mounted picker No-25. Then the No-226-227 and last No-237. All were a two man job to mount. Miserable! Prepare the tractor, mount the picker, put on the elevator?

 

[620 John]

Never done it myself but Grandpa always said it took two guys most of the day to mount or dismount the JD 227 on the A or 620. One of the guys at work talks about working on the tractor with the picker mounted on. I can only imagine how fun that was...

 

[John T]

If you want to see almost every make model and brand of old mounted pickers picking corn go to half century of progress next august in rantoul IL I hope to be there along with the other 10,000 golf carts lord willin… yes they are a pain to mount been there done that. For a video of mounting one check out Gierok farms on you tube

John T

 

[paul]

Dad and uncle shared an F20 with a mounted 2E picker on it. They picked from the late 50s into the 1990s with it. Us kids were the hitch pin pickers as we grew into the job.

I never really saw that tractor, the picker never came off it.

It looked like it would have been a job to mount or dismount it.

Wasn't the fastest harvest, I look now at the 12 row combines with 2 grain carts and 4 semis……

Paul

 

[HuskerMedic]

My mom's uncle retired from farming in the mid-1980's. Up until retirement, he picked all his corn, about 200 acres worth, with a 237 JD picker mounted on a 3020 diesel. The 3020 was also his planter/cultivating tractor, so the picker went on and off every fall. He did it by himself, but it would take him two or three days to do it. I don't think he got in any hurry.

He mostly harvested by himself. He had four barge wagons with hoists, and would pick until all the wagons were full, then empty them all at once, and start over again. He had a JD A that pulled the wagons and a Farmall H that ran the elevator from the belt pully.

Towards the end of his farming career, he bought several pickers at basically scrap value, as many guys were no longer picking. He had three or four pickers sitting in the trees for parts, which was a good thing, as JD wasn't providing much parts support for pickers towards the end of his farming career.

All his corn went into round wire cribs. Somehow, he put the corn under government loan, and got paid to store it. Then, when the loan term was up, he had the option to either forfeit the corn or pay off the loan and sell it if the cash value was more than the loan value. I'm not 100% sure on the exact terms-maybe someone on here is more familiar and can correct my if I'm wrong on the details.

This is where I came into the picture-he owned a truck mounted, #6 JD corn sheller and would shell out the corn and deliver it to the elevator. I was on the shelling crew, and got paid to help scoop corn and clean out the cribs. He would usually hire three or four of us to help, including several of my cousins who worked on the shelling crew at one time or another.

 

[ss55]

Been watching some corn picking videos on you tube. Some of the pickers were mounted pickers. Were those things as miserable to mount as they look like they would be? Looks like they would have to come off just to do a tune up on the tractor. I'm happy with my pull type picker. I leave enough room on the outside of the field so I don't waste corn on the first round by driving over it. Guess it wouldn't work so well on a big field. I like picking corn a nice fall day and not muddy. I wish some of the videos I see about combining small grain, picking corn and other things would happen around here where I could participate. Best I can do around here is hit a plow day. I guess its one reason why I grow some wheat and ear corn for my animals instead of buying them- so I can play with the toys.

Preparing the tractor and attaching the mounting frame were most of the work. One day job with two people. Used operators manuals are available on ebay and at tractor shows if you want to see what all is involved.

Getting a corn picker stuck in deep mud or breaking a rear axle on the tractor were tougher to fix than mounting the picker. Corn pickers were very noisy to operate, probably well over 100 decibles at the drivers ear.

 

[Gambles]

It's been awhile, but I once saw an Oliver 70 sitting in a salvage yard with an Oliver #4 picker attached to it. I casually mentioned to the yard owner that I'd be interested in the 70. He gave me a fantastic price on the 70, but there was one condition to the sale: I had to take the #4 picker with it. (The owner was getting up there in years, wanted it gone) Okay, no problem.
I got the 70 and the #4 home and advertised the #4. A young lad from 700 miles away was interested in it and I sold it to him. I was curious how he was going to get it home. He arrived with another 70 on the back of the truck, unloaded it and drive it into the machine. He brought a friend along and the two of them put the #4 on his 70 and drive it back on the truck. The young man said his grandfather used to have a #4 and he was going to get a replacement for it. I'd say the two got the picker mounted in a couple of hours and it looked like they had done one before.
I do know how a lot of farmers used to lose an appendage...or two. There were so many moving parts to that #4 and those moving parts were pretty close to the driver. I hope the grandfather is happy.

 

[Blue Jay]

I had a JD 227 on a JD A that I could mount by myself in about 6 hours including moving the rear tires out after a couple of years doing it.
1st year it took all day

 

[mrslesq]

Been watching some corn picking videos on you tube. Some of the pickers were mounted pickers. Were those things as miserable to mount as they look like they would be? Looks like they would have to come off just to do a tune up on the tractor. I'm happy with my pull type picker. I leave enough room on the outside of the field so I don't waste corn on the first round by driving over it. Guess it wouldn't work so well on a big field. I like picking corn a nice fall day and not muddy. I wish some of the videos I see about combining small grain, picking corn and other things would happen around here where I could participate. Best I can do around here is hit a plow day. I guess its one reason why I grow some wheat and ear corn for my animals instead of buying them- so I can play with the toys.

Unlike some of the other stories I would prepare our 1946 JD A and mount our JD 227 picker when I was 16 years by myself in 3 days after school. I got home from school just after 4 and had to start doing chores and milking 20 cows at 5:30. This included switching the rear wheels to make them wide enough to fit the picker. I had no choice since my Dad died 3 months before I was 16 years old. I thought it was fun to see the transformation to fall harvest for the tractor.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

Been watching some corn picking videos on you tube. Some of the pickers were mounted pickers. Were those things as miserable to mount as they look like they would be? Looks like they would have to come off just to do a tune up on the tractor. I'm happy with my pull type picker. I leave enough room on the outside of the field so I don't waste corn on the first round by driving over it. Guess it wouldn't work so well on a big field. I like picking corn a nice fall day and not muddy. I wish some of the videos I see about combining small grain, picking corn and other things would happen around here where I could participate. Best I can do around here is hit a plow day. I guess its one reason why I grow some wheat and ear corn for my animals instead of buying them- so I can play with the toys.

Still have a Deere 237 for on my 2510 diesel. I have put it on and off by myself a few times. Once finished morning chores around 9AM and pulled the tractor in the shop. Moved wheels and mounted picker alone and still had time to pick 2 loads before evening milking. I also once dropped the mounting frame on my big toe and that one is still messed up bad 30 years latter.

 

[Bob Collins]

When I was a kid (1950s) we had a farmer in the vicinity with a Massey-Harris 44 with a mounted two row picker. It stayed on the tractor all year, I can't remember if he used it for any other work. I guess it was a pain to remove.

 

[Janicholson]

We operated an M and a Super H with a 2-MH picker. 2 men 1/2 day if all the drive parts were localized, and the picker supports had stayed up and square. I was too young to do anything but splice the master link in the drive chain (thank goodness) Jim

 

[Destroked 450]

Never mounted a two row but it looks like it would be a pretty big job
Been mounting and using Ford one row side mounts since dad purchased our first one new in 64
We have two tractors with the picker brackets mounted on the axles, takes about 30 minutes to mount on either tractor

 

[MMDan]

Really not that bad of a job IF you blocked the picker carefully when you took it off. Have had an AC picker on a WC ALLIS. It was the easiest to mount as we just reversed the rear wheels and backed over the picker with the elevator attached. Hooked up the PTO and brackets and the put the center snout on the tractor and attached the outer shields/snouts on each side. JD 227 was harder. JD 237 with the universal mounting frame was pretty easy. Biggest job was getting the wheels moved out. They were always stuck tight (JD 630). Took longer to prep the tractor than it did to mount the picker. I used the big shield over the radiator and you have to take the nose section off to put it on.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Never mounted a two row but it looks like it would be a pretty big job
Been mounting and using Ford one row side mounts since dad purchased our first one new in 64
We have two tractors with the picker brackets mounted on the axles, takes about 30 minutes to mount on either tractor
View attachment 100197
View attachment 100198

That's a sharp looking corn picking setup!

Mike

 

[Sprint 6]

I have a customer that ran a mounted picker on an International 560. He told me there was no better feeling than when he could afford to buy another 560 to use for field work so the picker could stay on the other tractor year round.

 

[Destroked 450]

My grand dad had a two row picker mounted on his Oliver 1550, I don’t think they ever took the picker off after he purchased his 1755
He sold the tractor and picker after switching to a combine