COMBINE MADE MAJOR IMPACT

31 December 1999




COMBINE MADE MAJOR IMPACT

By Andy Collings

THE combine harvester is the machine which has made the greatest impact on farming methods this century. And thats official.

Hundreds of readers voted last autumn in FWs survey to find the most popular machine of the twentieth century. Although it was clear that choosing an appropriate machine was always going to be a subjective decision, we were not prepared for the vast range of proposals which flooded into our offices.

Some believed that the muckspreader has the stronger claim to fame. Other, perhaps equally surprising, suggestions included the grass mower or the electric fencer.

But the bulk of your suggestions were for more mainstream equipment. Who, for example, would quarrel with the claims of the milking machine or, indeed, the pto? Both made a major contribution to the farming scene – one reduced the toil and manpower requirement for milking large herds, the other paved the way to the development of a whole range of powered implements.

But it was the combine harvester which ultimately triumphed. "It can handle all sorts of crops," says Alec Gill who farms near Knaresborough, N Yorks, while Huby-based Chris Smith points out that: "It has to be the biggest time and labour saver ever developed."

Not far behind the combine came a strong vote for the three-point-linkage with more than a few pointing how this equipment, developed by Harry Ferguson, changed the way implements were operated.

Third, in our list of machinery that has made major contributions to farming during the century is the tractor closely followed by the pneumatic seeder. Certainly now a popular machine, the wide working width such systems allow – and their high outputs – found favour with a number of voters.

So it is the combine harvester which is considered to be this centurys prime development. But what advances in machinery designs can we expect for the next century? &#42

THE three winners from our prize draw for entrants to the Machinery Millennium vote are: Mr MW Shaw of Seaham, Co Durham, Mr DW Knight of Tiverton, Devon and Mr J Lee of Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Each have received a cheque for £100.

How you voted

1: Combine harvester.

2: Tractor and three-point linkage.

4: Milking machine and grass mower.

6: Pneumatic seed drill, round baler, radial tyres and the diesel engine.

10: Power harrow, round baler, 4WD, muck spreader, bale wrapper, precision seeder, electric fencing, PTO, electric starter, rubber tracks, ATV, hedgetrimmer and destoner.


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