Rare Cornbine Shreds Stalks, Picks Ears At Same Time

Rare Cornbine Shreds Stalks, Picks Ears At Same Time COMBINES Corn Pickers(13) 22-1-24 Last fall Gene Mathews of Eau Claire, Wis., harvested 1 1/2 acres of corn using a rare 1949 Rosenthal "cornbine". The pto-powered ma-chine cuts and shreds the entire stalk as it picks ears and elevates them into a trailing wagon. If desired, the shredded stalks can be blown into a wagon driven alongside the rig. "I bought it at an auction 18 years ago just because it was different. I paid $30 for it. I used it to pick two rows the first year but then it sat in my shed for years. Last fall I got it going again. It worked great." According to Mathews, the cornbine works like stationary corn shredders used in the old days. "A knife cuts the stalk off, then gathering rolls snap the ears off. Ears go up the elevator and any kernels that shell off are collected in a gunny sack. Meanwhile, the stalks and husks go through the machine and are chopped and shredded into pieces no longer than 3/4 in. "A hood controls what happens to the chopped stalks. Leaving the hood all the way down allows them to fall onto the ground. Leaving it half way up allows them to be scattered over a 6-ft. wide area. Opening the hood all the way up allows them to be blown into a wagon that runs alongside the tractor. Last fall I just scattered the material on the ground." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Mathews, 6330 Hwy. 53, Eau Claire, Wis. 54701 (ph 715 832-5307).

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