Ear Corn Pickers Coming On Strong

Ear Corn Pickers Coming On Strong COMBINES Corn Pickers(13) 2-3-17 How would you like to buy a spanking new corn picker for less than $4,000? You can, thanks to United Farm Tools which bought the "tooling" for the popular Oliver model No. 51-row ear corn picker. Production is slated to begin June 1 at United's Calhoun Manufacturing Division, headquartered by Bethany, Mo. "Our version of the old No. 5 Oliver will be almost an exact duplicate," a company spokesman told FARM SHOW. "Except for the spindle on the wheel of the picker (ours has a 6 bolt hub versus 4 on the original model), virtually all parts on our new version will interchange with parts from the old Oliver No. 5." Suggested listed price for the new 1-row picker is $3,990. It will handle rows 30 in. wide and wider. United also has purchased the "tooling" for the old Oliver 83, a 2-row ear corn picker slated for commercial production next yar. United also plans to introduce a stationary sheller which can be used at headquarters to shell ear corn harvested with the new pickers. The pickers won't be designed or equipped for in-field grinding or shelling. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Calhoun Manufacturing Division, United Farm Tools, Box 312, Bethany, Mo. 64424 (ph. 816-425-7455). Vermeer Manufacturing's new line of corn pickers, featured in FARM SHOW last fall, is slated to roll off the assembly line in July. "We're still taking orders for the limited initial production run," Jim Dolezal, sales manager, told FARM SHOW as this issue went to press. Six prototypes were in the field last fall, along with the revolutionary Vermeer-designed and built soybean header-harvester. It takes 6 rows at a crack and is equipped with a self-contained threshing mechanism built right into the header. "Our new ear corn pickers are designed for farmers who already own a 100 hp or larger tractor and don't want to make the large investment in a self-propelled combine," explains Dolezal. The company is offering 4 or 6 row headers, and an optional infield shelling attachment. The husking and shelling attachments are self standing, allowing the operator to simply disconnect the pto and 3 pt. hitch in switching from one to the other. "The farmer who normally picks and shells can use the shelling attachment. Then, if he runs short on storage or drying facilities, or if he wants to put up some ground ear corn, he can go to the field with the husking attachment and bring home ear corn. When he gets ready to shell the crib corn, he simply rolls out the shelling attachment and runs his stored ear corn through it." Price tag on the tractor-mounted Vermeer corn picker, complete with a 4 row header, husking bed attachment and shelling attachment, is right at $19,000. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Vermeer Manufacturing, Box 200, Pella, Iowa 50219 (ph. 515-628-3141).

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