Mini Farmall Drives Corn Sheller Replica

Mini farmall drives corn sheller replica AG WORLD Ag World 12-6-17 Gene Hermanson, Centerville, S. Dak., first got the idea of building a small-scale tractor when he spotted an unused Kohler light plant that reminded him of the engine in an F-20 Farmall. After working out a deal to buy the motor from the owner, he got started on a project that's kept him busy for years. He built the "mini" Farmall to 3/5th scale because that's how the Kohler engine matched up to the actual Farmall engine. The tractor's transmission was fashioned from a couple of old power lawn mowers. The differential housing was cut out of sheet steel and welded together. The rear wheel rims and 750 by 18 tires were salvaged off a discarded Case manure spreader. The front wheels and tires were purchased new. Other parts were scrounged from other junked equipment or simply built from scratch. Once he completed the tractor, Hermanson started a search for a "job" it could do and got the idea of building a corn sheller for popcorn. He dug up an owner's manual for a Minneapolis-Moline mid-century cylinder sheller and set out to build it. The corn sheller project was much easier than the tractor since off-the-shelf chain, gears, pulleys and bearings could all be easily found in the correct sizes. He built the frame out of angle and channel iron and cut tin to size for the body. The shelling cylinder was built out of heavy pipe with wings or flats welded along the surface. Steel rod spaced and welded to supports lets the corn through. The angle of the wings moves the cobs to the end where they drop into the cob carrier. Sieves and a blower cleans the corn before it is angered into a scale size 50 bu. box mounted on a steel wheel wagon. Hermanson takes the tractor and sheller around to steam threshing shows. While on display he shells popcorn - grown on his own farm - and then sells it to showgoers. Total out-of-pocket cost to build both machines was about $550. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eugene Hermanson, RI 2, Box 19, Centervile, S. Dak. 57014 (ph 605 563-2610).

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