Harvesting Wheat with a 33-Mule Team

Have you ever seen a combine harvester pulled by 33 horses or mules? From the 1900s through the 1930s, this was a common sight in Eastern Washington''s wheatfields during harvest season. This video, produced by Museum volunteer Arline Kerns in the early 1990s, includes footage of the combine in action.
The combine was a groundbreaking advancement at the time, the combination of a stationary thresher and push header, which reduced crew size and sped up the process. A specialized Shandoney hitch distributed the weight equally between the 33 animals and allowed them to haul the heavy piece of equipment over the hilly terrain. Visitors to Fort Walla Walla Museum will see an actual Harris Combine hitched to 33 mules on exhibit.
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[@LesterChamberlain-q1f]

I came from Walla Walla and my stepfather. Sewed saxs on the old mule harvesters.

[@fasx56]

What a valuable piece of Farm History. A video like this can explain how the earliest Harvesters worked in less then 10 minutes. A history book on the other hand would have take a lot of time and research and the gathering together of old photographs plus much writing and publishing. Those folks that worked on the farms and harvested wheat or other crops sure knew what hard work was. Summer in Eastern Washington is hot with many days of 90 degrees or more, you earned your pay in those conditions.

[@whitneyranchproductions4637]

Nice to see this piece of history saved. Thanks.

[@TrevorStruthers]

My family farm donated something to you guys. Thanks for the video.

[@normansilver905]

As a child I saw animal drawn farm machinery working in central Illinois. One person had the task to distribute a water container to each animal while they were working. It looked like a fast way to get hurt if one didn't know how to do that task.

[@davidkimmel5153]

Thanks

[@mattthescrapwhisperer]

I was at your museum years back and really enjoyed the combine display as well as all the other agricultural equipment.

[@LesterChamberlain-q1f]

As a Young Man Iran combined for wheat and peas

[@davidkimmel4216]

Wonderful

[@ashleytidd-w9i]

Just didn't look familiar,then realized it was Walla Walla USA,not Walla Walla Australia.!

[@rodneycody8746]

Nice

[@klauskarbaumer6302]

Not only the people had to be very skillful, the animals had to learn how to behave in these huge teams and behave appropriately, otherwise it would have been struggle to guide them.

[@giovanibenedet3283]

Me irrita hoje em dia os operadores não querem trabalhar nem uma hora porquê o ar condicionado parou de funcionar olha a dificuldade que era

[@poilochien]

the mule jenny ...

[@patrickpat8878]

Let see the effectiveness, each machine 30 bushels a day with 30 mules, feeding 30 mules required 10 bushels a day so they where producing about 20 bushels a day , not bad …

[@jamcng]

Each machine harvested about 30 acres per day. Yield per acre was 15 to 40 bushels.