Picking Corn 1950s Style

Dad runs the New Idea #7 corn picker with the IH Super MTA.

[@timothyblaise5857]

I love seeing these videos of old stuff still working fields! It’s awesome

[@richfarmer6143]

Me too! I hope it inspires others to get out there and keep ‘‘em running. Thanks for watching!

[@robertrhodes9123]

I'm a retired farmer. I farmed about 250 acres back in the 60's. Just wanted to say that's the way I used to pick my corn, one row at a time( about 60 acres). Used a 50's M with an Oliver one row. We used to call that wagon you used a gravity wagon.👍👍🌽🌽

[@rosaliesemrau1293]

My dad had a farmall f-12. I think it was a 1936. He had the picker that attached to the tractor and took a whole day to apply it to the tractor. My grandfather stood there grumbling about that new fangled equipment that was a waste of time and could spend the extra time to apply the picker out there with 5 gallon pails picking the corn. Back then when my parents were done milking cows and ate supper and got the kids to bed, the went out with tractor and wagon and a bunch of pails hand picking corn til 2 in the morning. It took till middle of January to get all the corn in and in the meantime the deer were just buffeting on the standing corn. So much was lost to deer and coons. When my dad went out with the picker and gravity wagon and started picking, my grandfather, his father inlaw would follow behind with a couple pails picking up the missed ears. Whenever he had found a stragler cob of corn he would hold it straight up in the air so my dad could see it over the top of the gravity wagon. My dad said that he would just burn inside whenever he had found some cobs on the ground. After my dad drove to the corn crib to empty the wagon my grandfather came up with 4 pails full of corn and shouted to my dad, "look at all this corn that fangled device missed." My dad told him, "thats a temporary loss, when I get all this corn in the corn bin where the deer can't touch it, I'll string up electric fencing and let the cows out there and they'll find all those missed ears of corn." That really made my grandfather mad, cuz he was right. He had corn picked in short time and not leaving kids without parents there in middle of the night.

[@JHruby]

Great video. Just shows how HARD and slow the farm work was back in the good old days. 1 row at a time for days on end. Hooking and unhooking wagons. Gives you a new appreciation for the invention of the combine harvester.

[@richfarmer6143]

Yeah, that’s no kidding. I bet the folks counting on it were patient in their work.

[@30acreshop_time]

No actually. Picking 1 row of corn with a large farmall tractor that would’ve been brand new then, with a nice own row picker that would’ve worked a bit better when it was new was a very nice day of picking haha, it was fast for what they had and since people were more used to work back then in hooking a bunch of wagons was child’s play. I do admire antique farming though it’s cool.

[@louGriggs1944]

What a great video and man does this bring back a lot of memories. I'm 78 now and mostly I remember countless hot, sweaty hours shoveling corn from the back of a truck into a sheller. I didn't live on a farm but weekends and summers I worked for local farmers doing whatever. Your dad looks like he's picked a row or two this way in his day. Thanks for a great video.

[@richfarmer6143]

That sounds like fun and a lot of work. I bet the farmers appreciated your help. And you’re right, dad started out with a JD 101 semi mount one row picker then worked his way up two row and so on.

[@hayfork100]

Thanks for going to the trouble of doing this labor of love. Brings back great memories of me riding in the wagon watching the corn come down from Dad's Mounted Oliver picker on his Oliver 88 Row crop tractor in the late 50's.

[@richfarmer6143]

Those sound like great memories! I love hearing the stories of how the old timers did it and the folks that grew up with it.

[@nathanping5729]

The beautiful thing about older equipment is it lasts and tough it’s not like today equipment like playing a video game when u get in tractor you actually have to work and be in control! Love these vids

[@Mtbambeno]

Plus you can fix most things on it with a welder, cutting torch and a decent set of tools.

[@richfarmer6143]

That’s no kidding! They just keep on going. My dad put some work into the elevator bed, and greasing the hundred or so zircs, and then it was a working running picker again. Amazing! Thanks for watching!

[@guyordorff8355]

These are the memories that will last me forever absolutely loved doing that work

[@mustangtonto5862]

Thank you for bringing back truly great memories. We had a Case one row picker which had an excellent husking bed. Our wagon was a non-dumping hay wagon which meant that dad had to shovel every ear into our corn crib. I was too small to shovel, being eight years old. It was an all too common thing for an operator to NOT shut down the PTO when he had a clog…and he would lose a hand, arm, leg OR his life. Sad. Very sad!!! I left the PTO engaged ONE time and in clearing a clog in the husking bed the rollers grabbed my work glove, pulled it off my hand and right down through the rollers, BUT left my hand untouched. I NEVER pulled that stupid trick again!!!!!

[@don66hotrod94]

A CASE corn picker. awesome. I used to pick up to 600 acres every fall for local small dairy farms with a New Idea 325 Superpicker pulled by an 830 Case.

[@don66hotrod94]

Sorry, I thought that was an old Case picker.

[@richfarmer6143]

@@don66hotrod94 no problem. That sounds like a sweet combo and a long fall. I bet it made for a lot of good memories. Thanks for watching!

[@aaronjackson5862]

Just the simplicity of it is WOW 😳. Takes me back to my childhood, though I'm not a farmer but my neighbors had something similar

[@betsytoth7470]

My Dad's corn picker was our dinosaur when we played as cavemen. We had a corn binder for when we sold corn stalks that my Dad said you had to go horse speed for it to work properly. The old designs of equipment are more engineering marvels than anything new. It is neat watching them work!

[@richfarmer6143]

That sounds like a fun time growing up. Using that corn binder must have been a huge time and back saver. They sure are! I love seeing that old equipment at work too. Thanks for watching!

[@mindfulness1]

Great video. Also a good idea to shut the tractor down when dealing with a blockage. My uncle lost a toe kicking at some blockage on a one row picker while the tractor was running.

[@richfarmer6143]

Thank you! And that’s good advice. Thanks for watching!

[@billireland2029]

My grandfather had a two row picker exactly like this one!

[@TerryToon17]

Thanks for showing us the workings of the machine, it was interesting to see the cobs and husk dropped into the hopper/conveyor and the husks get dumped out and the cob bounced onto the conveyer. It was clever engineering for the time.

[@richfarmer6143]

You’re welcome! It is interesting for sure. I’m amazed at how they engineered everything with just pencils and paper and got everything right.

[@ccole9080]

@@richfarmer6143 and to last for decades. the new stuff costing hundreds if thousands wont last 2 decades

[@949786293]

We used to run a Woods Bros picker and the WD45 AC

[@richfarmer6143]

That would be a neat combo!

[@quadclaw]

Ben your property is beautiful! Looks like we need to get my quad there when the seats finished and so some sightseeing

[@robertrhodes9123]

I am a retired farmer from back in the 60's. I farmed about 250 acres. That's the way I picked my corn. Used a 50's M & an Oliver one row. That wagon you used we called a gravity wagon. Great on the level but on a side hill with the weight of the corn on the one side they will tip over !😮😮🌽🌽👍👍

[@richfarmer6143]

I bet that was an unwelcome surprise the first time that happened, and a bunch of work to get it all cleaned up.

[@ccole9080]

@@richfarmer6143 As the speaker goes off.... corn and shorts cleanup in the back 40 ...

[@frankwurth5375]

We had the same picker here for years. Inlaws bought it new in 53. A neighbor begged me to let them have it for their cattle feed operation, so reluctantly we gave it to them. The guy let his kid run it behind a 100 hp tractor and ran the snouts into the ground and destroyed the thing, only picked 2 loads before they killed it. Then had the nerve to blame us for giving a poor picker to them! Wasn't anything wrong with it, just stupid people didn't know how to operate it. Wish it was still in the barn yet.

[@richfarmer6143]

What a bummer! Sounds like it was a good machine ruined by a bad operator. Then the nerve to blame ya. Some good deeds don’t go unpunished. Thanks for watching!

[@johndowe7003]

That's why ya don't give sht away 😂

[@jjano2320]

Usually country people aren't like that. Must be transplants.

[@ccole9080]

ouch

[@leetotty7703]

Common sense is not common...

[@Johndeerfan-s7z]

I love seeing the old farm equipment being used in 2022 I wish I could of been around when this equipment was in the fields working, I'm just a little young for this great equipment at 48

[@timothyfowler650]

Brings back memories of me riding in the wagon as a 4 yr old. Sunny days after lunch Dad would have stop the picker and come back and wake me up so the corn didn't cover me up 😀

[@richfarmer6143]

That sounds like a great way to grow up.

[@artkeyes4784]

boy o boy thanks for bringing back the memories , I'm 77 now as youngster spent my time doing that , hard work but honest,

[@timnewman1172]

My Dad remembered when they got their New Idea picker in 1947... he said it had 102 grease fittings, he & my uncle would grease it before walking to school!

[@Francis-pb3eq]

Looks just like our New Idea No.7 1 row that I finished picking corn with February 24,2024 and never plugged it up once,great video here.👍

[@Lacider]

I really like seeing old iron still able to work. Something so satisfying about how raw it is, everything exposed and your able to watch it working. Let alone being able to actually fix something without having a computer to diagnose the problem.

[@landontesar3070]

and a dealer

[@larrykrise3609]

enjoyed this vidieo much.this is how i did it in the 50,s.larry in INDIANA

[@bobsmith1814]

That is how my grandpa harvested his corn in 50’s and 60’s when finally retired from farming.

[@daveharper6333]

Thank you for sharing that. I thoroughly enjoyed it

[@richfarmer6143]

Thanks for watching!

[@G.S.W.SewmesomeMusic]

As a kid we used a hay wagon with side boards my job was to kick and move the ears in to the corner of the wagon to get as much as we could in wagon .and in the process get hit with the ears oh the fun😂😂 plus having to break two rows by hand around the outside of the field to make room for the tractor and picker. Yea we didn’t waste any thing.👍

[@thehammah8444]

As a kid I used to ride in the back of the corn wagon.... used to love seeing deer and rabbits run off and watch pheasants fly

[@snarky_user]

Modern corn is a lot different than 1940s corn, too.

[@richfarmer6143]

It’d be interesting to get ahold of an old variety and see how it does.

[@mithall4198]

Thanks for taking the vid. I enjoy watching vintage iron. Would have expected a different color tractor with your dad's apparel. lol

[@richfarmer6143]

Lol! Thanks for watching!

[@hansjansen7047]

Corn has come a long way. Back in the fifties the ears weren't so high on the stalk and the horns knocked over some , especially on the ends of the rows, ( we didn't have wide headlands). That meant walking the field , later to pick up the missed cobs, sometimes long after ,when the snow had fallen and the cobs were frozen to the ground.Toes so cold ,I couldn't feel them anymore.

[@adamelliott2302]

Enjoyed the video. It gives me an idea of what I need to find. Soon I will be getting my Great grandfather's 1940 Farmall M back into service. 1st tractor he bought. My granddad used it for many years afterwards. It's been shed kept, so its still pretty clean. Planning on using it around the Homeplace for some small ag.

[@richfarmer6143]

Thank you! That sounds like fun! What a great honor to be the bearer of your great grandfather’s and your grandfather’s tractor. I hope it gives you plenty more years of service. Thanks for watching!

[@adamelliott2302]

@@richfarmer6143 Watching your Gleaner videos now. There is, I think a K model, in the shed at the farm too.

[@richfarmer6143]

@@adamelliott2302cool! Are you thinking about getting it out and running?

[@adamelliott2302]

@@richfarmer6143 I'd sure like to!

[@Iforgotme]

I did this i the late 50's. There is a ringing (screaming) in my ears 24 hours a day because no one wore ear protection back then. Protect yours.

[@richfarmer6143]

Huh? Lol! Just kidding. That’s good advice! Yep, I like my ear plugs. I buy them by the case. Thanks for watching!

[@thecollectoronthecorner7061]

Just liked and subscribed. I like seeing older equiptment being used. The Super M does a good job.We just bailed some small square bales with a 1949 M Farmall & a 273 new holland bailer. We have video on our channel.

[@richfarmer6143]

That sounds like a good time. I like the M’s and the NH balers sure run smooth. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for watching!

[@abelvillarreal6488]

Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it.

[@letsride2057]

Oh boy! Have dad stuff some nose tissues in those ears! Grandpa, uncle and dad lost hearing from tractor engine and equipment noise. Uncle used .45 shell casings lol later on in life. Damage was already done though. He bought hearing aids and lost them the second day, $3000 gone just like that. I use military ear plugs, three sizes, I use large, and you can get them on ebay for cheaper than hearing aids! Grandpa used a Farmall m and a super MTA with a front mount two row picker. Oh, the left ear was the worst, looking over right shoulder, it gets blasted from the engine noise, unless you are corn picking!

[@johnclarke6647]

Back in the ‘50’s the combines my grandfather used just picked the ears and they were stored that way for the farm animals. My grandfather used primarily Ford tractors. A lot of the corn was picked by hand and thrown into a mule drawn wood wagon . Then it went into the corn crib.

[@ccole9080]

we had corn cribs toii

[@johnclarke6647]

@@ccole9080 grandpa stored it with the shucks on it. He fed them with the shucks on them to all the animals on the farm, except the chickens. He fed them cracked corn. He farmed 2,500 acres in S. Georgia.

[@Anonymous-wf3oy]

Super awesome!!!!!!!!!

[@richfarmer6143]

Thank you!

[@pagrainfarmer]

Well, the old machine seems to be working pretty well for the moment. Hope it holds together for you until the corn is finished. How much more is left after the 6 acre field?

[@rickarmstrong4704]

I Enjoyed that ! Thank You : )

[@richfarmer6143]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@thehammah8444]

Nice to know you have a back up incase the fancy new equipment fails on ya

[@GreatDetecting]

Great show 😃

[@Derek_00Mustang83]

Dang guess I got spoiled with the new idea 701 uni and 3 row picker lol

[@richfarmer6143]

The Uni-System! Awesome! My dad had a 701 with 2 row head and combine attachment when I was growing up. Spent many days watching him from the grain truck! Good memories!

[@billireland2029]

Please keep running it and sending videos!

[@jjano2320]

Put in the corn crib and feed the pigs or grind up for cows and chickens. (Before we had Walmart.)

[@stanleycuffee9017]

Oddly enough my uncle had this same corn picker when I was a child.

[@richfarmer6143]

Cool! Did you grow up helping him on the farm?

[@stanleycuffee9017]

@@richfarmer6143 Yes sir

[@alan-dr8uo]

We had a 2 row and old case tractor we would hook a trailer on the Ford 8n about Sept and cut 2 rows with a corn knife and feed the hogs then when corn was ready to picked dad had a wooden wagon no hoist he would pick a wagon load before work then I would shovel it to corn crib after school share Remer hitting loose nails with the shovel and cockles burs in my socks

[@lewiemcneely9143]

On4 row beats by hand any time and God Bless yeown selves!

[@JacksonGuitarsPlayer03]

You still see super old iron….. Sitting in fields completely rusty but they’d probably still work!

[@canvids1]

Great video thanks. It would take you a long long time cutting one row to do the whole field !!!!!

[@richfarmer6143]

Thanks for watching! You bet! It is neat to see how they did it back in the day. The volume of ear corn would make for a lot of trips too.

[@ccole9080]

old stuffs the best. I like watching the Amish harvest crops

[@peteredelhofer6852]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@richfarmer6143]

Thanks for watching!

[@ilfarmboy]

cousins did something similar til they got a combine

[@fastsetinthewest]

NEW SUBSCRIBER. The name is perfect (RICH). All them farmers are rich. A lot of them got big government subsidies. All their equipment gets BIG tax deductions too. Great video. Eaglegards...

[@repairmanjoe8081]

Obviously the only PhD you have is in stupidity and ignorance.

[@fastsetinthewest]

@@repairmanjoe8081 Coming from a dolt, no problem.

[@ivanpainter357]

HELLO MR RICH FARMER I LIKE YOUR PICKER I HAVE A NUMBER 10 NEW IDEA THAT IS BROKE DOWN TORE UP ONE OF THE SNOUTS AND GATHERING CHAIN LACK ABOUT A ONE AND A HALF ACRES FEED HORSES IVAN FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.

[@robertrussell4466]

I have same picker grind ear corn for cattle feed pull picker with a farmall h I don't think much anything made nowadays will still be in use 70 plus years from now

[@thuggoe]

How about a tour of this picker

[@richfarmer6143]

That’s a good idea!

[@warrenklingensmith1241]

What are you going to use ear corn for .

[@richfarmer6143]

We thought it’d be neat to try selling it for squirrel corn.

[@richfarmer6143]

We thought it’d be neat to try selling it for squirrel corn.

[@smartass6071]

That was once state of the are corn harvest.

[@Larryt2kanz3007]

More profit and better out come old school

[@peterhejny363]

Watch that pto shaft make sure its off getting off the 🚜

[@gregmiller949]

What # idea corn picker is that, it was just like ours

[@richfarmer6143]

#7 I believe.

[@willythewave]

You`re supposed to leave some for the birds and animals. :(

[@KingRatt]

Wearing a MM hat and jacket operating an International.

[@richfarmer6143]

Lol, glad I’m not the only one to see the irony. He was pretty disappointed that the Moline didn’t want to run right. We’ll have to work on her for next year.

[@KingRatt]

@@richfarmer6143 Yes I too was disappointed when I heard you mention it.

[@nightrider6769]

Good God that thing is slow I'd take you forever just to do a few passes and it really doesn't do a very good job. But I guess it is what it is.

[@raywhite1442]

Would be nice if didn't have to listen to the narrator

[@nickyeayea7257]

He's too busy playing and watching dad do all the work

[@dennismaley4232]

Looks like you burn more gas than what you harvest.

[@jimputnam2044]

The machinery they are building today will not be running in 75 years. We better hang on to some of this old stuff.

[@randybutler6717]

👍👍👍👍👍