REDUCING COST OF HARVESTING

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 63, 16 March 1931, Page 5

REDUCING COST OF HARVESTING

HEADER MACHINE MEANS SAVING TO THE FARMER.

“ Header harvesting greatly reduces the cost of producing wheat, and under the present economic conditions it is very important that the cost of producing _ primary products be kept down,” said Mr Beaven in the course of an address to the Canterbury College Engineering Society on Saturday evening, the subject of Mr Beaven’s paper being “ Header Harvesting.” There was a large attendance of members of the society and the lecture was illustrated by cinematograph pictures. __ The header type of machine, continued Mr Beaven, was by far the most advanced in principle, being at the same time very simple in construction. Up till recently it had been the practice to reap, bind, stook and finally to thresh wheat in separate and distinct operations, but in the header system wheat was cut, threshed and bagged in a single operation. In some cases, a saving of 50 per cent on harvesting costs had been shown by employment of this system, as labour was greatly reduced. This argument had been turned against the system on the ground that greater unemployment was created, but the speaker pointed out that it was better to employ a moderate number of men for a long period than a large number for a short period.

Other advantages of this method lay in the facts that less straw had to be dealt with in the machine, the long stalks which were left on the land being burnt to return potash to the ground in place of that absorbed by the season’s crop; that a chaff saver was fitted, thus providing feed for stock; that crops lying flat in any direction could be lifted and reaped; and that crops of linseed, usually hard to reap, could easily be handled. The films showed the manufacture and operation of these machines. In the manufacture, all castings were seasoned for at least six months before being put into the machines, as it had been found that this added greatly to their strength. The foundry worked, therefore, about six months ahead of the rest of the factory. Many local farmers also were in the habit of hanging up new plough shares for some months, and it had been found that the lives of the shares had been much increased. The cutting knives were in the front of the machines which were steered by a single wheel at the rear. This permitted of a large steering lock which cut down loss of power and time in turning. The average working speed was three miles an hour with a yield in the hour of 200 bushels of wheat. Power to operate the machine was provided by a separate motor, this being known as the engine function type, by a land wheel as in the normal harvester, or by a power-drive from a tractor in front. Among the slides of the last type was shown a semi-Diesel tractor working on a farm in the Waimate district. Horse traction could also be used.

Another tvpe of tractor to be shown in use on light work was one fitted with skeleton wheels of sixty inches diameter, the average diameter of tractor wheels being forty-four inches. These wheels had practically no area for direct hearing on the ground, and consequently the cross plates could sink to such a depth that wheel spin or slips was eliminated. A combined spring tyre_ cultivator and drill was also shown in operation.

After answering several questions arising from the paper, Mr Beaven was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.