What the crap is this? An old baler?

Not a good pic, but if it was a mobile piece of equipment I'd guess corn puller.

If stationary I'd guess the head section of an old bucket elevator.

That is an Allis Chalmers combine used for harvesting grain sorghum and other grains. The upright spout to left transfers grain to a storage bin after the chaff has been separated from the grain seed. When the bin is full the machine is unloaded by an auger inside the other upright spout. The galvanized appearing down spout is where all the chaff and trash from the harvesting process is expelled from the machine. Back in the day this was a hot and itchy job. That machine is probably from the 1950,s.

Cool! thanks. I stumbled upon this today and didn't know what to think.

How do you get that it's a combine from that? And kudos if you are correct. Definitely agree that what's shown is the thrashing part of a combine or stationary thrasher, but I see nothing of the self-propelled combine stuff.

Would add that the third thing sticking up (far left, opposite side) is the return elevator. Takes some of the stuff coming out the back, and sends it to the front of the machine to re-thrash. Under the bottom, left of center is the separating fan, blows air through the machine to blow out chaff.


My guess is still stationary thrasher rather than self-propelled combine. Sort of like these.


more thrashers by CHS Girls Soccer, on Flickr

Here's why I don't think it's a combine. No engine, no grain bin, no running gear, no header, no steering axle, no operator platform.

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[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/meabbott/2853467029/]3187 Gleaner Baldwin Antique Combine by meabbott, on Flickr

[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 8/20/2012 8:51p).]

It was actually called a thrasher

I think thresher with an e is correct. I keep using the incorrect thrasher with an a.

The header is not visible or may be missing. Combines of this size in the 1950's were pulled by a tractor and may have had an engine on the combine or could have been run off the tractor PTO.

Still no running gear or bin.

If you are ever in Caldwell, follow some of the antique signs off Hwy. 21 and about a block from the Courthouse is a combine from the 1950's that belonged to Theodore Dusek. His two sons are Ags.It was used to harvest our grain sorghum. The donated it to the county historical society.

What you see is what remains. The running gear may have been removed ,wrecked , or used for other purposes after being put out of service.

That very much looks like the remains of an Allis Chalmers model 72 thresher/pull combine. The view would be the ass end of the thresher as it went through the field. The head would have been on the left of the opposite side. The running gear appears to be gone. The PTO connection would have been on the right of the opposite side. The pulleys on the back are classic model 72 configuration.

[This message has been edited by Lone Stranger (edited 8/21/2012 12:05a).]

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That very much looks like the remains of an Allis Chalmers model 72 thresher/pull combine. The view would be the ass end of the thresher as it went through the field.

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Okay, that finally clued me in.

Can you tell I'm not an AC guy?

I was trying to make it 90 degrees to that view, which it would be if it were a normal thresher/combine. In other words, the view we see would be the left side if it were self-propelled or a stationary thresher.

Using your model number, I found this thread with this view:



Which, of course matches the pulley and gear configuration the OP has.

And here's a view of the front of the machines, for everyone else. Indeed PTO driven.

Great job Lone Stranger with your specific information.

Back in the mid 1970's as a high school student, I was "volunteered" by my grandfather and some other older local farmers to the local shop teacher to work on restoration one of those for the local county historical society. That is why I recognized the details. Before I started, they found one that still kind of worked and made me run it behind an old Ford 8N tractor for an afternoon so I knew how it worked and what everything did.

You have never seen such a crooked path through a wheat field. I couldn't keep it straight through the field to save my life. I bet it looked like an S from the air.

The thresher probably shook and vibrated to the point of actually taking over the steering and guidance of the Ford 8N. Cool story.