the history of silage machines?

digger58

Have a look at this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgjX5ryzyyU
Also,

Lookwhatifound

I think I have created a Flickr photo stream and posted it below, hope it works.
Anyway here's some pictures of things I found in the bushes.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/64281865@N04/

Lookwhatifound

Hi digger58 it does look like the forage harvester in your pic. I will move it after the chicks in my tractor have flown the nest as my wife won't let me touch the tractor till then.

ford 5600

sidewaysdrivin wrote: »

42 inline Taarup, now thats strange.... Kverneland never even told me such a thing existed, are you sure it wasnt an offset trailed in 1958?... or was it some other make of harvester from 57

I attended your show in 2012 with a 1959 taarup in line 42 inch single chop that my father bought in 1961 or 2 s/h for £60 . Have spoken to the previous owner- still alive 7 miles away from us. Hebought it new in 59 for £100 through centenary coop via Hassetts garage Templemore. Monet was collected via milk accounts. He bought a double chop he reckons in 62 and a NH sp in the 70s which nearly broke him. Didn't think to ask him the rate he charged in 59. We worked it until 1981 so that was some value. Just think of the summers of 2010- 12 making only hay, we thought we were bad making silage, some advance at the time.

digger58

From my earlier post,
Found my brochures, I was watching a youtube video and found what I believe to be a Taarup in line trailed harvester very like our one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh4ar...yer_detailpage
at 6.20 the 5000 is pulling what I believe is a B1100, this is in the 1960 Taarup brochure but not in the 1961 one. The difference between the B1100 and our one was the chute, ours was not rounded at the top and there was no means of swivelling the chute, it was static, just the flap was adjustable. It was more like the Kidd in the video. There is no mention anywhere of side mounted harvesters. plenty of trailed ones, S 1500 and S1100 in the 1962 line up.

Is that your one? I would love to see it, ours was older than that, no swiveling chute, more like the trailed Kidd in the video. I have a very bad B&W photo somewhere of my father cutting with it in June 1960 with a standard Major, will try and get it scanned and posted.

ford 5600

Yes that's me. Its a ford 5600 bought new on 26 febuary 1976. Its still in use at lighter dutys now but itself and the taarup worked together for 6 years . We then had a 43 inch side mounted taarup, pre handy? it had around pipe connector for 1 year. then a 53 the same type, then jf fc 80.various other jf s. The green inline harvester gave from the late 80s until a week before Dunmore,. against a hedge which grew out over it. it wasn't visible I had to use a chainsaw to find it. It was a pity to leave it out but it happened. it survived well considering.

digger58

Attached a rather grainy photo of my father cutting in July 1962 with a standard major, Taarup in line and what he remembers as a "Grasshopper" trailer, it was a non tipper and when it was opened the load slipped out, This Taarup was green with yellow wheels, it was, he states about a 1956/7 model.

ford 5600

I d say its the same type harvester, used to have yellow wheels not much bigger than a haybob 300. the hubs were cut off it and replaced with a pair off an Austin Cambridge in the mid 70s. it was better able to hold up the trailer in damp ground with the bigger wheels . it was used in the same way as a silage wagon nowadays, everything came into the yard, no 2nd trailer for 10 years approx. For the first 5 or 6 years it was a non tipper trailer. A tug of war rope was left on the floor and hanging out over the front of the trailer . When back at the heap the ends of it were tied together and the load pulled out by the pit tractor , A Dexta by the way. Then when a tipper trailer came into use, a long tipper hose was used.

sheebadog

ford 5600 wrote: »

I d say its the same type harvester, used to have yellow wheels not much bigger than a haybob 300. the hubs were cut off it and replaced with a pair off an Austin Cambridge in the mid 70s. it was better able to hold up the trailer in damp ground with the bigger wheels . it was used in the same way as a silage wagon nowadays, everything came into the yard, no 2nd trailer for 10 years approx. For the first 5 or 6 years it was a non tipper trailer. A tug of war rope was left on the floor and hanging out over the front of the trailer . When back at the heap the ends of it were tied together and the load pulled out by the pit tractor , A Dexta by the way. Then when a tipper trailer came into use, a long tipper hose was used.

Isn't that a trailed machine? I don't think you could tip a trailer with the trailed ( drawbar towed) machine as it would lift the harvester off of the ground. No bother tipping a with a mounted ( 3 point linkage) harvester. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Showing my age here!!!

ford 5600

sheebadog wrote: »

Isn't that a trailed machine? I don't think you could tip a trailer with the trailed ( drawbar towed) machine as it would lift the harvester off of the ground. No bother tipping a with a mounted ( 3 point linkage) harvester. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Showing my age here!!!

It was used for approx. 10 years to tow the trailer and tip it while still attached. It could give it a bit of a chuck just as the load left but not totally off the ground. You would be surprised at the weight of the Taarup and we aren't talking about 20 X 8 trailers, only a 10 x 6. The fun really started when we got two trailers and no puh on either the harvester or tractor drawing . A 9 hole bar and accurately cut blocks of timber to put under trailer stands.

digger58

That trailer replaced an earlier non tipper one, as you described with the ropes, he used put two ropes along the floor then fill the trailer. He only had the Grasshopper for 1 year, bought new BTW, too small, and before the days of PUHs it was screw jacks and blocks, trailer jack down pull pin, drive forward, harvester jack down, PTO off, pin out, then back for the trailer off to yard and then start all over again, 3 acres was a great day's work.Bought a new KP tipper in 63, all wood floor and sides, grey in colour narrow wheels none of the "modern" balloon tyres with red metal sides!

moy83

ford 5600 wrote: »

It was used for approx. 10 years to tow the trailer and tip it while still attached. It could give it a bit of a chuck just as the load left but not totally off the ground. You would be surprised at the weight of the Taarup and we aren't talking about 20 X 8 trailers, only a 10 x 6. The fun really started when we got two trailers and no puh on either the harvester or tractor drawing . A 9 hole bar and accurately cut blocks of timber to put under trailer stands.

Had you the long pin that you could pull up from inside the cab ( if you had a cab , we hadnt ! ) that saved getting out of the tractor ?

digger58

Cabs, long pins! Ah lads, you obviously never served your time with the hardship brothers, As Monty Python says, "You lucky lucky bastards" I suppose you're going to tell me next you had brakes on both wheels that pulled evenly and didn't stick on and steering knuckles that weren't worn!

sheebadog

digger58 wrote: »

Cabs, long pins! Ah lads, you obviously never served your time with the hardship brothers, As Monty Python says, "You lucky lucky bastards" I suppose you're going to tell me next you had brakes on both wheels that pulled evenly and didn't stick on and steering knuckles that weren't worn!

+1. Bang on. Young lads nowadays haven't a feckin clue!!

ford 5600

moy83 wrote: »

Had you the long pin that you could pull up from inside the cab ( if you had a cab , we hadnt ! ) that saved getting out of the tractor ?

1963 MF 65 mk2 remains of a Lambourn weather cab, no door, more noise than a nightclub. Ya , had a railway bolt, remember them?, with about a foot long t shaped handle welded to it. Sure you had to get off to put the block under the trailer.

moy83

ford 5600 wrote: »

. Sure you had to get off to put the block under the trailer.

Not at all I could back the trailer over the block spot on !

digger58

What about digging a couple of holes for the trailer wheels in steep fields to stop them falling off the block!

moy83

digger58 wrote: »

What about digging a couple of holes for the trailer wheels in steep fields to stop them falling off the block!

Now thats something I've never seen done and we have cut some of the steepest ground you would get ! Would usually put it across the hill or back it into the bottom where it can roll no farther

digger58

Used to be a regular occurrence, stopped the trailer slipping off the block in case somebody hit it backing in!, also if you ever used a fishtail hitch it was a simple way to stop the trailer running off before it latched, you had to back fairly fast to get the trailer to run up the "fishtail" and then the pin was forced down and locked the trailer on. I used one on a UG trailed and saw them on a Kidd as well, haven't seen one in years, I don't even know the proper name for them. It was released by pulling a rope that released the semi circular pin. Very fast when you got used to it but a pure bastard if somebody left the trailer on a slope hence the small holes to hold the trailer! We cut some very steep ground and you always had to get the most level part to drop and lift the trailers, lots of idle driving, then again time was more relaxed.

ford 5600

The UG had the name of being hard to drive but were well built, but you were only talking 75 hp tractors , if you were lucky, Ford 5000 or MF 188. Were they called a Fine chop? Abbey in Nenagh imported them as far as I remember. There were a couple of 48 inch trailed offset ones around here.

digger58

I helped a neighbor for a couple of weeks, about 75 I think, 188 and trailed UG, don't remember it being that hard to drive, then again 188 was big at the time, 135 drawing and a 165 with a push off rake, 165 even had PS and a spool valve for the rake, luxury. All I remember was trying to get used to the hitch rather than chase a trailer around if there wasn't a handy ditch to back into!

moy83

ford 5600 wrote: »

The UG had the name of being hard to drive but were well built, but you were only talking 75 hp tractors , if you were lucky, Ford 5000 or MF 188. Were they called a Fine chop? Abbey in Nenagh imported them as far as I remember. There were a couple of 48 inch trailed offset ones around here.

The old lad said he bought a ug one time alright and and the 434 couldnt blow it up into the trailer , he blamed it for making him buy a 634 that broke his heart . I think he said he altered the chute and it made things easier for filling the trailers though . He reckoned the ug was made of great stuff though

ford 5600

moy83 wrote: »

The old lad said he bought a ug one time alright and and the 434 couldnt blow it up into the trailer , he blamed it for making him buy a 634 that broke his heart . I think he said he altered the chute and it made things easier for filling the trailers though . He reckoned the ug was made of great stuff though

The 434 would only be about 40 hp at the pto. No one would spread the fertiliser on their silage ground with that size of a tractor nowadays . My father remarked when we were at the Dunmore Silage event that it wasn't silage we used to be trying to cut with the single chops, it was nearer to hedges. It was often 2 ft high and like rushes it would be so strong. There is a Zetor 12145 on YOUTUBE driving a single chop. The output would be 4 times what it was 30 or 40 years ago with a 135 or a ford 3000 struggling to drive them. Theres a TM driving an NC on youtube as well , great output, if only we had half the power years ago.

moy83

ford 5600 wrote: »

The 434 would only be about 40 hp at the pto. No one would spread the fertiliser on their silage ground with that size of a tractor nowadays . My father remarked when we were at the Dunmore Silage event that it wasn't silage we used to be trying to cut with the single chops, it was nearer to hedges. It was often 2 ft high and like rushes it would be so strong. There is a Zetor 12145 on YOUTUBE driving a single chop. The output would be 4 times what it was 30 or 40 years ago with a 135 or a ford 3000 struggling to drive them. Theres a TM driving an NC on youtube as well , great output, if only we had half the power years ago.

I would have been very young when we were that underpowered really but the old lad would have plenty to say on it . We have a 956 on a single chop now and he does be in his element at it .

Greengrass1

moy83 wrote: »

I would have been very young when we were that underpowered really but the old lad would have plenty to say on it . We have a 956 on a single chop now and he does be in his element at it .

Neighbour runs a nh 6080 on a old tarrup double chop.
And draws with 2wd TS 110.
Should have it the other way round.
Those harvestors weren't designed for that amount if PTO HP up front.

moy83

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Neighbour runs a nh 6080 on a old tarrup double chop.
And draws with 2wd TS 110.
Should have it the other way round.
Those harvestors weren't designed for that amount if PTO HP up front.

Thats true but you don't have to give the bigger yoke full of the pipe and its nice to have enough to drive yourself up the hills that you wouldn't have a hope of doing years ago . A lad around here has a 180 hp deutz on a nc multichop , he isnt stuck for power !

6480

will a double or single chop lift mowed eight foot conditioned rows of grass or mybe i am thinking of an nc multi chop

moy83

6480 wrote: »

will a double or single chop lift mowed eight foot conditioned rows of grass or mybe i am thinking of an nc multi chop

The multichop deffo will lift it but im not sure if the single chop would take the 8' .
I tried to lift two 5' 6" rows thrown into one a couple of years ago with our 60 " single chop but didnt like the growling it was making so abandoned it . I'd say if the flute left them in single rows it would have managed them though

Greengrass1

moy83 wrote: »

Thats true but you don't have to give the bigger yoke full of the pipe and its nice to have enough to drive yourself up the hills that you wouldn't have a hope of doing years ago . A lad around here has a 180 hp deutz on a nc multichop , he isnt stuck for power !

He had to change to mengale harvester last year because he tried putting 10ft swards through the tarrup.
Split her open

digger58

Fair point Moy, we just didn't have the option of more power, I remember a neighbor pulling a JF with a E27N Major (TVO) about 1965/6, he then got a 35, huge improvement! I would say up to the mid 70's most didn't have the option of more than 80 odd HP, most had a lot less, 6 cylinder Majors were fairly popular, I even saw an engine mounted on a single chop years ago, hand clutch and all. 188/5000 were big in their day, then again what choice was there? I haven't cut silage for years but the gear now is so big that it's left me behind. I worked a self propelled in about 80/81, JD 5420 I thought it was huge, you'd need that much horsepower now just to draw diesel to the rest of the gear.