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We're not going back to the original condition. Through the years of the harvester, things changed. Originally, it was a sack harvester. It had a 19-foot-long chute; it was the longest chute I've ever seen. We're going to put the sack chute back on. Later on, they converted it to a bulk rig with an auger, and attached the bulk tank to the side of the harvester. We have that, but it doesn't get it back to the era we want to portray, which is 1910-12."
"Some of the fittings and the welding is not original; there's V-belt sprockets that aren't original," he says. "Number one, we don't have the time. But what we've done is interpretative of the ingenuity farmers had to keep equipment going."
And, technically, the 70 hp Best engine that powers the unit is not, in a pure sense, authentic to the harvester. During extensive research on the project, Dunning discovered a crucial fact about the old relic: It was originally powered by steam, not gas.
The harvester is one of a kind; essentially, it is a museum piece. Is there any anxiety associated with actually using the beast to thresh a field of wheat?
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be nervous to a certain degree. I'm sure there's going to be a fair amount of trepidation associated with using it," Dunning says. "But it was built to, run. It was last used in 1958; the main hulk is in good shape.
"Still, with today's standard of planting, the wheat has much heavier heads, greater and heavier yields. We had to have them plant the field at half of today's planting rates ... that old harvester doesn't go that fast."
Show Celebrates Best, Holt and Caterpillar Heritage
The 75th anniversary of Caterpillar Tractor will be a special focus at this year's Bygone Farming Days Show put on by the Joseph A. Heidrick Foundation and the Vintage Iron Tractor Club of the Golden State Farm Education Center. The two-day event (June 17-18) will feature Best, Holt and Caterpillar tractors and farm equipment, including the oldest (1908) Holt crawler in existence, the oldest (1912) Best Round Wheel in existence, and a Best 75 crawler.
Holt of California will be present, displaying modern equipment.
The Joe Heidrick collection includes more than 50 Best, Holt and Caterpillar tractors. Demonstrations of binding and threshing (with horses and equipment) are planned, as well as a tractor parade. Entertainment, demonstrations and food also will be available.