Rt.1, Box 3-A, Yacolt, Washington
THE ATTACHED PICTURES show the machinery used in threshing loose
grain in the State of Washington before the combine took over.
The grain was cut by headers and placed in long stacks
end-to-end between which was placed the derrick table. From this
10’xl6′ table, 3 poles were set, one from front center and
were fastened 2 pulleys were suspended in which the derrick cables
ran, permitting the manual dumping derrick forks to deposit the
grain on the table in reach of the ‘Hoe Downs’, the 2 men
who raked the grain into the portable conveyor. This conveyor
deposited the grain in the short feeder which took it to the
cylinder.
If it was a big setting, four or more stacks were placed so the
separator could, be set between them and when two of the stacks
were finished the derrick table and conveyor were. transferred to
the other side and the threshing resumed without a change in
separator setting.
The ‘Forkers,’ usually two in number, (however 3 were
sometimes used in big outfits) who operated the fourtined forks
kept his stack level as each layer was removed. Each layer was of a
depth determined by the length of the fork tines.
A good ‘forker’ was appreciated by the ‘hoe
downs’ for by his dumping the grain at the proper place their
work was made easier. Theirs was a constant job and usually a spare
man or set of hoe downs were used to spell them.
