Steam-Era's Binder at Work

Every year the Ontario Steam & Antique Preservers Association with the help of our members harverst the grain which is used at Steam-Era for the threshing demonstrations. Thanks to the help of several of or local members the crop is grown and harvisted on the farm of member Bill Robertson at Speyside Ontario. Bill plants the crop each spring and when harvest time is at hand the grain is cut with a Massey Harris binder owned by our club.

This picture taken Sept 1st 2004 just days before Steam-Era and shows the binder at work being pulled with a 1928 Chev "Autotrac" tractor owned by Gordon S. Hume of Milton. The binder is being run by Ernie Alexander.

The Autotrac's were a conversion for early automobiles made & sold by Otaco Mfg. in Orillia, Ontario in the late 1930's & 40's.

The Massey-Harris #5b binder was manufactured in four widths of cut ranging from 5,6,7 and 8 feet. The main drive wheel is 35" in diameter with a 9" wide face. Regular equipment as supplied would have included a 3 horse hitch, canvas (which carried the grain) and two knives. Special order extras were items such as a 4 horse hitch,a sheaf carrier or a tractor hitch.

Massey-Harris advertisements boasted that it produced a dependable harvester with a stronger frame than any other. A reputation was claimed that it had established itself amoung grain growers of the world as a binder that could harvest crops where others had failed due to crop damage. Its sturdy construction maintained alignment season after season and provided a comparatively low up keep and freedom from making extensive repairs. Also the Massey-Harris binder had more roller bearings than other binders and these played their part in making the machine a light easy running binder.

Other members project stories Click here