Two stories come to mind when I see corn pickers working. First, when I was very young, I remember Dad pulling a single row Oliver corn picker similar to yours with his 80 row crop then later with his Super 88. He didn't have a gravity wagon to load the corn into so he used a hay wagon with 12 inch side boards on it. On the corners as the rig turned the elevator misaligned with the wagon and threw the ears on the ground. After the field was picked I took burlap bags into the field and picked up the corn on the ground. I got to sell that corn and it amounted to my allowance for the year. The second story occurred before I was born. My Dad as a young man trained as a Navy fighter pilot during WW2. For a time he was stationed at Gross Isle Navy base which was located in the Detroit river south of Detroit. This is very near where He and my mother grew up. There was usually a family gathering every Sunday at my Mom's parents house and while there he overheard that my Grandfather and two of my Uncles were going to hand pick the outer two rows in a cornfield on one of my Uncle's farm the next day. This farm and cornfield was located right next to the the DT&I railroad tracks that ran from Detroit to Toledo. Being young and full of bravado my Dad decided to pay them a little visit with his F4U Corsair while they were in the field. He started over Detroit, located the RR tracks and starting a long dive south toward Toledo. When he arrived at the cornfield he buzzed so low in that field that he was lopping off the corn tassels with the tip of his 14' diameter propeller. He scared my Grandfather and Uncles so much that when I asked them about it years later (I was verifying the story as my Dad was known to tell a tall tale or two) they all reacted to the memory like it was happening again right then!

Love to see the old pickers at work. I found an antique harvest show that allows participants to use their equipment. Got to run a #4 picker mounted on an 880 in the fall of 2021. Last year the 880 didn't want to run, but was able to run a 74 on a 1600 - so much fun. From the late 80's to the late 90's I picked most of the corn on our farm with a 74 and 1600, mounted and unmounted it every fall. I have videos of both on my channel.

This brings back memories I remember riding in the gravity box as my father was driving our IH 460 pulling a New Idea 1 row picker like yours. I would watch the ears fly off the picker into the wagon simpler times.

You're like me more projects than time. Neat seeing the picker work.

That conveyor is gonna need some pattles before long!

To this day think it is neat how Oliver levers have and resemble gear shifter knobs

Totally cool dude. Love watching the old equipment working.

thanks for sharing

The 88 is making short work of that corn !!

Nice looking picker

Hi Ross, maybe you should get the Oliver 770 out this year. I always look forward to watching your videos. Thanks Michael

👍👍

Uncle Lester had an Oliver 88 he bought new.

1:11 just found this sight do you know the last year olver was produced