this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/32524920

I watched several videos on a Combine Harvester's inner workings and I still don't understand how this thing works.

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[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm gonna guess there was an intermediate step where we put mechanical scythes on horses or something

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Of course, yes, there was. But it was extremely brief in the grand scheme of things.

https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/4269-timeline-of-ag-equipment-firsts

1830's the first mechanical (horse drawn) harvester comes out, and by the 1860's steam powered tractors were being introduced.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yep, e.g. the McCormick Reaper, which is unsurprisingly is mechanically very similar to the modern grain head on a combine.

Here's a video of an even older Johnson Reaper in action.