120 —Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 29,1978 c * '^Kv , s ; ■ . -i •%■ m$t y '■^&^k'■ '* !►" '^ ,f ' /.J^" . '*l*Sa!£ -#* * .IT **«s,» * » / 4. Standing beneath the superstructure of the combine, Charles Richardson looks into its “belly." His machine is one of the new rotary combines that’s on the market. /a Charles Richardson, center, uses his combine on County The more acres, the quicker he’ll pay off a hundreds of acres throughout southern York machine which costs $70,000 Paddling its way across a sea of rye, the “teeth" of the combine quickly reduce a field of waving grain to a carpet of stubble, V *■* « By DIETER KRIEG FAWN GROVE - The modern combine is a machine to behold. For $70,000, which is what Charles Richardson paid for his crop-chewing metal monster, one might say it should be. Richardson, who farms close to 1000 acres in southern York County, is owner of one of the most modern harvesting machines on the market today - an Axial-Flow combine from the In ternational Harvester Company. They’re part of a new generation of har vesting machines and several of the major manufacturers have these “rotary combines” in stock. Richardson is one man who is well pleased with the performance of these new grain reapers. ' « -T'"*' 'f -wnf 1 “They have done everything to take the driver fatigue out of it," Richard son comments as he climbs into the cab of the 12-foot high shiny red machine. The 436 cubic-inch, 170 hor sepower engine springs to life and a constant muffled roar is heard outside. It’s 96 degrees in the shade. But inside the cab it’s a com fortable 70-75 degrees and the noise is barely audible. “Let’s go,” the tall, slender farmer says, givmg me the opportunity to ride a combine for the first time m years. We sit high above the ground surrounded by tinted glass which allows full view of the action up front. The 180-bushel gram storage tank is visible through a wide window at the rear of the cab. Richardson’s earlier statement about driver An adjustable steering column and a fully in strumented • control console are featured in Richardson's modern combine. %■»% } £ s , e & 1 5.t *■ fatigue becomes quickly apparent as we drive to the Robert Moms farm, just outside of this southern York County town. The huge metal giant moves with ease and surprisingly smooth. The hot July sun can’t play its tricks inside the cab.'- There’s no dust to irritate skin, eyes, and lungs. The operator’s controls are handy. In fact, there are only a few controls the driver has to be concerned with.' A massive network of elec tronic sensors keeps “an eye” on operating con ditions. Hydraulics provide power in countless ways A console to the right of the driver is fully instrumented with gauges, lights, and even a beeper in case the operator fails to see the warnings flashed by gauges and needles. Up front, under the roof, is a small electronic box which monitors six combine functions: fan, ♦
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