Folding combine headers

[Lincs Lass]

Who made the combine back in the 60s with a folding header ,,.
Landlord been asking and we thought it was Fisher Humphrey but cant find anything about them

 

[chaffcutter]

Fisher Humphries branded Lely who had the patent on the header I think. Was a recent chat about them on here,in classic machinery perhaps?

 

[Selectamatic]

http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/who-needs-a-header-trailer.27465/#post-502640

 

[Lincs Lass]

Knew Ide seen it someware ,,chears guys

 

[Tonym]

Both Fisher Humphries and Lely combines were in fact Decentriter? (Spelling) combines that were originally designed and built in Austria. Later ones were built here under licence here.

 

[Selectamatic]

Both Fisher Humphries and Lely combines were in fact Decentriter? (Spelling) combines that were originally designed and built in Austria. Later ones were built here under licence here.

Yes, of a fashion...

There was a design dept in Wiltshire, who took on themselves to improve the FH version as required, there is quite a bit of difference between a UK and Austrian combine...

 

[An Gof]

Claas also do one

 

[Tonym]

I have seen picture of two types of Claas folding headers one that the right side folds ove the left and then the whole lot is centralised so halving the width. On the other type both sides fold forwards horizontally out in front.
Neither type could be used safely with headers of more than about 20ft. The first type would be too wide and the fold forward one would nose dive the combine especially if you had to use the brakes suddenly.
The vertically folding Lely type would be no better because of overhanging trees and low bridges and poor visibility so it looks like the header trailer will not become redundant just yet.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

 

[Niels]

Both Fisher Humphries and Lely combines were in fact Decentriter? (Spelling) combines that were originally designed and built in Austria. Later ones were built here under licence here.

Dechentreiter it is indeed. The company came from Southern Germany (Bavaria). Lely took it one and used their patent. Mr. Lely had many many patents (and still do). Part of their huge income. I think the biggest improvement of the UK build Lely combines were a 'good' cab and a much larger engine as the struggled in the wet UK crops. Don't know if much of the inside changed. Lely still own the patent of the vertically folding header so other manufactures had to come up with something else!

 

[Selectamatic]

@old vin ag would be able to tell us the differences between the two types perhaps...?

@Niels, are these still used over there? Or are they as rare as over here?

 

[Niels]

@old vin ag
@Niels, are these still used over there? Or are they as rare as over here?

There used to be a fair few in Belgium. I believe the UK Fisher & Humphries build models were only exported to Belgium even. Though I would only know of 1 or 2 now. In Holland, up until a few years ago, there was a farmer running two of them. He has sold those now. I've written an article about him for Classic Tractor a few years ago. Wouldn't know of any others. Those two he had are now in Poland. In Southern Germany there will probably be a few still, I wouldn't know.

 

[Lincs Lass]

The only one I can remember seeing was on a little farm at Burgh-le-Marsh ,on the Skegness road ,I worked down near spilsby 20+ yrs ago and had to collect a few bits out of his yard,
First and only one Ide ever seen

 

[Tonym]

Contractor local to me had one in the late 70's. It did not stay long with him as it was replaced in 1978 with an International 953 which I later owned. He replaced that with an Axial Flow.

It was a hydro model and I remember him going along the road leaving an oil slick the Torrey Canyon would have been proud of.

That said I never saw it working but I don't think he was too impressed by it.

 

[Spud]

https://b0e5528e-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites...Tno2tx_66SDwq2ZbgxE2Elw_F27A==&attredirects=0

Like this one? Still local, it was a contractors machine down the street from me when I was a kid

 

[jakeboy]

Drove one of these!! They built them at Wootton Bassett in wiltshire, they were built like a tank, ford engine, and they had shaft speed sensors!! Also perspex window alongside the sieves!! They were successful with this table as others were not! Massey had one in the late 60s you had to wind it out manually, they never made many,.
I have some pictures will put on! It really was a mechanical marvel at that time, they were a proud company, but the competition was to great and there was no stomach for this folding table idea, can you imagine a 40 ft folding table now!!

 

[Exfarmer]

There was a contractor in Watton had 2 Lely's up until the late 1990's.
In their day they were a big machine

 

[Selectamatic]

There was a contractor in Watton had 2 Lely's up until the late 1990's.
In their day they were a big machine

The world's largest, it was claimed...

 

[old vin ag]

@old vin ag would be able to tell us the differences between the two types perhaps...?
The company Josef Dechendreiter of Bayern. Germany.a farm machinery company made Barm and Portable threshing machines from 1896.As the Dutch company A Van Der Lely expanded they began to purchase established companies.in the mid 20th century.In England with A B Blanch ltd of Crudwell Wilts in 1960 who also owned Fisher- Humphries The name was then changed to Blanch Lely then in about 1968 the name was changed again to British Lely.The name F H was only used on Plough production and Hedge cutters until 1966 when the Lely Fisher Humphries Victory combine was shown at the 1966 Smithfield Show.Meanwhile in Germany Josef Dechendreiter had been bought out in 1963 & renamed Lely Dechendreiter. Back here in England Blanch Lely had been busy constructing a new Factory at Wootton Bassett. The production area /finished machine warehouse was all under roof and totalled 11 acres. Main machines produced were the continuous production for 9 years of the world famous Cock Pheasant Tedder,Tedrakes.Cutter Bar Mowers.Fert Spreaders , Bale Elevators and F H Hedge cutters. This new factory was what I think inspired the company to get involved in the Victory combine as room at the Crudwell works was limited and also a very nice building housing drawing offices,prototype work and testing could be carried out away from prying eyes.
I'm sorry it's taken a while to get to the question - what were some of the differences in the Germany and BRITISH machine, but I thought a bit of company history might be of interest.
A/ the Dechentreiter model was the JD 420 with folding cutter bar of only 4.20 metres (13ft 8ins.). compared to Victory of 14ft or 18 ft.
B/ Basic engines were both Perkins 6-354 no option of T6-354 as on the victory Much later UK machines had a Ford engine
C/ Gearbox 3 forward 1 reverse. Make not stated . Victory Z F 4forward 1reverse both machines with Henkel variator control. The change to a four speed box was for a slower forward speed both for the more dense UK crop And also for working with the 18ft machine. Much later machines had option of Linde hydro transmission.
D/Drum Varriators,Threshing Drum and Concave came from Dechandreiter but I believe a bolt on extra concave bar was fitted to the German machine giving 14 bars in total.
E/ sieve area was 48sq ft on the Victory a increase of 8sq ft.
F/ the area of the 5 straw walkers were the same at 58.7 sq ft as these were supplied by Dechendreiter.
G/

 

[chaffcutter]

@old vin ag - we had a Victory with the 6-354 engine but as I posted in the other thread on these, at the right revs for the machine the engine ran very rough, when we got it running sweet the revs were much too high, was this common to the model do you know? When we swapped to the turbo engine it transformed the machine, I really liked it, the variable speed and all hydraulic controls were a revelation at the time.