Gleaner A

The world’s first self-propelled combine harvester was the Gleaner introduced in 1923, which was built on top of a Fordson F tractor. A distinctive feature of Gleaner combines became the unpainted, galvanized sheet metal exterior. Another specialty of the Gleaner was its enclosed straw walker. The grains were separated by a conveyor between the threshing cylinder and the straw walkers, as well as the last few with the straw walkers. There were separate blowers for the sieves and straw walkers. From the late 1940s onwards, Gleaner faced increasing competition, to which the response was the long-lasting Model A introduced in 1951.

Model A was equipped with a 3.0–4.2 meter cutting platform. The engine was a 3.2-liter 6-cylinder gasoline engine. Mostly, Ford’s industrial engine was used. The enclosed straw walker opened when a stone got inside. The cutting platform was quick-release. The operator’s cab was located on the centerline of the cutting platform. Depending on the year model, the speed of the threshing cylinder was not adjustable. As an option, from the late 1950s, steering brakes and power steering were available. A parallel version of Model A was the R, which replaced the straw walkers with a beater-type separator. Model B was designed for rice threshing. Both the threshing cylinder and the straw walker were equipped with hammers, which were more effective than straw walkers. Model AH was one of the first hillside combines, with a sideways tilt of as much as 42 degrees.

During 1954–55, a small T-model was produced, which had a 58 cm wide threshing cylinder, a 7- or 10-foot cutting platform, and a 41-horsepower 2.8-liter Ford gasoline engine.

In 1955, Allis-Chalmers purchased Gleaner, which gradually replaced Allis’s own All-Crop combines that utilized distinctive technology. In 1957, Gleaner engines were changed to Allis-Chalmers’ 3.8- and 4.3-liter engines. Starting in 1958, a 4.3-liter diesel was also available at an extra cost. From 1957, Gleaners were also assembled in England in Allis-Chalmers’ red color. A few of these machines made their way to Finland as well. The structures were slightly adapted to European requirements, but especially the enclosed straw walker proved to be a problematic solution.

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