A New Technology

By the mid 1930s, threshing machines were facing competition from a new harvesting technology. A combined harvester or combine incorporated the functions of a binder and threshing machine. The combine was pulled or driven through the ripened crop, cutting and threshing as it went, thus eliminating the need for a substantial part of the labour force. At most, three labourers were all that were required: one to drive the tractor, one to operate the combine, and another to drive the truck or wagon that was being filled with grain. In 1928, in addition to their line of metal threshing machines, the Waterloo Manufacturing Company offered a self-propelled Sunshine Combine (691292). By the Second World War, few firms were still manufacturing threshing machines, and the self-propelled combine had gained favour for its labour savings.

Self-propelled Sunshine Combine (691292)