Issue # 5: The No. 2 Corn Master

When Oliver merged with the Nichols and Shepard company in 1929, they also acquired the corn picker that was designed to work with the Fordson. This contraption bolted around the tractor and rendered it useless for any other jobs, but it was far easier than picking and husking the corn by hand. It was first demonstrated on a few farms in the fall of 1927.

Although a few of the machines were sold, this was done on more of an experimental and promotional basis because full production didn’t start until 1928.

In the fall of 1930, the new Oliver Farm Equipment Company management announced a newly designed 2-row picker. This unit could be pulled by any type of tractor and easily unhooked so the tractor wasn’t tied up. Corn pickers were fairly new to farmers so the company made various improvements throughout production.

The biggest changes to come with the corn picker happened in 1935 with the introduction of the newly designed Corn Master Series. This machine was specifically designed for pneumatic tires. It had an all new tubular “backbone”, a wagon elevator turntable to allow passage through narrow gates, a fully adjustable tractor hitch, a large capacity fan to keep husking rolls clear and dozens of other improvements. The tubular frame was much stronger and eliminated quite a bit of weight. That combined with the easy pull of a rubber-tired machine drastically reduced the draft of the picker. As with previous models, improvements were continuous.

In the summer of 1939, Oliver began promoting their new Corn Master machines for 1939. A few early production sample machines had been sent to dealers to boost advance sales of the new picker. On August 12, 1939, a Chicago and North Western freight train barreled across Illinois with 36 cars loaded with the new Corn Masters. There were 216 machines in all and it was the first delivery to be made of the new pickers and they were all going to Iowa. The state was having a “tall corn” year, so the arrival of the new pickers was a welcome site to farmers.

The first stop was to Clinton, Iowa where it was greeted by the mayor of the city, R.N. Howes, and a delegation of Oliver dealers, salesmen, newspaper men and photographers. The train made its way across the state stopping at Wheatland, Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown and Ames where another 50 dealers participated in the historic event. The train was even greeted with a band playing when they reached the platform in Wheatland. Even officials of the railroad considered this a notable event because they placed placards at all of the stations along the route. The ENTIRE train was loaded with Oliver pickers.

Check out Issue # 5 of Oliver Heritage for more on the No. 2 Corn Master!!! Also be sure to check out all the other exciting stories in every issue!!!!