It was lunch time with its associated lull in activity at the Struthers farm near Collins, IA, Saturday, Oct. 18th. A Farmall M and New Idea No. 20 picker was parked near the end of the field. Nearby, another M with its New Idea No. 319 picker was idle as well. My chance for a photo op had finally arrived. While I moved the two tractors into various positions, all the while trying to maintain an appropriate background, I'm sure curious spectators wondered what the guy in the black IH cap was doing.
When I was a youth, I ran our M with its No. 20 picker and trailing husking bed every Saturday during harvest. The No. 20 was eventually replaced with a Super Picker that served until the complete conversion to combining. My goal at Collins this year was to photograph 'my' two pickers together. I should have lowered both pickers but didn't think about it at the time.
Operating those pickers, and thereby rekindling fond memories of an earlier time, has been a little emotional and utterly satisfying. I want to thank Don Struthers, and his family, for keeping these and many other two-row mounted pickers from going to the scrapper and for giving the young, and young at heart, opportunities to run them.
THanks, Now i have a new desktop! lol Our neighbor a few miles to the east had a number 20 on a ZB minnie moline.I wish to God i had bought the pair at his sale now. I have watched for it for over 20 years but they dissapeared off the face of the earth. I had to move and had no choice but to cut mine up.I never got to mount or use it on a tractor.Hopefully get my wd45 with ford picker running for next year. Wish they would have a picker day closer to indiana. I woulld love to just be able to run a mounted to see if i like it. Been waiting for 54 years lol. I've always used a one or two row pull type. Hopefully next year get a crop in.
Those are great pictures!! Thank you for taking the time to take the and share them with all of us!! I am glad to see there are so many pickers still out there and people who love them!!
