International Model 52 Combine

Saga Of My Ongoing Search For a Tractor

International Model 52 Combine

1/17/99 The combine is finally at the CyberRanch. Thanks to my friend Lew and his great International rollback, the move home wasn't too bad. Despite a totally shot tire on the heavy right side, the large winch just pulled it on up the deck. One minor problem occurred when we forgot to immobilize the reel. As our road speed got up, centrifugal force took over as the wind was giving the reel some pretty high rpm's. One of the cross pieces along with the hardware finally let loose and blew off. Turning back, we only had to travel about 2 miles before we found it sitting in the road. The good news was that no one had run over it in the meantime. That meant the metal brackets were still usable and I'd already known I'd have to make new wood. A more serious concern became apparent when water never stopped dripping out of the bottom of the grain bin for the whole two hours home. When unloaded, there was still a foot of water left in the bottom of the bin, and a very clear "high water mark" about 3 to 4 feet above that. Trying to lower the emptying auger first showed it was frozen up, and turning the auger certainly wasn't an option, as it appears frozen with rust as well. When the auger finally lowered, the rest of the water was able to drain out. This might be a great system to fill with water and washing soda, drop in an electrode and try the electrolysis method of rust removal.

Case Stationary Baler