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1943 Massey-Harris 21

1943 Massey-Harris 21 in Nation on Film: The British Transport Films, Documentary, 2008

Class: Others, Farming vehicle — Model origin: CA — Made for: GB

1943 Massey-Harris 21

Position 0:22:25 [*][*] Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene

Comments about this vehicle

AuthorMessage

johnfromstaffs EN

◊ 2008-10-27 17:22

 It has Massey Harris written on it in quite big letters.

Citsa ZA

◊ 2008-10-29 23:59

 I am pretty convinced this is one of the famous Massey-Harris Model 780 combine harvesters, which played a large role in mechanising agriculture in the UK - especially given the title of the documentary. Some good pics and info at:
Link to "www.channel4.com"
http://www.oldpond.com/acatalog/classic_combines.htm
http://mview.museum.vic.gov.au/paimages/mm/198/19849.htm
http://mview.museum.vic.gov.au/paimages/mm/199/19903.htm
http://mview.museum.vic.gov.au/paimages/mm/197/19776.htm

dsl SX

◊ 2014-09-08 14:12

 Is this definitely a 780?? To this non-expert, it looks more like a 21 - eg /vehicle_736946-Massey-Harris-21-1947.html ??

Pierre EN

◊ 2016-05-16 00:27

 It certainly does, dsl, but if you're not the administrator most likely to get inaccuracies corrected on the Database, what hope for the rest of us?

dsl SX

◊ 2016-05-16 01:04

 There's lots of hope for all of us on imcdb. I was offering a non-expert suggestion which I hoped an expert would respond to. As I'm an admin, I could change it immediately myself but that's not the point - it needs Someone Who Knows These Things to confirm if my suggestion has legs or not. And Citsa usually knows his stuff and put up some good supporting arguments.

dsl SX

◊ 2017-10-21 04:44

 Reused from /vehicle_1059009-Massey-Harris-21-1943.html

antp BE

◊ 2019-09-08 18:03

 Comment received by e-mail from Neville B:
Quote The machine shown in the picture is indeed a Massey Harris 21 combine with the setting obviously somewhere in Britain as suggested by the number of people onboard the combine - probably amazed at this new piece of technology - UK agriculture was behind the US in terms of uptake of new agricultural methods. One must remember that WW II was still in progress at this date.
Also, one can see the field boundaries, which would suggest smaller fields and not the wide open expanses commonly found in the American ' Wheat Belt'.
Furthermore, given the extreme heat experienced by our American 'cousins', during their harvest, it is highly unlikely that quite so many people would have been onboard and able to put up with those kinds of temperatures experienced 'State side'.
Another give away that the setting is indeed set in Britain is the fact that the Air 'Stack' is the short version as fitted to machines bound for the UK market, because when cutting around the boundary of a field, overhanging branches from trees were a frequent hazard and could cause damage to items such as the Air Stack that projected upward by some way.
The US/Canadian versions of this combine had a taller Air Stack so as to benefit from cooler air higher off the ground, further away from dust and chaff and no need to worry about overhanging branches in the great plains!
As to the machine itself, identifying it is quite easy, there are a number of clues - first one is the table/header - there are no end sheets on this head which means it has a draper type arrangement. That is to say, canvasess, running inward from each end deliver the cut crop to a central smaller canvas which feeds the crop on into the machine.
In addition, careful and close inspection of the front of the machine, just behind and up from the header, will show the two small arms used to lift the header clear of the ground.
If one looks at the driver on the platform, his right hand is on a large diameter wheel, which is on a common shaft with the lift arms - movement of this wheel forwards or backwards lowers or raises the header respectively.
Furthermore, in the area of the lift arms, an angled brace can be seen at left and joining the right side up beside the driver. This was a brace for the large diameter wheel which lifted the header. The header itself was counterbalanced by three large springs mounted vertically in a cradle low down behind the Front Axle Beam. This arrangement supposedly made it easier to lift the header but as years have gone by, watching restored MH 21 machines in action, their operators fairly struggle to rotate the lifting wheel, sometimes requiring the use of both hands, whilst the vehicle is still moving forward and hopefully maintaining the desired course!
The year is stated as being 1943 - the MH 21 was introduced in 1941, whilst an improved version, the MH 21A was introduced, co-incidentally, in 1943.
Main differences between the two concern the Header and Crop Elevator Trunking.
The MH 21A had end sheets either end of the table and utilised an auger rather than canvasses to move the cut crop to the centre of the 'bed', but didn't have the 'disappearing fingers' so common on more modern combines.
The Crop Elevator was integral with the Header and pivoted much higher up on the machine, on approximately the same level as the driver platform.
The lift was electric ( I think ! ) on this latter model, and because the Elevator Trunking pivot was so high up, the Header itself could be raised much higher than the previous model.
The preceding MH 21 model had a fixed position Elevator Trunking with the pivot point for the Header being situated way down low, level with the underside of the Front Axle Beam.
Needless to say, this particular arrangement didn't allow for very much vertical movement when raising the Header.
Purely for it's historical role in the famous Harvest Brigade of 1944, I like the MH 21 better than the MH 21A, but from a purely practical stand point and operator point of view, the latter model is undoubtedly a better machine to use - more operator friendly, if you will.
As an aside, both MH 21 and 21As were used during the Harvest Brigade, not just the former model, though because it was manufactured first, it tends to get the lions share of attention.
My particular interest in this machine stems from the fact that I am in the process of building a half scale working model of said machine.
With access to two fully restored machines and one as yet to be restored machine, I am better aquainted than most ( apart from the machines owners of course ! ) to comment on the subject matter at hand.

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