Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Finding new life in an old combine

Monday, August 21, 2017

A restored combine is the result of a partnership between a regional Case IH dealership and a local 4-H group

By Jennifer Jackson

When Craig Smith, co-owner of O'Niel's Farm Equipment Ltd. in Binbrook, told Robert Meier, Territory Sales Manager for central and eastern Ontario for Case IH, about a 1930s A-6 Case combine that was up for sale at auction, it wasn't long before the pair set a plan in place for the piece of equipment.

The combine needed to be restored and Meier knew the right team for the job: the local 4-H machinery club.

Along with Smith and Clint Burrows, leader of the 4-H Machinery Club in Hamilton-Wentworth County, Meier hopes the completed project will showcase the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the 4-H members, as well as the agricultural industry's history and progression.

Here, Better Farming provides further highlights from the restoration process.

Restoring Combines

Smith found the combine for sale online in an auction. An individual involved with the project snapped a photo of the 1930s combine at the start of its journey, leaving the grounds of the Grey Roots Museum & Archives.

Restoring Combines

The combine sat untouched over the winter of 2016/2017, while Meier and Smith started to plan the combine's restoration. The pull-type combine features a galvanized metal body, a six-foot-wide head and an innovative grain unloading system.

Restoring Combines

Once the combine arrived at the farm of Clint Burrows, the Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Machinery Club got to work. This was one of the six meetings where the members fixed, rebuilt and painted the combine.

4H restoring combines

    Photo credit: Hamilton-Wentworth County 4-H machinery club photo

The 15 4-H machinery club members range in age from nine to 21 years old. Members with all levels of skill and familiarities with machinery had ample opportunities to contribute to the project.

4H restoring combines

    Photo credit: Hamilton-Wentworth County 4-H machinery club photo

Part of the group stands for a photo after a night of hard work. The meetings each lasted for about two hours and, according to Burrows, the 4-H members are all very enthusiastic about the project.

4H restoring combines

    Photo credit: Hamilton-Wentworth County 4-H machinery club photo

The 4-H members had many opportunities for hands-on learning – the kind of learning not acquired with a computer program, says Smith – through such responsibilities as cleaning, the completion of structural work and painting. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Promotes Local Food to Boost Economy and Jobs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Ontario is celebrating Local Food Week from June 2–8, 2025, honoring the people behind the province’s strong and self-sufficient food supply. From farmers and food processors to retailers and restauranteurs, these individuals contribute to the economy and food security. The agriculture... Read this article online

Scientists at Guelph Target Avian Threat

Thursday, June 5, 2025

The University of Guelph (U of G) is activeey engaged against the spread of avian flu. Experts from a variety of departments, including virology, engineering, veterinary medicine, and computer science, are working together to stop this growing threat. “This is not just a crisis for the... Read this article online

Trouw Nutrition launches IntelEgg

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Trouw Nutrition has announced the launch of , a digital platform designed to empower layer producers with real-time insights and data-driven decision-making tools. The image above shows an demo screen. This browser-based application is set to transform how poultry farmers monitor,... Read this article online

New Precision Ag Digital Digest Coming Soon

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

The Summer 2025 Farms.com Precision Ag Digital Digest will be released on June 11. Summer is upon us! Tillage and seeding are mostly completed (…hopefully), so we are shifting focus to irrigation, baling, spraying, guidance, and harvest (among other topics and technologies). In... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top