BEAPER AND BINDER TRIALS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1545, 27 January 1887, Page 3

BEAPER AND BINDER TRIALS.

Mr H. B. Webster, the Geraldine agent for Walter A. Wood's Amerioan Beaper and Binder, held a trial oi one of their maohines last Monday in a paddock of wheat on the Geraldine Flat belonging to Mr O. Shaw. Owing to no notice oIE the trial haying besn given the attendance waa small. The machine wai let to work in an average crop, and appeared to perform iti dntiei satisfactorily. Some improvement! have beet made in it daring thci put year. The driving wheel and bearing! are all made of ciit iteel, the result being that it is mnoh lighter, and it ii chimed fur it lhat it weighs lOOlbs tolfiOlbs less than any other machine. The elevators have been considerably shortened, with the result that the corn folly ripe does not get thrashed oat while being conveyed to the binder. The corn is no sooner on the elevators than it is off again. The binding apparatus has also been made of cast steel .. and is stronger and lighter than heretofore. . It has also been brought to within about 18 inob.es of the ground, 10 that the sheaf hat a very short distance to fall. The aotion of the "trip " has bsen so sdjasted that it worki very lightly, just pushing the shenf off, without the strong jerk wbioh is complained of as beif? po objectionable. The knotter Is almost i:» acme of simplicity, and is so fixed ai o, !o taken off in a few minuteii! found neoauary. The posiibility of breakage to the binder through being jammed in a heavy crop is reduced to a minimum by means of % powerful spring, so made as to hold the grain as long as it is safe for the binder.' In the event of the strain being too ' much the spring gives , way, and thus saves the binder. Another improvement that will commend itself to tfurcaasers is that the ' machine can be raised or lowered to suit the crOfvboth at the driving and small wheels. : by a very simple contrivanoe, which is worked by merely turning a handle. The "butter" is made of wood, with tin laths which is found to be a great improvement, as it is not so suioeptible to the action of wet weather. The fans are so fitted that their speed can be altered at the pleasure of the driver, by means of a handle within hit reach. Another arrangement enables the maohine to be backed if the knife beoomes jammed in a heavy crop without working the binder the reverse way. Thia it a valuable improvement, as it obviates the necessity that formerly existed of taking off . the driving chain, thus losing a great deal of time. .The, transports aire very simple and oan be connected by one man in a .very short time. Mr Webster is a thorough expert with the maohine, and keeps duplicates of all the parts, so no time need be leet ihould a break. age ooour. The manner in which the maohine did its work gave entire satisfaction to all who s»w it. Although a brand*new machine, thickly coated with paint, and all its parts bat partially lubrioated, it opened out a paddock of over lihirty acres of wheat without a single hitch. Yesterday Mestrs Sicigert and Vauvel, the Temuka agents, held n trial of one of the --same machines in a paddock of wheat belonging to Messrs Sweeney Bros., of Waitehi. There waa a fair attendance. The erop was an average one, and the way the machine performed, its work was greatly admired.