Meet ‘Winston’ the Windrower
Posted By FarmerJ on January 8, 2009
Darling Husbie got a New Year’s prize. Meet Winston. Winston is a Hesston 620 Windrower/Conditioner. What exactly does Winston do? Well, he’s actually quite a complicated piece of machinery ~ he will cut our alfalfa, condition it (which means to squish the moisture out of the hay so it dries faster and more evenly) and place it in a windrow in one swoop. Pretty nifty, eh?
What’s cool about Winston is…well, lots of things. But, probably the coolest thing about Winston is that he sports a Chrysler HB-225 engine under his hood. That’s right ~ a mighty Slant Six! Now we can have drag races between Winston and Mr. Duster, our 1974 Plymouth Duster. [Lovie, I'd better not find parts disappearing from Mr. Duster only to somehow magically reappear on Winston.]
Another cool thing about Winston is how he is maneuvered. He doesn’t have a steering wheel. He has a joystick. Well, the fancy technical name for it is a ‘Hydro-Commander.’ This joystick controls the speed (both forward and reverse), the direction and the braking. It seems rather complicated to me, but then I don’t think I will be the one operating Winston. Most likely I’ll be piloting Samson, the Ford 8-N tractor, pulling a trailer to catch the alfalfa bales. Husbie will be the Hydro-Commander in our family *insert mental image of Husbie transforming into his blue tights and shirt with a big red ‘HC’ on the chest here*. Seriously, though, I have no doubt Husbie will master the joystick maneuverability of Winston.
And, doesn’t Winston just look cool?! He actually looks backwards to me. The end with the little tricycle wheel is actually Winston’s rear, which makes sense when you think of his functionality. Of course you’d want to sit so that you’re looking at the operational end of things, so you can actually see what it is you’re cutting. But just looking at him, you’d think the little end is the front ~ at least I do, anyway. Maybe it’s because with the tractors, the front is the skinny end and the wide-load implements are operated from the PTO at the rear. Oh, I can hear Husbie now ~ in his most loving and playful way ~ “Or, maybe it’s because you’re a girl and you don’t even know wassa sayin.” Yeah, that’s probably it.
Winston has a special feature, too. The enclosed cab. How nice is that going to be?! It will keep all the alfalfa pieces and particles from flying up and pelting Husbie ~ definitely a bonus. There’s only one little draw-back about the enclosed cab. Winston’s air conditioner doesn’t work. But, have no fear! We just happen to have a nice brand new, still-in-the-box Vintage Air system which Husbie can install. For you old timers who are ‘in the know’ ~ yes, this is the same Vintage Air system Husbie bought me for the Ramus back in…oh, was it 2000 or 2001? [For those of you who don't know ~ the Ramus is our 1977 Dodge Ramcharger 4x4. It was my daily driver for a while in Arizona...in the summer...with no A/C.] Husbie must have known we’d be moving to Nebraska and there’d be no need for the Vintage Air system in the Ramus and that Winston would need it instead. Yeah, that’s probably it.
Now, as if all of this isn’t cool enough already ~ there’s more! Husbie got an Owner’s Manual for Winston. It’s the funniest manual I’ve ever seen. Throughout its entirety, there are pictures of this litle guy ~ I think he shall be named ‘Wally’ ~ conveying various cautions and warnings about the maintenance and operational hazards of Winston. Ha! It’s just so goofy that it’s cool.
So, if you’re left wondering what good it does us to have nice windrows of freshly squished alfalfa, wonder no more! Husbie got another prize a few days after Winston arrived. I think there’s something slightly wrong with it though. It’s covered in green and yellow paint ~ I think it’s Brand X, if I’m not mistaken.
Yes, it is a John Deere 214-W Baler. If I was paying attention, this is a 1955 model. The ‘W’ means that it ties the bales with wire as opposed to twine, and it’s equipped with a PTO drive which means it runs off the PTO shaft on the back of the tractor. This will produce the same small square bales we had done for us last summer, but the bales should be much more compact and heavier.
This baler should provide us with a much easier method of retrieving the bales from the field compared to last year, too. It’s got a narrow chute attached to the bale discharge enabling someone standing on a trailer hitched behind the baler to stack the bales as the baler shoots them out. Sweet! I can say that because last summer I learned just how much work it is to manually move over 400 bales from the field and stack them into the barn.
That about sums it up in an eggshell. Husbie is just itchin’ to get some seat time in Winston. Thankfully we have plenty of space on the farmstead for him to ‘practice’ his maneuvers and perform a trial cut before he lets loose in the alfalfa field. Be sure to stay tuned!
About The Author
Winston, Wally & Baler,
I say Good Day and nice to meet you all.
You will come in handy at the Farmstead. Trust me when I say you will be loved and cared for by your new owners. You couldn’t have picked a better place to call your new home.
However, you have to make me a promise…when I come and visit next summer, this will be your resting time because I will be focusing on planting new seeds and flowers in the gardens and flower beds.
I promise that I will come look at you, praise you for your hard work and sit inside. I will even raise up my beer in my right hand and “Say Good Day”.
Can’t wait to meet you in person.