Original All Crop Combine

So I’ve been trying to learn more about the All Crop line and I was wondering if anyone has one of the original or first built All Crop combines. I would like to know if the clean grain elevator was also the elevator that loaded the grain tank sort of like some of the Massey Harris Clipper combines. If anyone knows other differences from the original machine to a more common one, that would be much appreciated too!

We have an operating original All Crop combine.

While similar in design, there is very little in common as far as parts interchangeability between the early model you have pictured and a model 60. (Your first photo is a 1937, second and third are 1936) The combine was called the Corn Belt combine while in the experimental phase (early 30s), then when introduced as a production machine for 1935 it was named the High Speed combine. Some people will argue it was never called that, but I have advertising literature to prove it. In 1936 it was again renamed, this time to the All-Crop Harvester, and carried that name through 1937. In 1938 it underwent a significant redesign, and the model 40 was also introduced. Now that there were two models, they needed a number for them both, so the bigger one became the 60.
The original High Speed/All-Crop was a significant leap forward in harvester development, but it was still an archaic design. There was no gearbox disengagement, so the entire machine had to run while unloading the bin. Some of them had quick tension release idlers on the back of the separator so you could at least stop that part from operating, but the header and cylinder would remain running. There are a lot more nuances with them and they underwent a few changes throughout their production run such as decal design, straw hood design, and the big tailings recleaner you’ll see in two of your photos. I’ve never seen a 1935 model to verify if this actually went into production, but the patents show the “fish backs” on the straw rack were on hinges and they oscillated side to side as the straw rack moved back and forth to help further agitate grain.
These machines not very common to find today, a lot were probably scrapped during WWII due to their obsolescence even by then. I hope to find one someday in nice condition to add to my own collection.

Edited by CrestonM - 02 May 2025 at 8:38am

Wow! Thank you for all of the information! I always thought that they were called All Crops but now I know otherwise! The original ones sure are awesome and they certainly are not common. I personally own a 1948 all crop 60 that was sitting in a woods for 60+ years and I restored it. What makes this machine special is the sheet metal is made out of aluminum instead of normal iron sheet metal like you find on almost every machine. One negative about the aluminum models is they did not hold up quite as good as the iron models. The shield above the cylinder, not the one for the return grain, but the one that connects that shield to the top sheet metal was just about round and it should be flat. It also had a huge hole in it as well. The sheet metal directly behind the cylinder has some decent size dents in it from the inside, most likely from rocks. Also the sheet metal on the top of the separator behind the cylinder was also replaced at one point. Now the benefits of the aluminum sheet metal was it did not rot out like iron sheet metal. There was an identical 60 about 10 feet away from this one and it was completely gone. And when I say completely gone, I mean it left the woods in several pieces being carried by a tele handler. It was missing the tire and rim underneath the concave, and of course, stupid groundhogs collapsed into the ground so moisture basically rotted the thing to almost nothing. Many parts were robbed off it too like the PTO shaft along with some of the tongue. I got the useful parts off and then it made its way over to the scrapyard. 1,400 hours later and the aluminum model 60 was back in the field, doing an excellent job! I believe this machine was parked because the original owners bent the cylinder somehow and when I removed the cylinder bars, they were so bent out of shape. I don’t even know how it’s spun! So it’s pretty obvious the original owners did not care about it and I would say it ate a lot of rocks and its life. Other than that, I don’t see any other reasons why it was parked, and all of the bearings and bushings were and are in exceptionally good shape and I haven’t done anything to them except throw a little grease at them and the thing runs extremely smooth! I bought a model 66 as my parts machine to get this one back up and running and it was in let’s say fare shape for $500. However, the grain drag floor was completely rotted out and the bottom of the grain tank. But all of the parts that I needed were in great shape and I have since then parted that machine completely out, and it has made its way to the scrapyard as well. That machine also had a cylinder speed gauge which I know is quite rare nowadays and I had that rebuilt and it works great! Overall great machine, and I can’t wait to harvest wheat this year! Someday, maybe I’ll end up with an All Crop 90.