IHC Binder - Spokane, WA
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 47° 51.607 W 117° 30.244
11T E 462297 N 5300875
This is one of several unrestored pieces at the North Spokane Farm Museum, in the country north of Spokane, WA.
Waymark Code: WMJYEH
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2014
Views: 1
Made by International Harvester Company, this is a grain binder. Before the days of combines, this was the machine that accomplished the first operation in the harvesting process.
Initially pulled by teams of horses, later by tractors, the ground driven machine cut the straw when the grain was sufficiently ripe, ran it up a canvas belt to where it was gathered then automatically tied into bundles which were dropped on the ground. A crew of three men with pitchforks followed, each picking up a bundle, then leaning the three bundles against each other, standing them upright, thereby creating a stuke. The stukes were left in the field for a few days to allow the grain to dry, then hauled by wagon to the threshing machine for threshing.
How to get here: Just north of the far north end of Mead, WA, turn west off Highway 395 onto Monroe Road. Follow it for 1.1 miles then angle right on Monroe. Follow Monroe for another 3.9 miles and turn in the lane, south side of the road. At North Hazard Road Monroe becomes West Ridgeway Road. Continue along it to the museum, another .3 miles. There are signs along the way.
These unrestored machines are outside the museum so it is not necessary to pay a fee to view them, though paying to view the rest of the museum is definitely worth the cost.