General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

9

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

WOOD CONSTRUCTION

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

609.0 cm

Width

213.0 cm

Height

274.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Crop handling

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Waterloo

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Waterloo

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Unknown

Canada

The Waterloo Champion Separator, a wood-framed thresher, was first manufactured by Bricker & Co. in 1880. The thresher featured grain-separating technology patented in the 1870s by John Beam. In 1888, E.W.B. Snider bought Bricker and incorporated it into the Waterloo Manufacturing Co. The Champion was made in eastern and western models; in 1908, Waterloo establishing a manufacturing plant in Portage la Prairie. The company continued to produce threshers into the 1940s.

Function

Threshers separate or "thresh" grain from the head. They also separate grain kernels from the straw and chaff, cleaning the grain. Threshers were first developed in Europe in the late 18th century and mechanized the separation of grain, which was previously done by hand with tools such as flails. The first threshing machines were stationary: powered by hand or treadmill, they increased the amount of grain a farmer could separate in a day. Wheeled threshing machines began to replace stationary threshers in the 1860s and further mechanized grain harvesting. Threshers were initially built of wood and powered by horse-powered windlasses; they were later built of steel and powered by steam traction engines and gas tractors. Threshers were in turn replaced through the twentieth century by combine harvesters, which merged harvesting and threshing operations in one machine.

Technical

Wheeled threshing machines were first introduced in the 1860s. Replacing stationary ground threshers, they further mechanized grain harvesting and increased the amount of grain a farmer could process in a day. Initially built of wood and powered by horse power, threshers were later powered by steam traction engines and gas tractors. The Waterloo Champion was a distinctive thresher with its high rear end and double gear wheels. This thresher is hand-decorated with painted scroll-work and pin-striping, a characteristic of agricultural implements made before the 20th century. Threshers of all-wood construction, such as this one were replaced in the early 20th century with threshers of all-steel construction; through the mid-20th century, wheeled threshers were replaced by combine harvesters, which merged reaping and threshing operations in one self-propelled machine.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

'WATERLOO CHAMPION'

Missing

COMPLETE; NEEDS CLEANING

Finish

ONLY ONE WHEELCOMPLETE/ PTS: CURTINS FOR STRAW CARRIER; CANVAS FOR STRAW CARRIER; HORSE POWER GEAR; TWO CONCAVES; GEAR WISH LEVER/ ORIGINAL PAINT VERY GOOD BUT MACHINES NEEDS WASHING WITH WARM WATER AND MILD DETERGENT

Decoration

N/A