PHOTO OF THE DAY: August 24, 2007

"Hey ... Want a Ride?"

... So I jumped in and rode for a while in the John Deere Combine.

I had hiked up to the top of the hill behind the house to get a photo of the combine. They had just started cutting the wheat and I thought it would make a good photo. As the combine turned the corner, in front of me, he stopped and invited me for a ride.

This is one cool piece of equipment. After climbing the ladder to the cockpit, you really know you are into something big. The front tires are as tall as I am!

Inside the air conditioned cockpit, it's just a steady hum, much like the cockpit of a jet transport ... looks a lot like one too! The operator has his hand on a control stick, which actually resembles the stick in a jet fighter. All around the cockpit are an array of digital displays, including a GPS. Since a combine doesn't really get too far away from home, and is unlikely to get lost or need directions to the next town, I asked the obvious question: "Why a GPS?" The answer: It keeps track of the amount of grain being recovered each second and logs that information into the onboard computer database that is liked to GPS positioning. This way, after harvest, they have a graphical presentation of how much grain was recovered from which areas. Then, using this information, they can make any changes needed for the next growing season.

Sure is a long way from the harvesting I participated in when I was in high school!

(CLICK photo for a larger image.)