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“World’s First” SP Forage Harvester
What may have been the world’s first self-propelled forage harvester can be seen at the Gehl Company in West Bend, Wis. It’s a prototype of a harvester built by Ohio farmer Henry Apple in the late 1940’s.
Apple used a Continental engine and parts from a World War II tank half track. The rear end came from a Massey Harris 101 and the steering axle from a Chevrolet.
The forage harvesting components came from a Gehl FH84 “Chop All” Forage Harvester. To make corn silage, Apple replaced the forage pickup attachment with a TR83 2-row corn attachment. Gehl Company was so impressed that they asked him to open a new dealership. Over time, the Apple Chopper Service grew into Apple Farm Service with 120 different brands.
“Whenever staff goes to Gehl Company for training, we make a point of visiting the prototype of the forage harvester Henry Apple built,” says Ken Holmes, Apple Farm Service.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Apple Farm Service, 10120 W. Versailles Rd., Covington, Ohio 45318 (ph 937 526-4851; www.applefarmservice.com).


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2021 - Volume #45, Issue #3