What is a sophisticated mechanical reaper?

This machine was used by farmers to harvest crops mechanically. For hundreds of years, farmers and field workers had to harvest crops by hand using a sickle or other methods, which was an arduous task at best. The McCormick mechanical reaper replaced the manual cutting of the crop with scythes and sickles.

How much is a mechanical reaper?

McCormick set his price and didn’t haggle. Also unlike competitors, he allowed term payments, a novel idea in the early 1850s when the reaper cost $125 — worth $3,800 today. The farmer could deposit $35, plus freight, with the balance due after the next harvest was paid.

How does a reaper machine work?

It worked in this way: a straight blade (protected by guards) was linked to a drive wheel; as the drive wheel turned, the blade moved back and forth in a sawing motion, cutting through the stalks of grain, which were held straight by rods; the cut grain stalks then fell onto a platform and were collected with a rake by …

What is the purpose of the reaper?

Reaper, any farm machine that cuts grain. Early reapers simply cut the crop and dropped it unbound, but modern machines include harvesters, combines, and binders, which also perform other harvesting operations.

Can you explain what a mechanical reaper is?

A mechanical reaper or reaping machine is a mechanical, semi-automated device that harvests crops. Mechanical reapers and their descendant machines have been an important part of mechanised agriculture and a main feature of agricultural productivity .

What are the effects of the mechanical reaper?

The reaping machine commonly referred to as the mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick and Obed Hussey in 1833 and 1834. It followed a major pattern for its uses in the harvesting of wheat and other small grains as well as grasses. The invention of the mechanical reaper drastically changed the lives and yields of grain farmers.

How does the mechanical reaper work?

With the mechanical version, a farmer steers the reaper through the field, and it collects the crops. Reapers are classically used to harvest grain crops, and the original McCormick reaper simply cut the stalks of grain, leaving bunches behind for collection.

What is the history of the mechanical reaper?

Cyrus McCormick (February 15, 1809–May 13, 1884), a Virginia blacksmith, invented the mechanical reaper in 1831. Essentially a horse-drawn machine that harvested wheat, it was one of the most important inventions in the history of farm innovation.