This afternoon there was something special to see on the land between Odoorn and Valthe. A combine of more than sixty years old went onto the field to mow grain. And it was 18-year-old Raoul Eerenstein who had the honor to control the machine.
Two combines were ready, one from 1964 and one from 1965. But one of the two let Raoul just abandon it. So he only went on the field with the other. That went fine, although the grain was a bit too moist due to the warm weather. As a result, mowing took a little longer, but the work was just done.
“We are mowing this every year, for twenty years. You can hardly see that anywhere”
The machine has no cabin, so in today’s heat it was a lot of sweating. Everything is also a bit slower than with modern machines, but that is part of it. “It’s a very old technique, but it still works. New machines are going faster, but it is still doing its job well.”
Despite the age, the machines are still doing fine. And you don’t see that often anymore, such old combines that are really used. “It’s just wonderful that such an old machine is still doing it. It works just as well as a modern combine, it is indestructible technique.”