"We were short of feed last year and with a rotary combine it was almost impossible to pick up our straw," says John MacDougall, Moosomin, Sask., who solved the problem by mounting the blower from an old McCormick Deering threshing machine on the back end of his IH Axial-Flow combine.

The blower gathers everything coming off the back of the sieves and rotor (there is a little door to let straw go out and keep chaff only, if you wish) and blows it to a trailing wagon. "It saves everything -- straw, chaff and even the weed seeds. The wagon dumps hydraulically -- the operator can see when it's full -- leaving stacks that are picked up in the field by a Deere 200 stackwagon," says MacDougall.

The only parts MacDougall had to purchase was the orbit motor that powers the blower and a check valve that lets the blower run free when it's turned off. He also bought an air seeder monitor that tells him the speed of the blower. He found everything else he needed in old machinery on his farm.

"It was a little difficult getting the blower into position because it was awkward to handle. We blocked it up and managed to clamp it to the sides of the combine until it was secured by bolts. To remove the blower, we just remove 5 bolts and use a jack to lower it down. The spout remains on the combine at all times but could be easily removed," says MacDougall. The wagon was built from an old 1-ton truck box and frame. The back door of the wagon is slanted so it stays shut until the wagon is dumped.