A grandfather clock might have little to do with harvesting crops, but it provided the inspiration for a successful Australian product – Midwest harvest platforms
Inspiration can often strike in the most unlikely ways.
It was the impact from a tyre blowout during harvest almost 30 years ago, combined with the concept of a grandfather clock, that has led to Midwest harvest platforms being a staple of Australian farming.
Founder and harvest platform designer Martin Schutt and his family’s determination saw the first ever Midwest platform come to life in 1998 and the company has been at the forefront of innovation since, including becoming the first to develop a 60-foot (18.3m) platform.
Martin tells the story of how the tyre blowout incident became the catalyst for him realising there needed to be a better way than what was available.
“We were at the stage where everyone was only running 30-foot (9m) platforms – that was as big as you could buy – but another thing that really magnified in my head was the fact the platform was rigid to the combine,” he says.
“We were harvesting a fairly light crop and sitting on about 11km/h and physically blew a front tyre on the header, which was just flattened in a millisecond.
“The header just dropped down and it actually pirouetted the combine about 30 degrees from there, because you’ve got huge tyres on the front of the headers.
“When you’re running quite fast and low to the ground in a light crop, suddenly the end of the platform that the tyre blew on very severely impacts the ground and half pirouettes the header around.
“That was the catalyst for change, and one of the thoughts that kept ticking over in my mind was that we needed some way to make them freely oscillate on the combine.”
Inspired thinking
Recognising the need for change was one thing, but it took Martin’s know-how – plus applying the concept of physics – to have his ‘Eureka’ moment.
“When you start mucking around and looking at things, physics makes it simple,” he says.
“Look at the grandfather clock – it has a big pendulum and it doesn’t matter which way you land the clock, the pendulum always hangs straight down.
“That’s where the idea of the pivot ball being mounted on top of the feeder house came from, and the platform being balanced so there is equal weight on both sides.
“That way it doesn’t matter what the header does, the platform stays at the same height doing its own thing.”
This means that while the platform is feeding the combine, any movement of the header does not affect the platform and vice-versa.
Midwest platforms are built as a pendulum, Martin says, which is suspended horizontally and with springs strong enough to support them if a header or platform dips over a contour bank.
Origin story
The first Midwest platform was built as an internal test for themselves, with Martin deliberately buying a new combine harvester without a platform knowing he was going to trial a concept.
Its success led to encouragement to develop, patent and commercialise the product, while winning an award for new innovation at FarmFest in his native Queensland was another major step forward.
One of Midwest’s key points of difference, which was developed early on, was repositioning the cutter bar.
This patented design was an inspired move and has been the catalyst for an overall size increase in platforms for the industry.
“Everyone was restricted on overall width because of weight, and the Midwest design and patent allowed that weight to move back and sit on the top of the feeder house instead of hanging forward of the feeder house like everyone else,” Martin says.
“That’s what allowed us to start going to 45-foot and 50-foot platforms, and then we pushed the envelope out to 18.3m.
“We released the first 18.3m platforms in for sale in 2014 and some people told us we were crazy, but it was just based on demand.
“Now, 10 years later, other brands are building 18.3m platforms as well.”
Modern development
Midwest’s range consists of the Legacy and Durus models, both of which are available in sizes up to 18m.
The Legacy is purpose-built for John Deere X9 1000 and X9 1100 Series combines, while the Durus is compatible with a range of popular combine brands.
Both are designed for high-output harvesting and offer consistent performance; with Midwest’s innovative design and local manufacturing meaning farmers can be confident in the long-term strength no matter what Australia’s harsh conditions provide.
Nowadays, Martin is semi-retired but remains heavily involved in research and development for Midwest.
He still harvests his own property, which also serves as the ‘behind closed doors’ testing ground for any new concepts or innovations that Midwest is working on.
As for what is next – Martin believes a maximum width of the platforms has been reached due to the challenges it would cause with unloading combines.
“We’ve got people who are wanting to go wider than 18.3m but I think it’s reached the point where you ask how do you unload?” he says.
“We’ve worked our way around how to unload with 18.3m platforms, because some of the new combines will do that with no problem. It’s certainly been a mental challenge over the years.”
To speak with the Midwest team, visit www.midwest.net.au or call (07) 4662 2137.