FMC Tomato Harvester, 1969
Add to SetSummary
Tomatoes need careful handling. Growers who contract with processors used to rely on human laborers. The quest to plant and harvest more, faster, gave mechanical engineers and plant geneticists incentive to design a machine and a tomato it could harvest. The FMC Cascade Harvester carried 10-12 laborers who sorted debris out of the crop, fewer laborers than growers had needed for handpicking.
Tomatoes need careful handling. Growers who contract with processors used to rely on human laborers. The quest to plant and harvest more, faster, gave mechanical engineers and plant geneticists incentive to design a machine and a tomato it could harvest. The FMC Cascade Harvester carried 10-12 laborers who sorted debris out of the crop, fewer laborers than growers had needed for handpicking.
Artifact
Tomato harvester
Date Made
1969
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, California, San Jose
Creator Notes
Manufactured by FMC Corporation in San Jose, California
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Agriculture
Object ID
91.142.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Steel (Alloy)
Color
Red
Dimensions
Height: 11 ft
Width: 11 ft
Length: 32.5 ft
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