THE MELCK FAMILY’S THRESHING-MACHINE

The Brothers Ryk en Desmond Melck bought this machine for threshing on their farms Doornfontein and Kruispad east of Velddrif. This  machine worked at Doornfontein farm until the mid-1950s.

AFTER DOORNFONTEIN

The machine was eventually moved to the “ou Kerkie” [old little church], the previous building of the NG Church in Velddrif and stayed there while Joan Schrauwen had a gallery in the building. When the property was sold, the machine was offered to the Museum. The former Marine Products fish factory towed the machine from Velddrif to its present site at the SA Fisheries Museum in September 2013.

MANUFACTURER

This machine was manufactured in England by Ransomes (established by Robert Ransome in 1789) which is probably the present Ransomes Jacobsen company known for specialised lawn-mowers. Smuts & Koch from Malmesbury sold the machine to the brothers.

The machine was, at the time, described as a “straw chopper” which separates wheat from the chaff.

MECHANICS OF THE MACHINE

The machine did not have its own power source and was driven by a steam engine, later to be replaced by a tractor. A belt was connected from the power source to the main shaft which, in turn, drove two drive shafts with a multitude of belts which propelled all the different parts. The wheat ended up in grain bags at the back after the chaff was winnowed away.