What is the McCormick reaper?
Reapers were machines developed in the early 1800s to help farmers harvest grain. The McCormick reaper was horse-drawn and sharply reduced the amount of manual labor required to harvest grain.
How did Cyrus McCormick invent the reaper?
In 1831 Cyrus, aged 22, tried his hand at building a reaper. Resembling a two-wheeled, horse-drawn chariot, the machine consisted of a vibrating cutting blade, a reel to bring the grain within its reach, and a platform to receive the falling grain.
Why did Cyrus McCormick want to invent the reaper?
Located in the American West, most people migrating to the frontier hoped to acquire land to become farmers. McCormick hoped that the migrants would want to purchase his reaper to ease the workloads on their farms.
Who invented reaper?
Cyrus McCormick
In 1831, twenty-two-year-old Cyrus McCormick took over his father’s project of designing a mechanical reaper.
How much did a McCormick reaper cost?
Also unlike competitors, he allowed term payments, a novel idea in the early 1850s when the reaper cost $125 — worth $3,800 today. The farmer could deposit $35, plus freight, with the balance due after the next harvest was paid.
How did the McCormick reaper affect the economy?
The reaper broke the harvest-labor bottleneck by allowing the farmer “to reap as much as he could sow.” This big step toward automation allowed farms to become larger and more productive.
What did the reaper do?
The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831. This machine was used by farmers to harvest crops mechanically. The McCormick mechanical reaper replaced the manual cutting of the crop with scythes and sickles. This new invention allowed wheat to be harvested quicker and with less labor force.
Where was McCormick born?
Shenandoah Valley, VA
Cyrus McCormick/Place of birth