Inventions & Discoveries · Farming and food
Mechanical reaper
A mechanical reaper is a machine that cuts, and often gathers, grain crops at harvest. Patrick Bell built one in Scotland in 1828; in the United States Obed Hussey patented a reaper in 1833 and Cyrus McCormick a horse-drawn one in 1834, completing a design begun by his father Robert, with the aid of Jo Anderson, a man enslaved by the family. Reapers spread slowly until McCormick acquired the rights to Hussey's cutter bar around 1850. The reaper-binder of 1872 also bound the sheaves, and it was replaced in turn by the swather and the combine harvester.
On the inventions tree
- First known
- 1828
- Where
- Scotland
- Credited to
- Patrick Bell · Obed Hussey · Cyrus McCormick
NoteGallic reapers, which combed off the heads of grain, were used in Roman times in what is now France. Cyrus McCormick claimed to have invented his reaper in 1831, and an 1861 ruling of the United States Patent and Trademark Office gave much of the credit to Obed Hussey.
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mechanical reaper. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mechanical-reaper
- MLA
- “Mechanical reaper.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mechanical-reaper. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Mechanical reaper.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mechanical-reaper.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mechanical reaper’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mechanical-reaper (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻