ABOUT US
It was no surprise that Don Wright took an interest in the combining business as he followed the footsteps of his father, Joe Wright, who had built a 26’ pull type combine from a thrashing machine and two headers in the early 1920’s. After 12 years of use, the “homemade” combine became scrap iron to support the World War II scrap iron drive.
In 1947, Don started his journey in the custom cutting business with the purchase of an Oliver model 30 pull type. He crossed the state line into northeastern Colorado to do his first custom cutting job. In 1952, the pull type combine was traded in for the new model 33 Oliver self-propelled combine. With a dry spring, Don and a few others decided to work their way south into Oklahoma and cut their way back to help make their combine payments. Although the living accommodations were a bit rough as he started his life on the road, he cut a lot of wheat in relation to the breakdowns and size of equipment he was working with at the time.
In 1955, Don made another step forward by trading his Model 33 Oliver in for a new Gleaner “A”. This proved to be a lot more productive as he journeyed south once again. In 1958, Don and his brother bought two new Gleaners and two-row corn heads, which was the beginning of corn picking.
As the harvest season lengthened into the colder months, Don used his innovative talent to construct cabs out of angle iron, masonries, and glass, with the addition of a fresh air heater to improve the frigid working conditions. Comfort on those chilly days led to the productive 15 to 20 acre days for each machine.
LEventually Don traded his Gleaner “A’s” for Gleaner “C’s”, and then for diesel Gleaner “G’s” and Gleaner “N7’s”. He also expanded his business into Montana and Arizona, which has continued to this very day. In 1983, Don and his son, Kent, switched over to operating John Deere 8820 combines. Wright’s Trucking & Harvesting L.L.C. has been green ever since.
We have been in business for over 60 years, spanning three generations. Custom harvesting has been our way of life as long as we can remember. In the middle of the 2003 harvest season, we were devastated to lose Don at age 77 to a sudden illness. We continue to move forward as he would have wanted us to with the same pride and work ethic he has instilled in this family-owned business. We continue to be progressive in our business, operating modern equipment that does quality work. We are an open-minded company, constantly trying to further our industry through drive, determination, hard work, honesty, integrity, caring, and customer satisfaction.
We have a regular clientele that we have built up through the years, gaining their trust and forming friendships. Our customers have come to expect the very best from us. We pride ourselves in the job we do through hard work and dedication to do the best with what is at hand.
