In 1786, Scotsman Andrew Meikle invented a threshing machine.  The early machines were powered by horse or later by steam engines.  

Many of them were stationary.  The threshing machines did four different tasks.  It removed grain, separated the grain from the cob or husk, cleaned the grain, and then gathered it or stacked it. (24F)  The threshing machine was never widely purchased by small farmers.  They were very large and often too expensive for the average farmer.  Often they were used in custom operation going from farm to farm.

 Later these threshing machines were combined with reapers and became known as combines.