Instructions for Setting Up and Operating the

McCormick-Deering Ensilage Cutter No. 12B

With List and Illustrations of Repair Parts

IMPORTANT TO McCORMICK DEERING OWNERS

This pamphlet has been prepared and is furnished for the purpose of giving the user as much information as possible pertaining to the care and operation of this machine. The owner is urged to read and study this instruction pamphlet and if ordinary care is exercised, he will be assured of satisfactory service.

CAUTION!

• Machines must not be operated above their rated speed as this is dangerous and will result in excessive wear and breakage.
• Keep hands and clothing away from all moving parts.

MACHINE IS COMPOSED OF:

• 1 – Ensilage Cutter.
• 1 – Ensilage Cutter “A” frame.
• 1 – Front axle.
• 4 – 20” diameter wheels.
• 1 – Slip tongue.
• 1 – Conveyor trough.
• 1 – Conveyor belt.
• 1 – Deflector.
• Blower and distributor pipe (as ordered).

SPECIFICATIONS

• Speed – 600 to 700 R.P.M.
• Power required – 12 to 20 H.P.
• Drive pulley – 14” Diameter, 7” Face.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP
(See Illustration No. 1)

1. Attach front axle pivot to socket in front end of main frame.
2. Block up Ensilage Cutter and “A” frame and bolt together. Caution! Top of Ensilage Cutter and “A” frame must be in a straight line or level in making this connection. If frame is not level, feed chute sides will not fit properly. Be sure all bolts and nuts are well tightened.

1. Put on front wheels, placing one axle washer on each end of wheel hub.
2. Block up rear end of machine and put on rear wheels. Axle washers, cotters and Alemite hydraulic fittings are packed in tool box.
3. Assemble tractor draw bar connection to slip tongue and attach slip tongue in socket with bolts found in tool box.
4. Attach tool box.

1. Attach (loosely) conveyor trough braces.
2. Attach conveyor trough. Be sure conveyor trough is inside feed throat sides. Tighten all bolts and nuts.
3. Loosen nuts on conveyor belt tightener brackets and slide them back full length of slots.
4. Do not loosen double 1/2” nuts on bolts through conveyor belt tightener stud and sprocket more than two turns.
5. Set belt tightener sprocket so Alemite hydraulic fittings are in line. Put on conveyor belt with turned-up edges ahead. Tighten belt fairly tight by means of adjustment “3-4.” Set machine in gear and turn belt by hand for a few revolutions. Loosen belt so it sags about three inches, being careful to have same tension on each side of belt. Tighten all nuts on “3-4.”
6. Attach pulley to pulley flange (not illustrated). Be careful to have finished surface of pulley next to flange. Bolts are packed in tool box.

KEY TO LUBRICATION CHART
(See Illustration No. 4)

Paragraphs are numbered to correspond with numbers in illustration No. 4.

1. Transmission oil cap.
2. Alemite hydraulic fitting in flywheel shaft rear bearing housing.
3. Alemite hydraulic fitting in flywheel shaft front bearing housing.
4. Oil drive belt guide roller.
5. Oil upper feed roll box, right and left.
6. Raise upper feed roll and block it in place. Remove 1/8” plug in lower feed roll and fill chamber in roll with a good light transmission oil by means of Zerk gun, pump or funnel, until oil runs out each end of roll. Screw in plug and lower the upper feed roll.
7. Four Alemite hydraulic fittings in transport wheels.
8. Two Alemite hydraulic fittings in lower feed roll shaft box, right and left.
9. Two Alemite hydraulic fittings in conveyor drive shaft box, right and left.
10. Oil paddle roll box, right and left.
11. Two Alemite hydraulic fittings (must be in line) in conveyor tightener sprockets.
12. Alemite hydraulic fitting in transmission case cover.
13. Alemite hydraulic fitting in transmission chain tightener sprocket.

ALEMITE HYDRAULIC LUBRICATION SYSTEM

To Fill Compressor (Hand Gun)

Unscrew and remove cap “A”, together with handle and plunger assembly, from barrel “B”. Fill barrel to within 3/4” of top with approved lubricant. (See “Lubrication Chart.”)

Pack lubricant carefully to avoid air pockets.

Do not tap gun on metal or hard substance as coupling may be injured.

Replace handle and cap “A”.

Caution! Wipe all dirt from hydraulic fittings before using gun.

Lubricant container should always be covered to prevent entry of dirt which clog the fittings.

• A – Cap, handle and plunger assembly.
• B – Barrel.
• C – Follower.
• D – Spring.
• E – Piston.
• F – Booster chamber.
• G – Coupling.

Instructions for Use

Place coupling “G” onto the fitting.

Push handle “A” in a forward stroke against the fitting; then release hand pressure. If no lubricant is delivered, it is usually due to air pockets. Tap the coupling on a piece of wood to eliminate this condition.

To remove gun from fitting, pull the gun to one side. This breaks the contact between coupling and fitting, and the gun can be easily removed. Where clearance is not sufficient to enable operator to pull gun to one side, the gun can be removed by pushing gun to bottom of stroke and immediately releasing grip and gun will automatically be removed.

This gun should be used from a “straight on” position, but will operate satisfactorily at an angle not exceeding 15°.

LUBRICATION

Study the Lubrication Chart carefully. Thoroughly grease or oil with grease gun, the four transport wheels. These wheels should be well lubricated each time machine is transported on the road.

Do not over-lubricate ball bearings on the flywheel shaft. These bearings have oil seals for retaining the oil and to keep them free from dust. Over-lubricating forces lubricant past the oil seals and eventually spoils the oil seals.

Other bearings equipped with Alemite hydraulic fittings have no oil seals. Lubricant should be forced into these bearings until it shows at each end of bearings.

Grease or oil the slots where upper feed roll works up and down on feed throat sides.

The jaws and housing of slip clutch should be well oiled before starting machine.

After that, an occasional oiling is sufficient. The upper feed roll and paddle roll boxes, being equipped for oil only, should be well oiled; turn the paddle roll and upper feed roll by hand to make sure oil has worked into bearing. These bearings should be oiled about four times in a half-days run, especially when machine is new.

Transmission Case Oil

Caution! Oil has been drained from transmission case. Before starting, fill the case up to oil level plug with SAE 90 gear lubricant. Keep filled to oil level.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPERATING

Set machine as near silo as conditions will permit, so the blower pipe can be set up as straight as possible.

Level machine both sideways and lengthwise.

Securely brace machine on tractor side to overcome pull of drive belt.

Fasten the required length of pipe together securely with deflector on upper end.

Note: It is better to assemble pipe with short sections at bottom so you can more easily make change in length of whole pipe should it be necessary.

Attach block and tackle at top of silo or dormer door. Fasten one end of rope to top of pipe and raise to place. The flexible connection which is attached to ma- chine will enable you to connect pipe at angle necessary to reach silo.

Note: The greater the angle of the pipe, the less the efficiency of blower and the more power required.

Be sure pipe is securely fastened at top of silo.

It is a good plan to nail two boards together to make a V-shaped saddle for pipe to rest in, if no provision has been made for a pipe rest on the silo.

After pipe has been raised and secured to silo, if a distributor is used, proceed in the following manner:

Attach block and tackle at top of silo just over outer end of deflector.

Raise hopper joint and attach to deflector.

Fasten rope around two-foot length of distributor pipe, raise high enough to attach regular three-foot length, and continue until pipe is proper length.

Hook chains on upper end of distributor to hopper joint. If silo has no roof, pass rope over deflector.

Note: In raising distributor pipe, pull with slow steady pull. Jerking on rope may pull things loose at top of silo.

DEFLECTOR

The deflector, regularly furnished, does not have the distributor attachment. It has an up-and-down adjustment so that ensilage can be thrown from one side to the other, but not in a complete circle as with the distributor, which is furnished on special order at a slight additional cost.

DISTRIBUTOR (SPECIAL)

The advantages of using a distributor for completely filling a silo is apparent to anyone who has ever had the experience of working on the inside of a silo. Ordinarily, the heavier cut fodder falls in one place and the lighter portions in another. The man who has to work on the inside, distributing the fodder, appreciates that he is subjecting himself to unusually severe conditions when the ordinary deflector is used. With the distributor, the silo is solidly and uniformly filled and without any danger or inconvenience to the operator.

The distributor and distributing pipes are furnished only on special orders.

LENGTH OF CUTS ARE OBTAINED AS FOLLOWS:

5/16” SHORT CUT. Use 9 tooth sprocket on flywheel shaft and secure with grooved pin. (As illustrated).

1/2” INTERMEDIATE CUT. Use 13 tooth sprocket on flywheel shaft and secure with grooved pin.

11/16” LONG CUT. Use 18 tooth sprocket on flywheel shaft and secure with grooved pin.

Note: Drive grooved pin in sprocket hub with smooth or small part of groove forward, and replace transmission shield.

BAFFLE PLATE

The floating baffle plate, attached to upper feed roll, directs the fodder under the roll; this plate should be oiled at hinge points.

CUTTER BAR

Cutter bar must be kept sharp for best work and light power.

Cutter bar has two tipped-up cutting edges.

To remove cutter bar, remove nuts on upper feed roll spring eyebolt, raise upper feed roll to top of throat and block in place.

Remove 1/2” hexagon nuts from three cap screws that pass through frame just under cutter bar support. Lift outer cutter bar support and change bar by reversing end for end.

Be sure plow bolt heads are driven tight into cutter bar and nuts are tightened securely.

Replace cutter bar support and securely tighten 1/2” hexagon nuts, locking lock nuts.

KNIVES

In changing knives it is not necessary to disturb knife adjustment.

In making an adjustment, loosen up nuts on adjustment bolt, wedge bolt, and knife. When knife is in proper position, tighten up adjustment bolts first. Be sure that all nuts are screwed up tight and locked with jam nuts.

It is very essential that the knives be kept sharp to insure good work, and light draft.

In grinding knives, be careful to retain original shape and bevel on them as near as possible. When doing very heavy work, or when fodder has sand and grit in it, or when the fodder is quite mature, it is necessary to change knives oftener than when they are cutting quite green fodder or fodder that has been cut with a corn harvester equipped with a bundle elevator.

VERTICAL SHEAR BAR

This machine is equipped with two vertical shear bars, “A-A,” located on inside of feed throat. These two bars are adjustable.

Keep the rear edge of vertical bars flush with rear edge of cutter bar.

The purpose of these bars is two-fold:

First – to act as a supplemental shear bar when cutting large bunches of fodder.

Second – to deflect the flywheel knife from cutter bar should knife become loosened from any cause.

To adjust bars, loosen nuts on countersunk head stove bolts through bar and throat side. Adjust nuts on hook bolt that attaches to bar and adjustment bracket.

Tighten all nuts securely.

CLUTCH SHIFTER LEVER

Before starting machine, be sure clutch lever is in working order in three positions.

Set the lever at neutral position.

When starting, set in reverse for a few moments to back out any foreign substance that might get into conveyor trough.

When you are sure all is clear, set in forward position.

Caution: Do not use clutch shifter lever when feeding unless it is absolutely necessary, as reversing, especially when cutting long cut, is a severe strain on machine.

SLIP CLUTCH

This machine is equipped with a slip clutch on the lower feed roll.

The purpose of this slip clutch is not to limit the cutter below its specified capacity but to act as a safety device, should the cutter be fed beyond its capacity or anything become locked in machine:

Should the clutch slip, stop the feeding mechanism, reverse and remove some of the fodder, put feeder in forward position and proceed with feeding. This requires but a few moments.

Should the clutch slip when feed conveyor is empty, stop machine at once and remedy cause of slipping.

Caution! Slip clutch is not to be removed, locked, or a heavier spring substituted, except at owner’s risk!

FEEDING

The proper way to feed an ensilage cutter is to keep an even stream of fodder going through the machine at all times. Feeding large intermittent bundles into the machine slugs it, and is hard on working parts, blower belts, etc., and you do not get as much fodder through the machine as you will by feeding it steadily.

Always feed stalks into machine butts first.

It is a good thing to reverse the machine between loads to clear out any trash that might accumulate between comb bar and lower feed roll.

CORN CHUTE (SPECIAL)

The corn chute should be set at the proper angle to suit the wagon of loaded fodder. In unloading, begin at the front end of wagon, sliding the bundles down (butts first) on the chute; and the feeding mechanism will take care of it.

Always feed stalks into machine butts first.

As the load is unloaded, drive team ahead to make it more convenient to throw it into the chute; thus when the load is unloaded, the wagon is practically out of the way for the next wagon driving up.

KNIFE GRINDING ATTACHMENT (SPECIAL)

Remove cap shield over end of flywheel shaft.

1. Attach knife grinder drive pulley to flywheel shaft. Groove pin requires no riveting; drive in until large end is flush with pulley hub.
2. Attach grinder support plate to main frame by means of hook bolts. Hook bolts must be on rear or cutter side of frame cross member.
3. Remove one nut from grinder adjusting bolt; put bolt through adjusting bracket, at the same time screw on nut.
4. Loosen nuts on clamps, front and rear; slide grinder over as far as possible.
5. Put on “V” belt and adjust on screw bolt until belt has proper tension. Tighten all nuts on clamps and adjusting screw.
6. Remove left-hand threaded nut on grinder shaft and put on grindstone.
7. Loosen set screw in grinder frame and put knife support shaft in frame and adjust support top to stone.

Caution: It is very easy to spoil the cutting edge on your knives by being in too great a hurry and burning the edge. Take your time; keep bevel right, and do not overheat, and your knives will last much longer, hold a better edge, and use less power.

HORSE TONGUE ATTACHMENT (ZMA-225) (SPECIAL)