Instructions for Setting Up and Operating the McCormick-Deering New 4 Cultivator

This is a partial reprint of the manufacturer’s pamphlet published in 1937. We include the setup language and procedure because it can be most useful when trying to unscramble an older implement. SFJ

Instructions For Setting Up

Remove all wires and arrange parts conveniently.

Oil all bearings and moving parts as you proceed, and see that they work freely.

Bolts must be used in holed in which they are found, or in parts to which they are attached, unless otherwise shown.

Shaded portions in the illustrations show parts to be assembled; these must be placed on the machine in the order numbered.

In the following instructions, wherever the terms “left” and “right” are used, it should be understood to mean from a position behind and facing the machine.

Remove linch pins and take-up washers from axles and remove caps from wheels; put wheels on axles and replace take-up washers and linch pins; put caps on wheels. (2 ¼” steel washer goes on inside of wheel and 2” steel washer goes on outside of wheel.)

1. Bolt tilting quadrant and equalizer support (with lever attached) to rear end of pole.

2. Bolt frame bars to pole with large washers between frame bars and pole.

3. Place quadrant into guide and hook the link into hole in guide and tilting lever with secure cotter.

4. Bolt equalizer cross bar into socket in pole quadrant.

5. Hook singletree hanger into ends of equalizer bar.

6. Hook singletrees into hangers.

7. Hook draw links into hangers.

8. Nail tool box to pole.

9. Remove seat supports and foot levers as packed and bolt in place to frame connection and roller holder, placing stud washers through foot lever ends and lock washers next to nuts. (See Illustration No. 23 also.)

NOTE: Lower end of foot levers should extend toward the rear when upper portion is vertical.

Place chains onto hook on upper ends of foot levers. (See Illustration No. 23.)

10. Bolt depth levers to quadrants and frame connections, the levers to be outside of quadrants.

11. Bolt master lever end with lever attached to quadrant.

12. Pin links to master lever.

13. Throw master lever as far forward as possible. Hook balancing spring over hook on frame connection (upper hook for 8-shovel, lower hook for 4 and 6- shovel).

14. Hook balancing spring into eye-bolt.

NOTE: After cultivator is fully assembled, the proper tension can be obtained by adjusting the nut on eye-bolt so as to allow gangs to lift easily.

15. Bolt beams to gang connections and slides with bolt and lock washers (nuts inside).

16. Secure clevis on draw links to beam with pins and cotters.

17. Hook gang lifting rods into brackets on gang bars and into depth lever from the outside. Put in cotters.

NOTE: More pressure on gangs is obtained by compressing the spring with adjusting clip on rod.

18. Fasten shanks to beams with clamps and set screws and bolt shovels to shanks.

NOTE: When shovels are new, use third hole from bottom of shank and move shovel down as it wears.

19. Fasten neckyoke to front end of pole.

20. Bolt dirt shield support and brackets to shovel beam and adjust shield with hand screw.

NOTE: When bracket is placed, the hand screw should be on under side and to the rear. (See Illustration No. 24 also.)

21. Fasten seat to rails with tie. (See Illustration No. 24 also.)

Tobacco Attachment (Special)

(See Illustrations Nos. 6 and 7)

1. Remove dirt shield brackets and bolts.

2. Spread gangs to extreme width by putting links into inner holes of slide connection. (See illustration No. 7.)

3. Attach support for gangs to inner beams, with clamps and knee irons for springs on upper bolts.

NOTE: The lower end of gang supports must be about 10” from lower edge of beams.

4. Hook springs into lower end of hinge brackets. Insert eye-bolts into knee irons. Bolt hinges to inside of tooth bars.

NOTE: Tension springs can be adjusted with nuts on eye-bolts.

5. Fasten handle teeth to gangs. Bend must be outward. Cultivator seat should be well back.

The main lever can be sprung out to give more clearance for attachment lever.

If necessary, the foot treadles can be adjusted by use of the hooks and chains.

6. Attach seats spring to frame and braces.

7. Fasten foot rest to frame with clamps.

Disk Hiller Attachment (Special)

Instructions for attaching

1. Remove the two front shovels.

2. Attach Disk Hillers as shown in illustrations.

For Cultivator with slotted shanks, use the clamps taken from the front shovels which you have just removed.

For Cultivator with round shanks, use the new 2343B clamps shipped with the Disk Hiller Attachment.

Oiling

All bearings and working parts should be kept well oiled.

Grease cups on wheels should be filled daily. Fill cup and cap and continue to force the grease in until the entire bearing is well oiled.

Raise dust cap on wheel arm and oil.

Steel Beam Gangs

Special Pipe Beam Gangs

Spring Tooth Gangs

Instructions For Adjusting And Operating

Nuts on all bolts must be kept perfectly tight. Spread cotters to keep them from falling out.

Balancing Spring

Adjust balancing spring so cultivator will operate easily. For 8-shovel gangs, spring should be in top notch; for 4 and 6-shovel gangs, spring should be in lower notch. Adjust tension on eye-bolt so gangs will raise and lower with the least resistance.

Gang Lifting Rods

For extreme cultivation, in furrows and on ridges, etc, gang lifting rods can be adjusted to take care of these conditions by removing pins in gang lifting rods and connecting the rods to the desired hole in gang rod extension. On the 4 and 6-shovel, the gang lifting rods can be adjusted at the lower end to suit width of gangs by use of adjustment holes in brackets.

Tilting Lever

Gangs can be leveled for large or small horses and also when it is desirable for the front shovels to dig deeper or shallower than the rear, by means of the tilting lever on tongue.

Depth Levers

Depth levers are arranged so individual gangs can be adjusted to any depth. Also, they allow the gang to be raised out of the ground to clear any obstruction. Depth levers should be set so as to cultivate the desired depth, then the master lever should be used for raising and lowering at the end and beginning of rows.

Master Lever

The master lever allows both gangs to be raised and lowered and the cultivator to balance automatically with the one operation. If the master lever is operated at the end of the row while the horses are still going forward, it will be found more convenient. This also applies when beginning a row.

Foot Treadles

Foot treadles can be adjusted for a small boy or tall man by unhooking chains from links and taking up or letting out to the desired position. (See illustration No. 23.)

Seat

The seat is mounted on a hinged seat bar and can be folded over out of the way for adjusting the gangs. The seat can be moved forward or back along the seat bar to properly balance the cultivator for any weight of driver as shown at “A” and “B.” Provision is also made (“C”) for raising or lowering the seat to three different positions. (See illustration No. 24.)

Dirt Shields

Dirt Shields can be raised or lowered by means of crank “D”. (See illustration No. 24.)

Wheel Tread

Tread of wheels can be adjusted by loosening set screws “A” in connection casting 300B on drag bar, and removing cotter pins “B” in 6149B, main frame connection, then telescoping wheel arms and arches to the desired position, making sure that set screws are in proper hole in drag bar and that cotter pins in connection casting are in the right holes, so that wheels are parallel. (See illustration No. 25.)

Adjusting Gangs

Gangs can be adjusted to cultivate close to plants or expanded to take big rows by means of gang expanding lever on drag bar; for extreme positions, change links in gang slide which has three holes for this purpose.

Depth of Shovels

Depth of shovels can be readily changed by loosening set screws in shank clamp and raising or lowering shank standard; also by changing the shovel on shovel shank which has holes for this purpose.

Four Horse Hitch (Special)

Connect draw bar to main frame by means of chain, eye-bolts, and clevises.

Connect evener to hammer straps and tongue by means of chain and eyebolts.

Hook draw lines into ends of draw bar.

(a) For regular beam cultivators, connect draw links to beams with clevises.

(b) For pipe beams, fasten the hanger bar to beams with clamp and connect draw links with clevises to hanger bar.

Note holes in hanger bar (3) for adjustment of height of hitch.