Binder update.

This is an update on the old McCormick-Deering binder I was working on last winter.

It was made it seems in about 1923 -25.
For the last 60 years or so, it has sat in the bush at the side of a field, and had slowly sunk into the ground.
The platform and cutter -bar were 4" underground.
Dug it up and pulled it into the yard to see if it was fixable.
Although this was the oldest binder of the four sitting there, it looked in the best condition. The others were later enclosed gear or PTO types, but were more mashed up, with a tree falling on one of them.
It seems this one Wanted to be brought back to life. Nearly all the nuts undid quite easily after a shot of WD-40, and after a wire brushing nuts could be screwed back on with the fingers.

Some parts were pretty well rusted up, and these needed some heat and hammering /prying to get them working.
The knotters held out the longest, as I didn't want to hit them!
Anyway, in time they freed up, and I tripped the mechanism a couple of times and it tied both times!

Nearly all the wood needed replacing, except two top rollers, that just needed a splice to fill in where they had rotted.
It was a bit like a archaeological dig at times, as I had to figure what the wood looked like by the stains on the metal!
Anyway, I got all the wooden bits made in time, including four rollers. These I turned out of larch or poplar, and had them drilled for the stub shafts at a local machine shop.
I was worried about the poplar, but it worked very well and seems like it will be fine for the small acerage I plan on doing.
Canvases I got from Norm Macknair (Thank You!)and they were a very good fit, and nothing needed further squaring for them to run true.
We were going to cut some wheat with it, but hail had chopped it down pretty well, so did a patch of oats instead.
For a start, it was ramming far too much material into the bundle/sheaf before it attempted to tie, but after a few adjstments and getting the twine disc and tension right it, tied very well,
It's an 8-foot ground drive, but was no problem at all, the knife ran smooth and didn't get blocked at all, even in a heavy layed patch with second growth.
I had been warned that ground drive was a bad idea, but for the small patch I want to do, (4 or 5 acres) it worked better than I could have wished!
The crop wasn't that heavy, as it too had been hailed, but going by what I combined, it produced about 75-80 bushels an acre.
For some reason I got a lot out of gettint this old machine running again...very satisfying.
Please pardon the long post.

Here is a pic or two;
Richard.
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Just another pic. or two of how it was in the bush after I'd jacked it up out tof the ground.
I changed the platform, with a 'newer' one that wasn't all holes in the tin.
One pic of crop it cut...
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That looks very very nice, great job. Brings back many memories of hours an' hours sitting on a allis ca pulling one like that in the dust, rust and shaff. Thanks for the Pic's !!!!
Dan
 
We had one just like that, dad converted it to PTO drive and later used it to swath oats flax and barley. it must have been a labor of love.
congratulations.
 
Never saw a binder with the twine box on the front. One of my "jobs" was to put the twine in the box on the back of the binder whenever more twine was needed.
 
Hi Dick2,

It seems that these McCormick -Deering binders had a type 'D" (for Deering) or a type 'M' (McCormick)binding attachment, and the type 'D' had the twine box up front.
I thought for a start this was just in Canada, but when I got a manual from IH, this is how it shows it.

Re. Twine;
I purchased mine from NYP Corporation, and although it was in smaller balls than originally, (5 lbs per ball) it was lovely stuff and very high quality.
I thought getting good twine might be hard, but this stuff is all you could ask for.
Living up in Canada made shipping expensive. (Got a bale of 10 balls) but I only used a couple of balls so will last a while.

Best,
R.
BTW,
Here is a pic. of the crop it cut, if it comes out this time!!
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Al,

Suppose it Was a labour of love!

I should have added that Leroy here got me the bearings I needed from an Amish machine shop...Very nice quality and he has them all in stock.
 
NICE JOB!!

As far as the twine, you can find binder twine if you check enough farm supply outlets. Last summer, we just hung a 5 gallon bucket off the back of the binder, used 1600 baler twine. One of my friends pays an Amish to rewind 1600 baler twine into smaller balls. Seems like extra work to me.

We raise a field of oats to take to our local steam show for thrashing. Now pretty experienced with binder operation......
 
Boy that looks NICE! You sure did a good job on it. I have one if you want to do another, just kidding :>
 
Remember being up there in northern Alberta, Canada it would be a lot different to find things than it is in Michigan. And the reason I got him the bearings is I could handle things to get through customs where the Amish man that made the bearings did not have the ability to do that.
 
Hi Greg,

I'd Like to do another one, but can't think of a good enough reason!
I wish there was a market for things like this, as I get a lot out of it.
 
Richard, around me there is a market for them as some of the Amish only still use the threshing machines, others will hire a combine in to harvest the crop. But getting one the 1,000 mile and across the border would be a problem. So far I am only doing side delivery hay rakes mostly, did a couple of mowers this summer. Got more rakes to do and a Superior grain drill to get done plus spring and spike tooth harrows,corn planters and manure spreaders to go. Was to an auction this spring that had probably in the neighborhood of a dozen grain binders but none of them were ready to use, that is why they were there along with plenty of mowers and rakes that all needed rebuilding, that is why the Amish were selling them because they would have boughten ready to work machines and do not have the ability to do the repair work needed.
 
Great job, Richard! Wish more folks would want to preserve the old! ....and use it a little for whatever reason!
Ralph in OK.
 
Ralph,

I have a few reasons/excuses to use it.
Grew some old type wheat, called Red Fife. It was grown up here between 1840 and 1900 mainly.
It hasn't been messed with like many modern wheats, and is supposed to be good tasting for bread, with only a fraction of the glutens of most modern wheat.
Wheat up here is border-line to grow, but if it's cut with a binder, it kind of gives you a couple more weeks to work with (if you know what I mean.)
Also, we wanted to thatch an old fashioned house we are making, (just to see if we can!...wattle and daub walls etc!)...and needed straw that hasn't been combined.
Need a thresher next....
 
Vern,

Let me know if you need anything, as I found a few sources for parts while messing with mine.
Keep us posted on your project!
 
Ralph,

It Would be a lot of fun if it wasn't for the rest of the farm work getting in the way!
We planned on daubing the walls this summer, but only got half a day at it, and now with frost starting, it'll have to wait 'til next year.

If you want to see pics of progress so far, I could email you some. It isn't hardly implement related to post here!
 
Richard, I do not know what you mean by daubing walls. Would not mind seeing those pictures. And if you email me I will get your address again as the old computor crashed and I lost all my contacts.
 
I recently acquired a 1920's International Harvester McCormick Deering Type M just like the one in the photo. It is unrestored and has been sitting in an old barn for probably 75 years. It appears to have all the parts and is in very restorable condition. What is it worth?
 

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