McCormick model 21

Solo498

Member
Hi
Just bought an McCormick model 21. It's in very good condition. I
can find NO informative on it anywhere. Do see a few manuals from
the late 50s on eBay. Was hoping someone here might know about
them. Thank you for any help
 
Sorry I'm not familiar with writing a post but it's a manure spreader.
I can't seem to find any model 21s on line. I was interested in it's worth , bussel size , weight , how to know what speed at , what to look for on maintenance , etc.
 
You were looking at it so you knew what you were thinking but out here we just are not mind readers. That is a common thing for posters to be doing forgeting others do not know what things are by model numbers. It is like somebody asking about there tractor that is a Model B, so is it a JD or AC or a IHC as all had model B tractors. The poster is looking at it so he does not think about others not seeing it so guessing and hitting things correctly is a gamble. I myself had no idea of anything carring that model number. Just remember the more information you gan give the better So is it a 2 wheel or 4 wheel unit, ground drive or PTO powered, all information that might help. Do not worry about making too long of a post you leave something out. Learned a lot on here in 19 years. Just takes time.
 
Thank you for your patience. Yes new to a discussion forum and very limited knowledge of tractors or implements. But yes it is an IH McCormick Model 21. There are owners manuals for such a creature on EBAY saying copyright 1955 or 1957 I can't remember which but if important I can google it again. The spreader is ground driver with two large wheels. It is a pin hitch but We do feel the hitch has been replaced everything else looks original.. I've searched the internet but can find no other information other than an users manual and a Pricture stating it was of an tractor loading an IH McCormick spreader model 21. It says the right side of the unit IH McCormick Model 21. That is all the information I had on this spreader
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Here is a picture of the manual I found on line. Does say original copy right date 2/28/1957. Says no restoration can be complete without this manual.
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Looks like it's pretty much a tractor drawn, wood sided version of the Model 200. About the same size too. What size chain does the manual say it takes? If you see type "S" mentioned, be aware thats a special order thing these days. Commen "67" flat link won't work and you'll bust things...just like I did!

:oops:

FYI- the tires are on backwards.
 
It apears to be about what would be called a 95 bushel size acording to Deere. I think the New Idea that compairs would have been called a 90 bushel size. As for operation speed how fast do you walk? About the speed of a draft horse and that was the speed spreaders were designed for altho the will work god at 1.5 times the horse speed. Just don't go to 3 or more times horse speed. A lot of older tractors horse speed was equal to low gear but some tractors it was equal to second gear. But you do not have to use that low of a gear just keep throttle mostly closed as long as you have the power to pull it. And 2 draft horses will handle a spreader of that size.
 
LOL about the tires .. I of course have no idea ( did I mention I'm a 54
old female? No knowledge). I bought it from my friend who also has
no idea , who bought from someone that only knew to grease it I
guess no one knew about tires. Does it matter ? And how does one
know they're backwards ??
I don't have the owners manual to know anything about the chains/
which I did guess to be a potential problem. I am going to buy a
manual off eBay. Hope it's the correct one
I did read your post about the broken chain / it did worry me. But I'm
hoping I can find help through here and a good machine shop
 
I'm coming from a mill creek 25. Old and way past updated. It was hard to get the correct rollers and some gears bearings. Or the people at mill creek were not as knowledgeable as they claimed. The mill creek rusted out to the point of not really being able to do much with for repair. Replacing was cheaper.
This spreader belonged to a friend. Neither of us know / knew it's worth but she said it worked great n it was cheaper than fixing the old spreader. After getting it I started trying to research more on it. Since I can find no information online I started to worry that it might be the last of its kind and I was just using it for poop. LOL. I see so many places wanting them for restoration n collector pieces not to use.
I'm not using a tractor to pull it ( nor a draft horse ). But using a Kubota 500 ( which is a side by side unit ). I was concerned about it being to heavy for the Kubota. Last night I had it around half way full and the Kubota seemed to have no problem pulling it. I do see your advice of low gear and thank you , I'll use low on it too.
Any advice on maintaining it better ?? Thank you for any and all help ! :)
 
I bought an old PTO drive McCormick spreader (similar to yours) last year at an auction. The floor chain was broken and several floor slats had been patched very poorly. Because it was not operating and had one broken side board I only paid $600 for it. It is now repaired and would likely bring $1500 at the same auction....but it is a PTO version. Based on your photos the beater mechanism looks similar to your ground drive version. Seems like mine is a model 25 but the decals are about gone. I welded a new jack on the tongue to make it easier to take off and rehook.

If you need parts I would try Messicks in PA. I am lucky to have a local farm store that had all the floor apron parts and fabricated new floor slates out of angle iron. My hired man is good at reassembling rough repairs. These are not complex machines, common sense, and a big hammer will fix most things on it EXCEPT the gearbox. Be sure it is full to the line with the proper oil.

As for size, mine is a good big spreader and will haul a big load of horse poop. By the time it is full, the stall cleaner is ready for a rest. With a ground drive spreader picking the right time to spread is critical (frozen or very dry) to keep from tearing up the fields.

Good luck. They seem to be well built spreaders.
 
Hi and thank you for replying
How often do you use your spreader ? Do you put manure in it every day and dump it every day ?? Do you put manure in it but only dump it once full ? My old spreader was much smaller and was usually full at the end of each day. This spreader one days worth of manure only fills it about 1/4.
You mentioned picking the speed of the spreader ( I am guessing you mean the adjustable beater speed n not how fast you drive ??) what notch is neeeded for regular manure ? I live in North Fl so frozen manure isn't usually a problem.
I don't have an handy men etc. so I need to keep this from breaking down as much as possible. I'm guessing getting it fixed will be a bit difficult. It seems everything is original so I guess they must hold up. Mine does also have a jack welded to it.
I do worry about all those gears and chains &#128584; There is a gear box I have to find and fill ?! LOL oh dear. !!
I did learn about the tires and mine are definitely on backwards. I'll have to look into finding someone swap them around. Since I don't have a trailer that large ... will have to work on that ..
Again thank you for your help
 
Ground drive should not have a gear box, only the PTO models. For your other question how much does the manure settle and pack down if it sets for a few days? if it does not settle and pack wating will not make buch difference. Only thing will be it getting too heavy for your outfit to pull. Power + traction. I think you need a smaller spreader or something bigger to pul it
 
Hi and thank you
The manure is not compacting super tight I don't think. Since I'm able to spread it across a larger area of the box and pack it down to get it to fit. It does look that it might be getting jammed tween the chain apron and the wall. Since I've only been able to dump it at night since I've gotten it , I might not be rolling the apron enough times around the box to get it all out. I can't see it until I get it back to the barn. I will see more on that this weekend. The spreader in kept pretty much out of the weather. It's under a large porch of my barn

There are several notches on the wheel of the arm that locks the beaters and paddles. These notches control the " speed " of which the beaters n paddles turn (??) where do I want these set ?? I could understand the chain apron needing control for what's on it ( less drag ) but I don't understand the beater n paddle speed.
I tend to think you're right I need a smaller spreader but can't afford one. I was supper lucky to find this / it's super how it actually cuts the manure n hay up before throwing it. My old one only had paddles on just slung it. Worked okayish. Needed rain or moving to remove the manure puds. With this machine it's way more effective with the "pods "
 
If you are loading horse manure with lots of bedding mixed in and it is under roof so the rain is not soaking it and compacting it and you are down south so it is not freezing solid, you should be able to fill it for several days before you unload it. Eventually the wet manure setting in it will rot the floor. Painting the floor with waste oil or diesel fuel and parking it in the sun to soak in preserves the floor.

I can't give you any advice on the speed setting since a PTO spreader works very differently.
 
Another thought. Don't spread the manure very thick or it will kill the grass. So I would set it at a slow floor speed, and drive further to spread it, rather than a fast floor chain speed which would empty the spreader faster but put it on the ground thicker.
 
So paint the floor and inside walls with waste oil or diesel fuel ......this is a more efficient method that protective paint ?? Wouldn't waster motor oil or diesel fuel be an fire hazard??
It is completely under a roof with only wall not enclosed. But the unit is a always from there.
I checked the specs on my Kubota 500. It is rated to pull 1200 pounds. It also has four wheel n two wheel drive : has high , reverse , and liow ,,, it also willl allow me to look the differential in.....I'm reallyyyy hoping it will be okay !!! So far it has but I've no where loaded iit full. If necessary I do have a large dodge 3500. :)
Any idea of ideas for protecting the chain . Slats and gears ??? Thank you so much
 
The oil soaks into the wood. I've never worried about fire. Paint will just flake off. You might try deck oil or thompson's water seal if it makes you more comfortable.
Kubota 500...ATV? Whoa!!!! The tongue weight could be a serious problem. When my spreader is full to the brim...3 stalls...it puts a lot of load on the tractor drawbar. Best you use the pickup, rather than break the rear axle or frame of the ATV. Just my opinon,...The ATV guys can give you better info on that.
 
There should be no speed adjustment on beater or wide spred paddles, only on the web that carrys the load to the beaters, If you cannot see how it is cleaning out carry a good flash light with you to check at different times.
 

Don't worry about the "fire hazard" of the waste oil. Unless you intend to park the spreader over a camp fire that is! It isn't going to make a singling solitary bit of difference if the thing catches fire. I'd spread the days manure since you aren't using a tractor designed to pull heavy weights. Better to spread a little more often than to bust the ATV (that would be my big concern) or the spreader. You spend an hour unloading a spreader by hand so you can get to that broken apron chain and you'll know what I mean. That particular spreader style does a good job on bedding with the double shredder set up. And they tend to spread very evenly too. As far as the tires, there probably isn't much real world difference as far as what you're doing. Traditionally, the tires would have the open part of the "V" facing forward when they contact the ground in a ground driven implement using bar tread tires.
 
There is definitely a lever that adjust speed of rollers with teeth and the beaters ( paddles ). There are 8 notches for that lever.
 
There is no setting for floor speed. That would be dictated by the speed you drive the until pulling the spreader. The speed level if for spinners and beaters. I've talked to a few people and no one is quite sure why though we guess it has to do how wide out it probably throws the pattern. In the past what I've done is throw a cup of grass seed in with every few manure bucket loads. Sometimes I'll also use lime. Being in such a sandy soil makes grass harder to grow and even harder to sustain.
 
That sounds like the lever for the web and not for the beater, slow down beater and it does not have power enough to tear out the manure and spreade it. The beater is only supposed to have the 2 notches fof enguaged or not enguaged. If there is notches on lever for beaters somebody did some messing up the spreader.
 
There is definitely an arm that not only turns the spinner/beaters / paddles ( which ever you want to call them) on and off but it also has eight notches into which you can set the lever. The other lever has only an on and off notch. This lever locks or unlocks the apron. Of course the speed of the apron is controlled by how fast you pull it.
 
Lets see a picture of where the are mounted with those notches as I think at one time some body destrowed that part of the spreader and used pices that were not what was supposed to be to repair.
 
The arm with the notches in the dial definitely lock and unlock the beaters n etc. I was told and do guess those notches are settings for the beaters. The arm with the dial that only has two notches definitely locks and unlocks the apron.
They look original or at least off the same spare parted machine and replaced at the same time. I can see nothing to indicate there were different dials
 
I can't get this site to allow me to add photos. I choose the pictures and it says begin uploads , has the selected pictures below but I can't find how to upload them. I'm not sure if it's me or there is an issue with the site. I can not remove my post either. Says editing is temporary turned off. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. You can email me if you want , I'll send them you. I don't believe this spreader has been changed butttttt I honestly don't know
Solo498 @ Comcast . Net
 
Somebody has switched the quadrant (Dials) then as the apron is supposed to be the multiple notches and it cannot work as should with only 2 notches, that way you only have full speed that is only supposed to be used to do a final cleanout of bed after you shut beaters off because they will keep when it gets to end rooling the manure back to keep the bed from ever getting empty. With a heavy manure load you start out the web in slowest speed, a lite load you can start out in medium speed. And final cleanout fastest speed. And if you try to slow beaters then it puts too much load on them to break things. I have opened my email on classic, don't know if it will be open on modern. I do not have a parts book for that spreader and it is too old to still be on Merssicks site to get it so I cannot see how things are supposed to be bolted together but I do know the beaters are only supposed to be 2 notches, one off and the second running. And on all the ground drive spreaders I have seen and that is quite a few the lever that puts the beaters in gear just drops a chain down on a big sprocket on the axle and that chain can only work if it is fully meshed up with the teeth on the sprocket. Sounds like when it was assembled the left piece was switched with the right piece to get what you have. I do know something is not put together corectly from what you are saying.
 
The speed of the apron is controled by yhe ratchet on the rear axle in if one tooth at a time or 3 teeth or 5 teeth and that is set by the multiple notches on the lever. DO not use untill you get it put together before you are looking for a different spreader. Yes apron speed will change by how fast you pull it and also beater speed but to cordinate speeds for unloading it is from the ratchet on the wheel, Even some of the older PTO powered spreaders used that ratchet on the wheel to power the web while the PTO only powered the beaters. And then the only speed adjustment on the beaters was how fast you ran the engine on the tractor.
 
You say you feel the hitch has been replaced, that would explain why the levers were taken apart and not put together correctly. You will have to be able to take apart again and put the pieces back where they belong instead of on opposides.
 
I don't know if you realiesed it but you did a no no by puting your email in this post, not supposed to do it but it is for your own safty. By doing that you put it out there for any and all scamers-hackers to get it and tyen load you down with junk or send trash to other people making them think it came from you instead of where it actually came from.
 
I've had several Mod 200 IHC spreaders, and your Mod 21 looks similar to the 200. In fact I've
never heard of a "21" spreader. I know that there are several suggestions given here. But don't
do any modifications until you're sure of what you're doing. Yes, your tire tread is wrong, but
all you have to do is switch the tires around---L to R, and R to L. No big deal. The two levers on the front---One simply engages the beaters. The other engages the floor mechanism--AND controls its
speed, depending on which notch you have selected. I usually use the fastest speed while driving
about 5mph. This speed will do a good job of shredding the poo, and throwing it a good distance.
There are lots of grease fittings---make sure you clean the zerk (grease fitting) before you put
the grease gun to it. A well-lubed spreader will last a long time. Don't over-look lubing the axle
bearings. If you have more questions about your spreader, I'm willing to help.
 
No I didn't know about the email not allowed. But it's not allowing me to delete anything. It says editing has been temporarily turned off. I am sorry
 
There is certainly a No 21. I found the manuel for one and I found a picture taken on 1956 of one. If the dials were put on wrongly ( the on n off only is really for the beaters n the several notches for the apron ) then these had to been originally placed on incorrectly or al least a VERY long time ago. If I could add pictures then you could see why I say this. This spreader has been operating a long time like this.
 
Sent you an email ( hope its allowable to tell you this here ). I wasn't able to attach the pictures but if you reply I will.
 
on this spreader all mechanisms for the beaters are on the left. There a a round wheel that actually looks like a ratchet wheel behind a shield ( similar to old bike chains ) this sprocket has a piece that goes into the teeth and locks in place when the arm on left is in the very top notch. Other than when in the very top notch the beaters are not locked in. Since I'm alone it's impossible for me to see what happens with the mechanisms when I unlock and pull the spreader ,,,,
 
It really doesn't matter which handle works which function as long as YOU know and can operate it properly.

Drive the spreader around empty to watch and learn how it operates, and which lever and settings looks right.

Being a ground drive spreader, you must disconnect the mechanisms (both floor chains and beaters) when you are
driving from the barn to the field where you are going to unload the spreader. No need to have the beaters engaged if
the load is not moving backward in the spreader to be spread. Even more Critical...if you leave the floor chain
engaged as you move to the field (and the beaters are not spinning) it will jam the load into the back of the
spreader and JAM or break the beaters....or make a dandy mess on your driveway.

So 1) disengage both floor and beaters when not in the field. 2) do not fill the spreader full in the back to the
point of jamming the beaters...you want the load to gradually move back into the beaters. 3) Try some different
settings for the floor. Start with the slowest movement first, see how that works, if too slow move to a faster
setting. Eventually you will learn which setting is right for the types of loads and fields you have. Once you
understand what works best for your situation, you can just use the same settings every time you spread.

I am sure this is the basic instruction you will get in the manual... when it arrives. In the interim the barn needs
to be cleaned. So 1) be sure the spreader is totally disengaged when driving to and from the field. 2) don't over
fill the area near the beaters 3) experiment to find the best settings and ENGAGE both floor and betters when
spreading. 4) disengage when finished spreading and going back to the barn. 4 important steps.
 

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