Making a two horse mower from a one horse.

[reb]

Hello everyone,
This is my first time posting here, and I am hoping someone can help me out.
My questions have to do with converting a McCormick Deering one horse mower to a two horse. First is this even recommended it looks like when I add a pole I will end up with a half a horse in front of the cutting bar, how much will this affect cutting? My reasons for doing this conversion are 1.I was given a complete working mower. 2.my team is 2 haflingers, and I like the idea of lighter daft.
Is there any thing (besides adding a pole) that I will have to modify? Thank you, I hope this isn’t to long of a post.

Richard.

[jac]

Hi Richard.. Im not too famiiar with the mcormick deering mowers but mine..an Albion.. has 2 pole positions depending if your reaping or mowing…some pictures of the main frame would help.Most folks seem to convert the other way ,with a 2 horse machine and convert it to a 1 horse mower.. You might think that half the horse will be in the cutter bar path but in reality his feet are directly under him so that might not be an issue. What width is your cutter bar at present.. The one we have is 5ft and was made for a team.Sorry Iv not been much help but there are a lot of folks on here that will have the info you need..You joined a great forum… good luck anyway…
John

[reb]

[IMG]http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=425[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=425[/IMG]
Front and overall views.
This mower has a 4 foot bar.

[reb]

Not sure how to add pics yet, but here are the links.
PIC1
PIC2
It has a 4′ bar.
I would also like any other info on refurbishing these mowers.
Thanks
Richard

[Carl Russell]

[IMG]http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/images/2392/1_mcd1.JPG[/IMG]

You can post them in the photo gallery, and link to them as you did, or simply copy and paste them from the gallery into your post.

Good looking machine. Thanks for posting.

Carl

[OldKat]

@reb 17911 wrote:

Hello everyone,
This is my first time posting here, and I am hoping someone can help me out.
My questions have to do with converting a McCormick Deering one horse mower to a two horse. First is this even recommended it looks like when I add a pole I will end up with a half a horse in front of the cutting bar, how much will this affect cutting? My reasons for doing this conversion are 1.I was given a complete working mower. 2.my team is 2 haflingers, and I like the idea of lighter daft.
Is there any thing (besides adding a pole) that I will have to modify? Thank you, I hope this isn’t to long of a post.

Richard.

Richard,

Are you sure that isn’t already a two horse mower? Other than the pawl holders (the “hub caps” at the end of the axles) and not having a tongue on it, that looks nearly identical (gear box is different for sure) to a #9 that I just bought about two weeks ago.

I have only ever used a one horse mower one time, and it has been a good number of years ago so I don’t recall how that differs from the team version. I did notice on the one that I bought, but haven’t used yet, that the off side horse would be walking with their right side directly in front of the inside end of the sickle bar … same as you are describing.

I have an Instruction Manual for mine right here in my hand, so I will flip through it tonight and see if they say anything about the differences between the two.

[reb]

Oldkat,
It has the four foot bar and looks just like the drawings in SFJ of the one horse. When I picked it up ther wasn’t a pole or shafts as it had been last used 30 years ago behind a tractor. So I’m not 100% sure, but pretty close that it’s a one horse, maybe others can chime in and answer this and other questions.
Richard

[OldKat]

@reb 17920 wrote:

Oldkat,
It has the four foot bar and looks just like the drawings in SFJ of the one horse. When I picked it up ther wasn’t a pole or shafts as it had been last used 30 years ago behind a tractor. So I’m not 100% sure, but pretty close that it’s a one horse, maybe others can chime in and answer this and other questions.
Richard

The 4 foot bar does line up with what I remember about a single horse mower that a buddy of mine use to have, though I know that can be changed. I just wish I had paid more attention to it. I only mowed on it one day, and that was probably 5 or 6 years ago so I don’t recall much about it.

I noticed that the tool box cover is still on it, does it say what “#” that mower is? i.e. 6, 7, 9? I think from what little I see that your mower is closer to being ready to use with a team than you might think. If I could just find my mower book by Lynn R. Miller I could probably tell you more.

I know that there are some super knowledgeable people on this site and I am sure somebody will come up with an answer for you. Just give it a few days; I am sure there is a definitive answer out there somewhere.

[reb]

The cover only says “McCormick Deering.” If you loof a this PIC you can see how close the pole will sit to the bar, Is this the same on #9’s?

[OldKat]

@reb 17925 wrote:

The cover only says “McCormick Deering.” If you loof a this PIC you can see how close the pole will sit to the bar, Is this the same on #9’s?

Yes it is. My 9 looks to be set up just about like your mower. In the manual that I have it shows the tongue mounting into a cast iron housing that sits on top of the tongue, but I know that the housing on mine sits under the tongue; same as yours. That would be the rectangular slot immediately beside the tool box. My gear box is bigger than yours, almost the size of a third member on an automobile. Like I said the pawl holders on mine are different than yours; mine being larger in diameter and sitting almost flush with the hub of the wheels. Other than that they look very similar. My mower is a #9, Regular gear.

I’m not sure that I have ever seen a #7 or earlier IH mower, so that may be what you have. Someone on this board WILL know what you have and what you can or can’t do with it, that much I can say with some degree of confidence.

[Carl Russell]

Here is a picture of a 2 horse mower that was being rebuilt by Rod. I think yu can see that there is more distance between wheels.

[IMG]http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/images/2392/1_mcd2.JPG[/IMG]

I would say you have a 1 horse mower. You would have to make an off-set pole as well as realigning your hitch. It might work, but you’ll know more after you give it a try.

Carl

[Donn Hewes]

hi Richard, I too think that is a one horse mower. Hard to say for certain though. it is not a #7 or a #9, maybe a McD #6? The very first bar in front is probably bent. I say probably, because I am not familiar with that exact model, but on the others that is a timing bar and should be straight and adjustable. Not impossible to live with it bent if the mower happens to be in time.

My two cents. If the mower is really worth useing I would try and sell it, or fix it up and sell it, to some one that wants a one horse mower. Demand is pretty high for those. Then find a good two horse mower for your halflingers. I think a two horse mower has a wider wheel base. They can pull a five foot bar no problem.

There are at least three ways to deal with concerns over tongue weight. In no particular order, using “D” ring harness will take all tongue weight to the back saddle, using a dolly wheel gets rid of tongue weight all together, and finally a well set up mower, running smoothly, with the proper line of draft reduces the tongue weight when the pressure is applied to the evener (causing lift). Good luck.

[reb]

Thanks for all the help so far. I have thought about selling this, but it is in really good shape and it was also a gift from a nice older gentleman who really wants to see it cleaned up and used, but on the other side I want a machine I can use with my team. What I am thinking right now is an off set pole fabricated out of steel, it would be offset about 18”+/-. So here is more questions, with this offset will the mower still handle and function as it should? Has anyone here done somthing like this before? If need be do you think I could heat and straighten the timing bar? What are others using for paint on these mowers? Again thank you, and I’m sure I’ll have other question, I hope you all don’t mind.
Richard

[Joshua Kingsley]

One quick question. How big are your haflingers? Mine are 13 to 13.2 hands and I can get them in the space of one horse. With a small evener and single trees they might work ok on a 1 horse machine. If it is an issue I would consider an offset tounge adapter with an offset to the hitch point. Now is the time to mess with it before you want to be mowing hay. If they are small you might get by with a 22 – 24 inch single tree, If you can use an evener that would be about 30 inches wich would be the single tree size for some drafts. I know this will still move the feet out from a single horse but they might not be on the crop. You could always measure from the tounge to the inside of the cutter bar to see where your shoe will run and try to get your horses inside that. Just a few thoughts.

Joshua

[reb]

My team is 58″ and around 1000#. On most things I use 28″ single trees and a 40″ evener and that seems to work well.
Here is just a quick thought on what I was thinking for a pole offset PIC
Also another Question, can someone tell me about side draft and the rod that goes from the heel of the bar to the point of hitch. How might this work with the offset pole?

[Author]

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