McCormick Deering #30 manure spreader

This is not a tractor but a McCormick Deering #30 manure spreader. When my Papa bought the original part of the farm (house, three chicken houses), a John Deere 2010 crawler, plow, bush hog, trailer, hay mower, and cows, and this manure spreader came with it. This spreader was pretty old when he bought the farm in 1973. He traded in both 2010s he had for a 2240 in 1979, and we still have a 2240. He would pull this spreader into the chicken houses, fork out the caked manure into the spreader, and go spread it on the fields. He then bought a new old Melore skid loader and used it to load the manure spreader. A few years later, he could finally afford an International spreader truck with a spreader bed on it. We still have that truck. So, the McCormick Deering 30-manure spreader was parked under the shed at one of his rental properties.

It started on the first day of school, August 8th, 2023. Papa helped me pull out his McCormick Deering #30 manure spreader. It came with the farm when he repurchased it in 1973. It’s the only piece of equipment left in the original fleet. He would put this behind the tractor, drive through the chicken houses, and fork the cake into the box. He did this until he put a loader on the 2240 and could afford a spreader truck.

Since this was my SAE project, I was dissembling and taking parts to school to sandblast from August to early March. Papa bought me the paint from Napa, the last can of 135ih they had left for my birthday in January, which is excellent. The paint sat in the basement waiting to be used, and I started painting over spring break, the first week of April, and did touch on the weekends. I constantly had red and white paint on my arms.

I then had to figure out the tires. Jim Harrison, the owner of Harrison Oil and Tire, gave me brand-new tires that fit on my manure spreader for free. The rims were for a Kubota tractor, but the bolt pattern lined up perfectly. Then I had to weld some cast and did not know how. Thankfully, my Piano teacher’s husband is a mechanic and came over one Saturday and helped me out.

I then got some decals from Maple Hunter Decals In Indiana. Mom helped me put them on. I can’t believe it took 3 hours to put on four stickers. The wood in this is all original. I did not paint the floor or the chains because I will use them for the garden and to spread litter between the Christmas trees.

I could not have done this without Jim Harrison at Harrison Oil and Tire, Mr. Welch, Papa, aka Bob Williams, and my Mom and Grandma for moral support.

Before finals, Papa and I loaded the spreader on the trailer and took it to school for the presentation. The county school superintendent came out to see it since it brought back memories of his childhood, and he is really big on agriculture. Most of the class did not care, but this one girl asked questions and made me feel special. It was a great day showing it off, and I can’t wait to take it to shows and use it. I wanted to do a nut/bolt restoration on it, but Papa said chill out, Owen. It’s a manure spreader, for goodness sake. It’s funny, and I did chill out. Thanks for reading, and happy restoring.

Here is the time log:
August: disassembly and pulling it out 10 hours
September: more disassembly and started cleaning parts 5 hours
October: looking for parts and manuals: 4 hours
November: disassembly and more cleaning parts 3 hours
December: N/A
January: Cleaning parts 4 hours
February: cleaning more parts 3 hours
March: Picking up tires and finishing cleaning parts 6 hours
April: Painting, sanding, and applying decals along with fixing the rear pan and putting it back together 20 hours
Total: 61 hours

Bob Williams, aka my Grandpa, helped me make a sign, purchased the paint, and let me use his shop.
Jim Harrison donated tires for the spreader
Mr. Welch helped me weld some broken cast iron.
Dad took me on multiple trips to Ace Hardware to get misc things
Bob Williams helped bring the spreader to and from school

Materials used:
Martin Senour Primer
Martin Senour IH red paint
Martin Senour IH white paint
Misc nuts and bolts
Sheet metal
Decals
Grease
Tires
A wire wheel on a grinder

All the wood and bearings are original. The only things that are not original are the tires, paint, decals, hardware, and the lever to engage the beaters. The lever came off a model 200, not a 30.
It was a difficult restoration that took me about eight months to finish.

Owen Koskovich
Clermont, Georgia

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