The McCormick Deering Orchard Sprayer

By way of introduction, my interest in vintage orchard sprayers, goes back to my early childhood years. Living on an orchard property in Doncaster, I was always fascinated watching these machines at work in the orchard, and in my later years, this interest translated into the acquisition of six such outfits by different makers in varying states of repair. Three of these have been restored to working order, the most recent being the McCormick Deering illustrated here. 

The McCormick Deering Orchard Sprayer circa 1925 and fully restored in 2009.

The McCormick Deering Orchard Sprayer was designed and manufactured in Chicago USA by the International Harvester Company, one of the world's largest manufacturers of trucks, stationary engines and other machinery. They were powered by a 1.5 hp engine, built to operate on kerosene, but ran equally well on petrol. One of the distinguishing features of this engine was the spoked fly wheels, one to crank the engine, and the other to operate the pump. 

The engine was connected to the pump, generally a Meyers pump, by means of a leather belt. The pump was self oiling to make sure the plungers and cogs were well lubricated when in motion. The pump would be regulated to operate at up to 300 psi. (pounds per square inch) which gave a good pressure for spraying fruit trees. The patents for these pumps date from 1921, and are stamped on the casing of the pump. These pumps of American origin were later manufactured under licence by Ronaldson Bros and Tippett at Ballarat Victoria using their own name. 

Like all other spray pumps of the era, spray was delivered under pressure, through hoses and rods fitted with nozzles to emit a fine mist of spray. The underslung spray vat, said to have been made from American oak, had a capacity of 80 gallons (360 litres). Orchardists always kept these full of water when not in use to prevent leakage. 

I do not recall ever seeing one of these spray pumps in use on local orchards in years gone by, although I'm told there were a few in the district. With their small iron wheels, they were not ideally suited to the steep terrain of many local orchards. I do remember however, a smaller version, known as the "Tom Thumb". Our neighbour Em Zerbe had one of those. Also, many orchardists preferred locally built outfits, such as the Ronaldson Tippett, and particularly the Bave U, manufactured in Box Hill. 

Some years ago, I was fortunate to procure a McCormick Deering Sprayer, which had previously been used on an orchard in Bacchus Marsh. Although completely intact, it was in a poor state of repair. The engine was seized and much of the supporting framework was rotten. The entire outfit had to be dismantled and rebuilt after detailed sketches and precise measurements had been made. The deck which supports the pump and frame on which the engine is bolted had to be replaced. Re-assembling the spray vat was a challenging task. Each stave had to be numbered and refitted in its original position. Spray hoses and rods were fitted and once reassembled, the outfit was painted in heritage colours, complete with decals (transfers) fixed to the engine, vat and belt housing. The project was completed in 2009, over a period of eighteen months. 

Eric Collyer writing in 2011-06 DTHS Newsletter