Assembly Instructions MA 2017 treadle Feeder
Packed inside the feeder is a plastic bag containing six short bolts, four fender washers, two ¼” hex nuts, and six ¼” lock nuts. Your feeder was assembled and tested, then disassembled and packed for shipping.
Set the feeder in the upright position. Put one of the large fender washers on a bolt then reach under the feed tray and insert the bolt through the side of the feeder, add one large fender washer and one ¼” hex nut on the outside. Do the same for the other side then tighten the nuts firmly using a wrench or crescent wrench.
The lid links have one end that is ground smaller, less protrusion past the 1/4" hole than the top end. Bolt them to the treadle arms using one bolt and one 3/8" lock nut with the links going on the outside of the treadle bar so they have room to rotate and not scratch the side of the feeder. The head of the bolt is next to the side of the feeder, the 1/4" lock nut goes on the outside. Tighten firmly using two wrenches then back off about one half turn of the wrench. Place the treadle arm assembly over the bolts protruding out from the sides of the feeder and add the lock nuts, tighten the lock nuts down lightly then back it off 1/4th turn so that the treadle will move freely. You will have to bend the treadle arms to line everything up and tweak it so nothing rubs.
Insert another bolt from inside the lid pointing out and through the upper end of the link which will have a longer section projecting past the top of the feeder lid. Add a 1/4" lock nut, tighten down well with two wrenches, then back off 1/4 turn to provide enough room for the bolt to rotate freely.
If the treadle arm bolt rubs the side of the feeder, bend the treadle arm out slightly till it clears. Oil the joints with sewing machine oil, axle grease, motor oil, or any type of lubricant. Do not use WD 40, that is not a lubricant, it is a solvent that will wash away any lubricant already present. You will need to tweak the bolts till it is loose enough not to bind. Tightening everything down hard and then backing off will crush any burrs under the metal and make things rotate better.
The feeder should be fastened to a wall, post, or plywood sheet for stability. There are two 1 ½” x 3/4" thick wood blocks included, set the feeder in place and mark where the wood blocks should go on the floor or plywood sheet, screw the blocks to the floor, put the feeder back in place, and run a couple of screws through the side of the feeder into the wood blocks. If you want to secure it to a wall or post use a 2 x 4 block as a spacer block to provide clearance for the lid to open and close. Screw the 2 x 4 block to the wall, then run screws through the back of the feeder into the spacer block.
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