International 58 Planter (Eight-Row) Operator's Manual
This is the Operator's Manual for the International Harvester 58 eight-row planter, covering seed plate selection, rotary valve metering, hill-drop and drill planting, fertilizer unit operation, marker adjustment, setting up, and special equipment across 56 pages. This is the original factory document IH issued to 58 planter owners and is available as an instant digital download.
About the International Harvester 58 Planter
The International Harvester 58 was IH's eight-row row crop planter, designed for larger-acreage corn, soybean, and grain sorghum operations where a 4-row planter like the 56 was no longer adequate but a folding wing planter wasn't yet practical or cost-justified. The 58 used the same rotary valve metering system as other IH planters of the era — the rotor timed seed release from the hopper, coordinating with the seed plate to achieve consistent hill spacing in hill-drop mode or continuous flow in drill mode. Like the 56 and 386, matching filler rings to seed plates was critical on the 58: the correct combination had to account for corn size (flat, round, large round), seed lot variation, and the specific crop being planted, and the seed plate and filler ring matching tables in this manual are the factory reference for those decisions. The 58's 8-row configuration made it a significant productivity step up from 4-row machines, typically requiring tractors in the 100-horsepower-and-above range and a wider headland for turning. The McCormick corn hopper — an IH-specific design for improved seed-to-plate presentation — is documented separately in this manual, reflecting the hopper design differences that existed across the IH planter family during this period.
What This Manual Covers
This 56-page manual covers the IH 58 eight-row planter from seed plate matching through field setup, attachment installation, and seasonal service. Key sections include:
- Adjusting & Operating — beet planting equipment and beet seed plates; corn planting equipment; blank seed plates and plate types; matching filler rings to seed plates; matching seed with seed plates; distribution tables for grain sorghum and maize; soybean planting; drilling distances and drill mode operation; seeds per hill for corn; hill spacings for hill-drop planting; planting depth adjustments; leveling the planter; lift rods and pressure springs; marker operation; McCormick corn hopper; brush cutoff and hopper bottom plate; knock-out pawl types; rotary valve operation; rotor drive chain adjustment; rotor lug arrangements; timing the seed plate and rotor; cleaning the hoppers; seasonal check-up; road transport
- Lubrication — lubrication points and service intervals
- Setting Up — hitch frame installation; hopper and press wheel setup; hydraulic cylinder installation; main frame adjustments; marker setup
- Special Equipment & Attachments — blade and disk covering attachments; depth band attachment; disk furrowing attachment; double disk opener; fertilizer unit; runner fertilizer opener; outside scrapers; four-wheel attachment; gauge shoe; press wheel rubber tires; press wheel scrapers; seed firming wheel
- Specifications — factory reference specifications and setup data
Why This Manual Matters
- Filler ring and seed plate matching tables: The combination of filler ring and seed plate must be matched to seed size and crop for accurate metering — the factory tables in this manual are the definitive reference for that matching process, and getting it wrong produces skips, doubles, and inconsistent stands on all eight rows simultaneously
- Rotary valve and rotor timing procedure: Timing the seed plate relative to the rotor is the critical setup task on IH planters, and on an 8-row machine timing errors affect all eight units at once — the factory timing procedure documented here is the reference for correct setup and for diagnosing timing-related planting problems
- McCormick corn hopper documentation: The McCormick hopper design and its specific setup requirements are documented separately — covering a configuration difference from other IH planter hoppers that creates confusion when servicing or reconfiguring a used 58 planter
- Hill-drop and drill mode coverage: Both planting modes are documented with their specific rotor lug arrangements, seed plate speeds, and operating procedures — essential when switching between corn (typically hill-drop) and soybeans (typically drill) on the same machine
- Fertilizer unit and runner fertilizer opener: Both the standard fertilizer unit and the runner fertilizer opener attachment are documented with setup and calibration procedures — covering the starter fertilizer application that was standard practice on large-acreage Corn Belt operations running IH equipment
- Original factory content: This is the manual IH issued to 58 planter owners, carrying manual code 1 083 048 R3. Rev.1
Manual Code: 1 083 048 R3. Rev.1
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