

TRACTORS, MACHINERY & SO MUCH MORE!’





















TRACTORS, MACHINERY & SO MUCH MORE!’
Well, it has certainly been a busy time here at The Vintage Scene. We have just relocated our office, hence the delay in bringing this issue to you.
Although it has been an extremely wet summer to date, and sadly some events have been cancelled, we do have a nice selection of reports in this issue.Our diary pages seem to be growing, and my colleague Zoe Phipps has done a cracking job collating so many dates for you to choose from. Zoe is happy to receive diary listings for inclusion in the next issue - email diary@vintagescene.co.uk Whilst the listings are brief, we do offer advertisers a free bold listing or if not running a display advert, bold listings are available for just £10+vat!
We shall be attending the FFF & B Ploughing Match & Country Show on 30th September. Please do pop by and say hello if you are attending.
See you again in October.
We would love to hear from readers with:
l Tales of bygone years
l Tractor and engine restorations
l Vintage collections – machinery, tools etc.
l Editorial on steam and stationary engines
l Diary dates
l Show/match/rally/working day reports email: h.dodd@vintagescene.co.uk
Photo by Kevin Quick Back Cover : Ransomes, Sims & Jeffries 7NHP Traction Engine No. 27277. KATHLEEN. Reg No. DS 7473. Built 1918.
Editor and publisher Advertising Sales /Distribution Design: Diary Dates: Heather Dodd advertising@vintagescene.co.uk HD&R Solutions Ltd Zoe Phipps h.dodd@vintagescene.co.uk Tel: 01295 404099 design@vintagescene.co.uk
diary@vintagesene.co.uk Tel: 01295 404099.
The Vintage Scene is published six times a year as follows: Feb/Mar, April/May, June/July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan.
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On Sunday 18 June I attended the Welsh National Tractor Run which was organised by the Neath Steam and Vintage Club. The driving force behind the event was Ian Davies of Plant Hire Crynant. It was nice to see Ian on the run in good health and being supported by his many helpers and supporters. There was a good selection of tractors taking part, one or two of which I had not seen before. In total there were at least 160 tractors touring the hills and valleys of the Swansea and Neath area, taking in the forestry commission woodlands.
I parked myself at Estates Farm Tonna by kind permission of Gareth and Ann Woodham, long-time friends of mine. Both were brought up in the Vale of Glamorgan area and some 40 years ago moved to the Neath Valley. Some
Ian Davies
friend of theirs in the Vale said they had moved west to do missionary work in West Glamorgan. I am sure they have achieved their aim. Gareth has had a number of vintage tractors and machines in his time but on this occasion he sat this one out.
The weather conditions for the tractor run were almost perfect: the forestry road gave some slight covering of dust, and a shower of rain came in, but by that time all those taking part were on their way home.
Again, a lot of money was raised for charity as well as giving many people pleasure – not only of taking part but also, as a lady from Resolven told me “We like to see these old tractors and the children love them too”.
Gareth & Ann Woodham
It was way back in 1965 when my new wife and I bought an old rectory. Well they were cheap in those days, few were fool enough to take them on.
It was situated in a couple of acres of rubbish. Happily, there was a man with a JCB digger nearby who quickly turned it into rough soil.
Now what? It needed smoothing a bit, and once grass (and more rubbish) had established itself it would need cutting. I had an 18 inch push mower but that tired me out on the little bit that was already grass. What I needed was a ride-on.
The market was searched. One I could afford was built to the standard of a child’s pedal car with an engine the same size as my push job, it had a 24 inch cut and could travel at 5 mph (on concrete) but not both at the same time! Anything more substantial was way beyond my pocket, and still a bit of a toy.
So I decided to make one out of scrap, no engineering training, but what could I lose?
An old ark welder, and even older lathe was purchased, and I started collecting bits from scrap bins.
Two discarded lengths of 4 X 2 X 1/4 channel with three pieces of 4 inch steam pipe welded between them made a strong chassis, a good start.
A local scrap yard provided a Ford Popular front axle and steering gear. The axel was centre pivoted on a couple of plumber block bearings, the steering column and box mounted on the side rail. The hubs were fitted with Mini wheels with added spokes. The rear axle was of unknown origin and mounted directly under the side rails. It had 16 inch wheels suitable for lugged dump truck tyres.
For an Engine I choose a Morris Minor 1100, plentiful (then), efficient with readily available and cheap spares.
Car gearing would be no use for a tractor, of course, so the Morris gearbox was sawn off the bell housing and a small diameter sprocket fitted in its place. A prewar Alvis all synchromesh gearbox was purchased for £3, an ideal unit, unbreakable, and with drive flanges at both ends, so a large diameter sprocket could be fitted to the input, with the output coupled to the differential.
As the gearbox had to be centrally mounted, the engine was placed to one side to give room for the chain reduction unit between them. The radiator was mounted in line with the side rail on the opposite side to the engine with an electric cooling fan. The rear end was fitted with tow hitches for trailers, rollers, or a heavy chain for pulling out small trees and such like.
With the addition of a seat, floor, fuel tank, controls and instruments I now had a mobile small tractor. However, to be useful it needed a power take-off and mowers.
A three-lane pulley with outrigger bearing was fitted to the front of the engine crank beyond the fan/dynamo pulley. A line shaft was installed on the other side of the chassis stretching from beyond the front to the rear, with another three-lane pulley in line with that on the engine. Between the two a flat pulley on its own bearings, and connected via cranks and rods to a lever beside the seat, could tighten the otherwise loose belts and act as a clutch.
Initially, the line shaft drove a compressor, which could control a front mounted dozer bucket or scraper to level the earth, as left by the JCB.
Meantime I was working on a front mounted cutter unit, as it turned out, the most difficult part of the project. It was to contain three 20 inch rotary blades in a V formation, giving about a 55 inch cut, mounted on the front axle. The problem was the entire unit had to follow the ground contours, both side to side, and fore and aft and yet keep correct belt tension. Despite the levelling exercise, it was no nice level tennis court! Further, the line shaft was horizontal, and the cutter spindles, vertical, three of them. Two units were scrapped because the main drive belt kept coming off! Number three ended up with two self-steering castor wheels in front whilst the quarter twist belt passes over two flat faced guide wheels, one fixed on the belt drive side, the other on a spring-loaded pillar on the return side. The primary cutter blade has a three-lane pulley, one for the main drive, the other two to drive the other cutters. I could not obtain any caster wheels strong enough, so had to make them as well.
For over fifty years now, the mower has worked well and reliably, and used less petrol per acre than one of those bought ones. It will outlast me, I think.
About twenty five years ago, I did, however, make a few changes. I had been cutting in 1st or 2nd gear but would have preferred to use 3rd or 4th, so lower gears were available for more difficult jobs. Further, I had acquired a 240 volt, 3KW alternator which, mounted on the tractor, would enable the use of electric tools remote from the house. At the same time, it seemed a good idea to overhaul the engine.
The latter was straightforward and inexpensive. New pistons, bearings, valves, chain, oil seals and gasket set were less money than a head gasket for the Alvis 3 litre I was working on at the same time!
The 3kw. alternator was mounted at the rear, beside the seat, driven from the rear end of the line shaft. Fuses, 13 amp sockets, volt and ammeter completed the job.
Changing the gearing was more difficult and needed a double chain reduction with two chains and four sprockets. The Alvis gearbox was removed and replaced by an original Morris box attached to the bell housing. The new chain reduction was then placed between the gearbox output and the differential of the rear axle. Bearing in mind the increased torque, this was replaced by one from an Alvis TA14, a much stronger unit.
The whole job showed a profit because the Alvis gearbox was sold for £700!
The lower gearing has proved its worth on occasions, and the alternator was even found useful during a long power cut.
Few tractors have had such an impact on world agriculture as Harry Ferguson’s most famous creation, the TE 20. It first appeared in 1946 powered originally by an American Continental Z120 petrol engine which was used as a ‘stop-gap’ unit the new Standard Motor Company engine, originally designed to power the Standard Vanguard saloon, became available. The version thus equipped was known as the TEA 20 and over the following years several other models, including the TED 20, appeared in the sales brochures. Launched in 1949, the TED 20 was designed to run on tractor vaporising oil (TVO), a cheaper fuel with a lower octane rating. Engine modifications included an increase in cylinder bore from 80mm to 85mm which took the capacity from 1850cc up to 2088cc while the compression ratio was lowered slightly from 5.7:1 to 5.1:1, all of which meant that the power was increased slightly from 24hp to 25.4hp. The price for a new TED 20 in 1949 was £335.
Many Ferguson TED 20s were sold to small, one tractor, family farms where they were much more than just a list of dimensions and statistics; they became part of the history of the farm and the focal point of many memories.
First registered in Shropshire in 1953, KAW 606 was brought to Northern Ireland by Hazletts of Moneydig, agricultural machinery dealers near the market town of Kilrea. Hazletts sold the tractor to Hugh McReynolds who had been farming since the era of Clydesdale horsepower. His first tractor was a Ford Ferguson and having adapted to this modern technology, he decided in 1956 to update his farm mechanisation with Ferguson’s tried and tested TED 20. His enterprise had grown to sixty acres on both the home farm and an out-lying property where the McMullan family rented the dwelling house. Sam McMullan remembers how this rural setting influenced his childhood, “I used to run about the farm when I was growing up. When I was five years old I was sitting on the mudguard while Hugh was lifting haycocks with a buckrake and carting them up to where the haystack was going to be built. He must have stopped the tractor
on a slight mound because when he set the buckrake down, my foot was trapped between the top arm and the back axle housing. I spent the rest of that summer on crutches but Hugh promised me that I would be driving the tractor for the next haymaking so that eased my discomfort a bit. The next year Hugh brought in a man with a baler at hay time and I drove the tractor, towing the trailer while the bales were built on behind. After that I learned to cut hay, spread dung, plough, disc and other farm work. It seems strange to think about it now but Hugh had learned his farming behind a horse and if the top of the gearbox was mucky he would have to scrape off the dirt to read the gear positions and I suppose it was easier for a young chap to learn the new ways. I have many memories of that part of my life; it was a great time of learning for me.”
Sam left school and started work as a driver’s mate on a meal lorry. Eventually, in the 1970s he found himself behind the wheel of a delivery lorry, driving all over Northern Ireland until he retired. During that time
Hugh had passed away and his farm was sold to a local farmer in a deal which included all the machinery, but that wasn’t the end of Sam’s association with the old Ferguson. “I was driving past the farm one evening when I saw the bonnet of the tractor sticking out of a clump of nettles. I stopped and went in to ask about it and the man said, ‘It’s sitting there waiting for you, we always knew you would be back for it’, I did a deal for it that night and bought it home.”
Since old Hugh was a horse man at heart, Sam knew that tractor maintenance hadn’t been foremost in his mind; in fact he would be more likely to throw an old blanket over it on a cold night than think about giving it an oil change. This became evident when the engine was dismantled and it was discovered that the crank bearings had worn away completely and the valve springs were so weak that you could compress them with your thumbs and take out the collets! On a more positive note, the radiator was tested for flow and pressure and found to be in good condition. Sam asked a friend to do the extensive rebuild which included the refurbishment of as many of the original parts as possible. It was more important that Sam keep the history of the tractor intact rather than replace lots of worn parts with reproduction components. There were a few dents in the tinwork which Sam straightened out as well as he could. He even remembers how the grille bars were bent, “I was ploughing at Hugh’s and I stepped off to clean the boards. My foot slipped off the peg and my knee hit the gear stick and knocked the tractor into gear. The tractor then jumped forward and hit the ditch, driving over my leg in the process. It was probably because the tyres were so worn that I wasn’t badly injured.” When it was time to prepare the tinwork for painting, it was discovered that the ‘Ferguson’ bonnet badge was made of brass indicating that it was probably not the original badge but, as Sam points out, “We have no way of knowing what might have happened in the first four years of the tractor’s life before Hugh bought it. It could have had some accident damage and had an early bonnet fitted as part of repairs.”
Sam looks back over his association with this TED 20 and says, “I’ve known this tractor nearly all my life, I learned to drive on it, I worked on it and I’ve had as much fun restoring it as I had when it was a working tractor. I have another Ferguson which I take on road runs but I still like to take Hugh’s tractor to shows.” KAW 606 is just one of over half a million Grey Fergies which rolled out of the Banner Lane factory during the model’s ten year production run, but it is so much more than just a serial number; it’s an album of memories.
So where were we? Ahhhh yes, trying out the auto-wash. Well now we are back to the water pump. We had to; cut and fit the seals for the piston, add the wick, oil it and build the trolley.
The seal comes as a length of rope which you have to cut to length yourself. I figured out the length by finding the average diameter between the piston and the seal seat. I then multiplied this by π and that gave me the right length. I did make a slight mistake by fitting the seals and then putting in the piston and then the cross pin, but I realised that I had forgotten to fit the collars! I had to strip it all down and start again.
We pushed in the drive shaft but there was no string to act as a wick. Mum had found natural string in Lidl, so we cut off the right length, fed it through and then soaked it in oil. I oiled the brass bushing and put the shaft back in again. We put on the other drive gear, but the keyways didn’t line up. After some thinking, we discovered the gear was on back to front. When we put it on the right way round we turned it by hand, but there was a tight spot so we took the gear off AGAIN! We found burrs on some teeth and took them off with a mini file. When we put it back on every-thing ran smoothly.
Next thing to go on was the conrods which were so snug they needed a tap with the copper hammer. The conrods were held on with four new split pins. We polished up the big end greasers with Peek polish. The fast pulley was next to be added and we made sure there was no paint on the running faces. We fitted a greaser to the loose pulley and then we slid it on to the drive shaft. Then it was time for the bronze outrigger bushing. The trick was to adjust the bolts to line it up.
It was exciting fitting the brass caps to the pump body using jointing compound and lint, which the old boys call tow which rhymes with cow not toe! In the old days if the farmer didn’t grow flax he would have used paint and hair from the horse’s tail. The serial number of the pump was stamped onto one of the caps.
The pump is an awkward shape because of the fast and loose pulleys and the outrigger stand, so we decided we were going to make a prototype trolley made of four by inch and half white wood. Its not permanent but it’ll do for now.
To complete the project, we still need some fittings, a belt (we have a plan for that) some pipe work from an old milking parlour and we have a water tank with some very special history.
For my Allen Scythe project I needed new tyres. It just so happens Dad knew a man who fits tyres for the motorcycle trials riders and he had some old ones in his shed. Their front tyres are 21”x2.75” tyres which are the right size for the Allen Scythe and have the right tread pattern, and they’re great for hula hooping!
A few weeks ago we went to Castlederg Vintage Rally and we met a nice man called Billy Thompson. He showed us his dioramas of Irish rural scenes which he had made himself.
There was a lovely Morris Minor split screen in Almond Green and a grey Minor van with an Austin badge and grill, this is because there was no more production of the A35 van and Austin needed a van to sell. We met lots of friends and had a great day.
The 'Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes' was formed to provide a professional rapid response medical transport service.
It is a free volunteer motorcycle courier service to carry urgent medical items, especially blood for transfusions and vital organs for transplants, between hospitals and medical centres. Otherwise paid couriers or ambulances would have to be employed for these tasks. Thus 'Blood Bikes' saves the NHS money or increases ambulance availability time. The 'Blood Bikes' Association is divided into separate local groups across the country. Each group is a separate charity supported by local donations.
This Road Run was conceived and ably organised by Roger Perry who has supported 'Blood Bikes' for many years. The 24 mile route covered an area to the west of
Stafford. On Saturday 3rd June, 41 tractors gathered in a field off Watery Lane, Haughton. After a Safety Talk by Roger they set off promptly at 11 o'clock through the villages of Ranton and Ellenhall to skirt around the town of Eccleshall. An off-road section brought them past Sugnall Hall to Offley Brook and the halfway stop at the Star Inn at Copmere End. Suitably refreshed the convoy proceeded through Garmelow and Whitley Heath to arrive back at Haughton.
This was an attractive route, the weather was superb, everything went well and everyone agreed it had been a great day out. Even though it was a small event it raised nearly £650 for the charity. 'Blood Bikes' may not be as well known as some of the national charities yet they provide a vital service to help save countless lives.
Photos taken by Peter Aston of The Massey & Ferguson Tractor Owners Group at Abergavenny Steam Rally, Royal Bath and West Show, Castle Combe Steam Rally, and Lydiard Park Steam Rally
refreshments, a BBQ, raffles and tombola, craft stalls and steam train rides for the children.
We raised £1640 for the Macmillan Cancer support Centre in Southport.
stationary engines, tractors, bikes, classic and vintage cars plus a couple of wagons. The museum was open forpeople to look round and displayed a great collection of ploughs, seed sowers, and a large display of horticultural and agricultural hand tools.
Adding to the day, we also had 3 different music bands,
Our next event is September 30th (11am to 4pm) at The Village Hall, Smithy Lane, Scarisbrick L40 8HH.
Private visits can be arranged. Tel Les Rynhart on 07702527872
Photos by CharlotTe Groves
124 tractors set out from Hopkins Farm in Tysoe and travelled through Tysoe village, up the hill to Shenington and onwards towards Sibford, with a halfway stop at Hook Norton Brewery. After a swift half they were back on their way through Traitors Ford, Brailes, Whatcote, Oxhill and arrived at Tysoe Playing Field for
refreshments, a raffle and an auction. A whopping £7,028.15 was raised and split between Farming Community Network (FCN) , Cancer Research and Yellow Wellies – The Farm Safety Foundation.
Next year’s run will take place on Sunday 19th May.
There are many charity runs taking place throughout the year raising hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pounds for well deserved causes. Some are well established and others quite recently created, having only a few years to their name. Westfield Charity Run on 5th July this year ran it’s first ever road run.
Paul Stevenson, an agricultural engineer from Loftus, North Yorkshire organised the event and had the North East coast towards Whitby and the North Yorkshire Moors to choose for his route. The North Yorkshire Moors has been home to several TV and Movie filming locations and is commonly known as ‘Hearbeat Country’ after the popular TV series. It would have been all too easy for Paul to simply select these locations but he did not want it to become the ‘Heartbeat Run’ He chose
several other spots including the scenic village of Egton and Danby beacon, a high spot on the moors with fantastic views. The route also passed through a ford next to Duck Bridge, a grade two listed steep sided bridge near the ruins of Danby Castle.
Unfortunately only a dozen or so tractors turned up for the run and Paul openly admitted he still has a lot to learn about organising the run. Despite the low turnout Paul managed to raise £365 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute. Since photographs of the run were shared on social media it has generated a lot of interest with people asking about future runs in the area. Paul has said next year’s run will take place a little earlier in the year to avoid clashing with other events.
Keith Robinson Charity Road Run took place on 4th June 2023 after being organised by Trevor Robinson. Though the two men shared the same surname, they were not related; Trevor being a long standing friend. Keith had always been very generous when it came to raising money for people less fortunate than himself, so Trevor felt it was befitting to honour him with a run.
Trevor and his family organised the run to take in several green lanes with spectacular views, as Keith loved nothing
more than a ‘good auld road run.’ Setting off from Penrith the route passed through the beautiful North Lakes countryside visiting the Lowther Estate, Pooley Bridge with a wonderful view of Ullswater and a little visited Limestone outcrop high above Greystoke overlooking the mountains of the Lake District.
The run raised a total of £1616 and ‘Pennine Ploughing’ also donated a further £500 to bring the total of £2116 which was passed onto Kidney and Cancer Research charities.
Steaming Day (14th-15th) at Beamish Museum, Nr Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 0RG. Contact: 01913 704000 museum@beamish.org.uk www.beamish.org.uk
TUESDAY 15TH AUGUST
15/08/2023 1219 Caledonia Works
Steaming Day (14th-15th) at Beamish Museum, Nr Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 0RG. Contact: 01913 704000 museum@beamish.org.uk www.beamish.org.uk
WEDNESDAY 16TH AUGUST
16/08/2023 Mid Summer Steam Up at Westonzoyland Pumping Station, Bridgewater, Somerset, TA7 0LS. Contact: 01278 691595 steamteam@wzlet.org www.wzlet.org
16/08/2023 Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show (16th-17th) at Turnpike Showground, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 9PL. T: 01747 823955 info@gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk www.gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk
THURSDAY 17TH AUGUST
Meadow Lane, Stretton, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs, DE13 0DA
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