hpearce

I have been busy re making latch/trip levers for the Ransomes mg6/40 3 point linkage, these are a must for anyone who has the right and left hand ploughs.
Two sets available, others have been sold.
Now completely unobtainable
£100/ set + postage.

Somehow I don't think he'll be bothered, Jonathan.

Today I have been restoring the carburettor which is a brass cast Amal nickel plated. Over the years it has been bruised and bashed and had a number of nasty vice marks. I polished these out with my Dremel but did not like the shiny finish as the original would have been peat flour sand cast. After a bit of thought I dug out some brass plumbing fittings and polished them up with the Dremel and then shot blasted them with glass beads to see what effect it produced. Very pleasing effect and by a strange coincidence the carb is stamped "JC 648" must be an omen! Next job is to Nickel plate it .
 
 
 
 
 
 

This week so far I have rebuilt the track load rollers with new bearings and seals,, final drive output shafts and hubs new bearings and seals, rebuilt the cooling fan, rubbed down filled and painted all the red bits, finished all the bolt on blue bits, made up some new track tensioners and generally made a mess of my workshop. Gradually sorting through the pile of rusty nuts and bolts that came with 137 matching what I need to the parts list, where practical I am re using clean existing nuts and bolts but any that are badly damaged by rust or past abuse I am replacing with new.
 

 
Chris at vintage brass plates is making up a new set of id plates for the body and a new plate for the Sturmey Archer engine, Titch is making up a set of decals for the body. 137 had scroll decals on either side which I guess are from lawnmowers and sadly no decal on the tank front so tempting though it is to add a few more for looks I am currently sticking with what is shown in the period photos. The same goes for things like mudguards over the track rollers and wear plates protecting the final drive casings, both of which were added to the 1937 models.

Ooops - scroll over pic 1 and you will have the answer

What do you mean JUNK, have you gone mad? There is no such thing. At least not that any of should admit too, If word gets around that some stuff may be junk, we could all be in deep trouble.

I wonder if she is ploughing a deep furrow for potatoes or a shallow furrow for grass seed
George S  

I have been down to Dorset this weekend to collect what must be the ultimate in Ransomes barn finds. After some brilliant detective work by my friend Anthony I visited a farm early in the year and discovered not one but three rare Ransomes MG machines. The elderly owner was not really wanting to sell but eventually a deal was made for me to buy two machines and leave him with one that was up and running. The three machines were an MG6 fitted with a Demon loader and petrol TVO engine, the second was a 1957 ITW wheeled tractor fitted with an inboard Boughton winch. This machine was used at Brighton railway station for shunting trucks. Originally fitted with a Drayton diesel engine, the tractor now has a later petrol engine. Fortunately I managed to obtain the original diesel engine which has been very cleverly fitted with a flywheel ring gear and electric starter.The third and possibly most rare machine is an ITC Skimmer tractor an amazing machine used for skimming a shallow layer of sand off water treatment filter beds. This machine is ex Bristol Water and was one of a number sold at the Dorset Steam Fair about 25 years ago. Luckily for me it was towed home into an old barn as a project machine for cleaning out a mill stream that never happened. Much of the actual skimming parts have been removed but thankfully the transmission ,tracks and main chassis are untouched and intact. These machines travel incredibly slowly due to an additional final drive reduction gearbox on each track. The original 600cc petrol engine had to drive the machine, operate the skimming auger and power an elevator that loaded the sand into ITC dumpers. Consequently a number were modified to achieve extra power, this one is fitted with a water cooled crossflow Ford engine which is from  Mk1 escort ( even has a Weber carb. ) The plan is to fit the original diesel to the ITW and use the petrol engine on the skimmer. ( anyone want an escort engine?)
With the 80th anniversary display next year the timing of the find is perfect as I can now guarantee to have at least one of every Ransomes MG machine on display. Hopefully I will have the skimmer mobile under its own power and the ITW driveable pending restoration. 

Apologies should read ULTIMATE

A few pics from a VERY HOT showground. :wub:
 

Been making steady but slow progress with 137, mostly de rusting and shot blasting parts with a few restoration jobs.
The final drive gears were absolutely solid with old grease that had gone hard as were the front hubs. I managed to remove it from the final drives by using a hot air gun and some degreaser on a stiff brush it still took about an hour each side. The front hubs were harder as there is a big reservoir are inside which was solid. The biggest mistake Ransomes made was to fit oil nipples that look like grease nipples, there is no part of an MG Tractor that should be greased all the hubs etc use 140 oil, if you use grease a) it blows the seals and it goes solid after time and lubrication stops. To remove the grease from inside the hubs I had to resort to placing each hub on a shallow tray covered in foil and place them in the hot oven of the Aga for an hour. It was like watching a volcano erupt as all the grease melted and belched out through the bearing seats. ( I even got permission!!!)Our Aga oven has a built in extractor fan that vented all the smoke to the garden.
I have cleaned up the barrel  and head off the engine sand blasted them and then fine ground the fins to take out the worst pitting applied a few coats of black engine enamel looking quite tidy now.
In between shot blasting ( letting the compressor have a rest ) I have started to weld up the scars in the side of the body where the worn hubs have allowed the tracks to rub against it. They must have been shot for a long time as in some places the side is worn right through. I ground out the rust and then MIg welded the scars. 

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

At the garden machinery dealer in Hindhead

At the garden machinery dealer in Hindhead

At the garden machinery dealer in Hindhead

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Spent a rather damp morning at the Rural Life Museum at Tilford

Another nice Ransome

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-32427078

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-32427078

Paul
 
Have you and Wendy carried out all the necessary quality control checks on the breakfast at the Lavender Line?
 
It's a tough job but someone has to do it!
 
Assuming all went well I will see you there,
 
Hugh

Definitely not the end, I will be at Ardingly next year having thoroughly enjoyed my first show with the MG2
 
Attached picture is the end of Ardingly 2014