expeatfarmer

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.

I am fed up with dismantling carbs and finding the bowl and choke all corrode by the Ethanol that someone has decided to put int o petrol. I have now bought a large stock of Briggs and Stratton petrol sabiliser hoping that when I go to a machine after a few months I wont have to strip the carb.

I have seen tractors in Russia working on that system, they are used on very wet peat bogs where flotation is essential and traction limited. Get it wrong in those conditions and you are in serious trouble.

I thought you only had black paint!

Wish you well Alain keep safe.

Some years ago I bought an Ariens ride on that came with a trailer very similar. It was red though not green.

The Lifeboat tractor is based on a County tractor fitted with a fully submersible casing about 1/4" thick capable of submerging to the top of the windows. It is based at Silloth and used for recovering the Solway Estuary Lifeboat. The tide goes out very fast leaving miles of mud flats .

For those of you that have not met Stormin, I ran in to him today at Silloth. He looked well after horseing around at Newby hall.

Forecast has changed rain due Sunday now

WHAT TIME ARE YOU AIMING TO GET THERE NORMAN

That must be very interesting please post some more pictures .

I think he may have been confused by the Wheelhorse gathering at Newby Hall Tractor fest as there were over twenty machines on show. I spoke to the owners and they did not mention Malvern except two guys who also have Ransomes who want to bring them.

I met Mark Woodward the organiser of Tractor World Malvern at Newby hall this weekend, he informed me that due to a clash with a sewing and needlework show the dates for 2016 have been changed to 27th and 28th February. The good news is that as they now have the entire showground and all halls there is scope for bigger displays which will include the 30 odd Ransomes MG crawlers and derivatives we are hoping to display. Bit of a pain for those that have booked hotels etc but at least it should mean we can re book nearer to the venue. The show at Newby Hall was a great weekend, it was good to meet up with a number of forum members and put faces and names to avatars, bit of a shame that there were only two Ransomes on display compared to about twenty Wheel Horses may be some others will turn up next year.

Thats the usual plan, managed to dry all my blasting sand last week when she was collecting the gremlins!

If I can persuade a chap in Blandford to sell me one I will. But then I know a wee boy who could make me one!!!

Being cast I think welding might be iffy, I think a freezer/aga shrink fit is safest

Finally managed to get back to 137 and weld up the rims, I used the half tractor that came with it as a work stand that enabled me to rotate the wheel as I welded it. Tacked them first and then welded opposing segments inside and out and then ground the welds flush.I am going to dunk them in the de rust tank to take the rust out of the pits and then a light skim of filler before painting. Interestingly during the cleaning process a lot of the original paint has come to light and it is clear that the earlier tractors used a darker more caret red than is commonly seen on later models. I have sand blasted the galleried load rollers, these are all worn to below 7.5" diameter which will mean that I shall have to turn them down to a common size and then fit a shrink tyre on the wear edges to take them back to 8", Not worked out how to do that yet unless I can find some 8" o.d thick wall steel pipe and take off some slices.

Finally managed to find a Turf Trac, typically I have been looking for a couple of years finally bought one from way down south only to find another for sale on Gumtree at Annan 30 miles away ( lot more money ). This one is fitted with a 4ft front mounted cutting deck. The reason I wanted one was that trying to move a dead crawler from one garage to the workshop was just too much for my ride on mower and using a live crawler just chews up the drive and the garage floor. 16.5hp Kubota three cylinder engine starts and runs well. Hydraulic lift front and rear , front and rear pto. four wheel hydrostatic drive with twin ratio axles 11 miles an hour top speed. Pulls like a train and turns in a 36inch inner circle. Needs a new seat some decals and a general tidy up. Typical it rained persistently after delivery so limited playing time.

exhaust looking good Norman

Have a look on Ebay in Crawler Tractors there is a set up harrow showing just what you need for transportation.

Progress has been slow for the past couple of weeks, I have been busy setting up a blasting cabinet and today I built an electroytic de rusting tank using a 45 gallon drum, a sheet of reinforcing mesh and a plastic manhole cover, I bought an ex MOD controlled power supply which is probably ott for this job but I intend to have a go at Nickel plating on the restoration project so it will be good for that. Washing soda at 18gm per gallon of water ( 1 tablespoon ) will be the electrolyte. I also have a large strip of lightning conductor which I plan to use to clean up the weld mesh by reversing the current and collecting the crud on the copper strip which should then just wash off. I will keep you posted re. progress. Main reason for such a big tank is so that I can clean up the forged steel idler wheels for 137 which would take hours with a blaster. As I have grandchildren tank needs to be gremlin proof yet vented as it will be outside also don't want the cat to fall in!

I have one to fit it but the roller is fused to the shaft, have it soaking in diesel to free it off.

yes the later MG40 range had the option of a bonnet, I have a petrol, a Drayton Diesel, a Sachs diesel and another petrol all with bonnets and all the bonnets are different.

My 30" Ransomes TB engined mower was in my garage/workshop, I turned on the petrol, tickled the carb. turned the crank and it started first pull after 6 months !! Decided that whilst it was running I better cut the grass. If any one needs a crash fitness programme buy one of these, open the throttle the slightest amount and it takes off with you at the run. The machine is a Ransomes Mk 11 30" mower which dates from late 1930's

No a friend of my son's hauls machines in to france and back loaded it for me.