expeatfarmer

Ransomes bought out an American company called Steiner that made small tractors and a range of sophisticated implements, boom mowers,trenchers, snow blowers and ploughs etc. I have two of these machines, a 420 and a 425 both of which are fitted with a Kubota three cylinder engine. Some time ago I managed to find a NOS front loader in America which had been stored for a long time but never used ( someone had removed the hydraulic operating levers) . Earlier this week I was looking again on E Bay USA for Steiner parts and came across a listing for a NOS Ransomes branded hydraulic front mounted snow plough dozer blade with angling ram. Again there were a few bolts missing so it had lain in a store somewhere for years, strange thing was it was in Norwich UK. I managed to buy it and await delivery at the beginning of next week. I knew these blades existed branded as Steiner in USA ( still available new ) but have never seen a Ransomes branded green version. Last year I bought a front hydraulic adapter from the States with a view to building a blade which is still sitting as NOS in my workshop!! No idea why the owner listed it in the States, I was the only bidder.

This is the genset I have it has a JAP engine, I have never tried to start it but it turns over freely. The tube on the left of the first picture is for storing the starter cord which is missing,

I have one very similar that somebody gave me about 20 years ago, if anybody would like it they are very welcome to come and collect it.

That is very kind thank you.

Amazing value in logs they will warm you up at least three times!

Happy days!

I think the winch I saw was similar to the Bejay. Belongs to a chap in Wigton that services Land Rovers.

Fantastic detail well done.

What size are those grandchildren now?

Hi Norman Long time no see I am here most days no plans yet.

I recently saw somebody using a portable drum winch powered by a small two stroke engine unfortunately I did not get close enough to see the make is there an O&R powered winch?

Thank you still breathing !

Nice pictures and no doubt hours of fun.

Interesting machine, does it steer with braking levers through the front difff? Is it 4 wheel drive?

H, Nice thoughts on helping your friend, giving someone a leg up when they are down is very rewarding. I have a friend in UK who is now extremely wealthy , he runs a specialist engineering company with four employees making specialist fabrications for high value gas and oil projects as well as one off prototypes for all sorts of people, all his work is gained by repeat business and word of mouth commendations. Your friend needs to find a niche market which requires high value one off or low volume machining/fabrication projects. The markets he needs to look at are oil and gas /mining, automotive restoration of rare high value vehicle parts , steam engines etc. The other area where people spend a lot of money is on one off architectural metalwork , creating wrought iron gates ,lighting fixtures, room screens etc. I know that Jay Lenno has a huge car collection with an attached restoration workshop where they can actually reproduce more or less any rare or obsolete part for any of the cars and vehicles they have using CNC and 3d printing machines. People will pay huge amounts of money for bespoke iron work such as gates , setting up to manufacture such things is not expensive and can be developed slowly by producing small samples and items that are not too expensive and taking them to rural shows architectural exhibitions etc. If it was me I would try and get a low cost foot in the market to test potential before I spent big money on machines, if you gain a specialist commission that needs a machine you can very quickly buy one. As a final thought it may be worth making contact with a number of one make car clubs such as Ford V8 owners or Bugatti , Bentley owners clubs and asking them if there are any specific parts which they have difficulty obtaining, as an example I know that V8 flathead Ford exhaust manifolds are very hard to find . I hope that is helpful and wish you and your friend good luck.

It will only be original once, clean up the rusty bits and give a rub over with wax or oil.

Good find even better if you can find a machine. Do you think a group of guys had a contest to see who could come up with the biggest list of things you can do with these engines?

Contact me anytime , I think these are great machines, such a pity that Ransomes could not make a go of it, the possibilities for this type of small tractor are limitless for use in wide range of markets not just gardening. I have shifted tons of soil with my 420 and loader, ideal for working in confined spaces.

Hi I have a 420 fitted with a front loader and a 425 fitted with rear forklift, these machines were made in USA by Steiner which was taken over by Ransomes some tractors were imported to UK under the Ransomes brand but few implements other than front mowersand long reach offset bank mowers. The whole company went downhill to the point that the previous owners of Steiner started up new production under the Ventrac brand . A range of implements is available, snow blowers, stump grinders, chain trenching machine etc but I have never seen a backhoe attachment. I would suggest you look at some of the backhoes that fit category 1 three point linkage and modify the hydraulics to drive off the auxiliary service ports on the 425 using the same hydraulic oil. I use generic hydraulic oil in my machines without any issue.

Yes it is a molybdenum based lubricant for assembly where heavy grease or oil are not suitable also used on cams camshafts and sleeve bearings. Still available.

I stopped playing saxophone years ago!!

I fancy one of these.

Shame Norman but understandable.

Looks like you need to build a log splitter machine!

That's a lot of logs worth putting a log stove in the workshop !