mg_rob

While looking through old photos for some of my machines to post on the forum I came across a small collection of Ransomes photos. They were included along with some literature I had bought a good few years ago on that auction site. One that stands out shows the back end of a sand skimmer. In one of the other photos taken at a vintage rally there is a sign that says Kent & Sussex which would suggest that it was down the south somewhere. I wonder if that skimmer is still lying outside?

That looks great fun. Who needs a cutting deck, a few laps round your lawn on Why Not and it would save you from having to cut the grass for a while

Here's a couple of photos of my Garner light four-wheel tractor. It has a JAP 5 engine, centrifugal clutch and 3 forward and 1 reverse gears. The large hand lever raises and lowers the draw-bar and a mid-mounted tool frame. I have the tool frame and 2 ridging bodies and a set of home made grubber tines. The toolbox behind the drivers seat is an old ammunition box, this I have been told was factory fitted by Garner.

Nothing like that over in Bangor and Ards, we spent most of the day working outside. Very cold but dry all day.

Thanks for the comments. I'll have to get the Cletrac out and about again as it's been parked up for a while.

Do you know of any other sand skimmers that have survived intact into preservation? I've heard of dumpers that have come from water treatment works but I wonder what happened to the skimmers.

You are going to have to open a Ransomes museum to show all your machines. I like the winch on the back of this ITW.

Just had a look at a photo of a skimmer and you have quite a job ahead of you to restore this machine to fully working condition. Having seen some of your projects posted on here I'm sure you will get there in the end. As mentioned I think the gearbox and drives for the conveyors and skimming head will be the challenge.

How much of the skimmer do you have, have you got the lift and discharge conveyors? I think I read one of your posts where you said you were missing the front skimming section.

Yes, you twist the throttle clockwise to close it. I always forget. Thanks. All crawlers can be fun on ramps, the Bristol 10 is particularly nose heavy though. On rough ground if your not careful you could find yourself out of the seat, I wouldn't like to try following you on one of your Wheelhorses If I didn't live in Northern Ireland I'd be there in a flash. That little stretch of water is a right rip-off to get across. I hope someone takes a lot of photos, I'm sure this must be the biggest gathering of Ransomes that has been organised.

Hi all, here are a few photos of my Bristol 10 taken a couple of years ago when we moved it from one shed to another. No electric start, you have to hand crank the Austin engine. Controls are a bit different to all my other crawlers in that there is only one steering lever, it makes running it up loading ramps quite tricky as you can't stop and brake both tracks. Throttle is via twist grip at the end of the steering lever. Last photo shows the Bristol beside my Ransome crawlers for an idea of size. Rob

Our ground is that water logged at the moment that one of those Gems would be right at home. Brian Bell's Seventy Years of Garden Machinery book mentions Gems being made with large diameter steel wheels for working in paddy fields, it doesn't have a any photos though. While searching through some old computer backups last night I came across this photo of a Gem on large steel wheels.

Hi all Here are a few photos of my Cletrac HG31. I bought this crawler sometime around 1998 as best as I can remember. It is the narrowest version of the HG that was made and was intended for vineyard use, my HG came from a vineyard somewhere in France. It has a 4 cylinder Hercules petrol engine, starting is via the handle only as it has no electrics. I wasted most of the night looking for these photos on various computer backups only to realise they were from my pre digital days

Well done getting it running, 137 certainly gave you a bit of a run-a-round. A very thorough restoration, I first saw pics of 137 on VHGMC forum. Rob