barn find FE35

[Joe the small engine man 89]

hi all,

 

I have just got a gold 'n' grey fe35 Ferguson, it has a 4 cylinder diesel engine, It is completely original and hasn't been touch of over 20 years. it was left outside under a tarp for 12years, with the head off and the barrels open to the elements! the paint is fairly good. we went to move the tractor in the morning on Tuesday preparing are self's for a long day of moving it! but we inflated the tyres and to are amazement all the tyres inflated and have stayed up since, this was very shocking as they are all perished and have sat for over 12years in all weathers. we then put chains around the back axels and used a van to pull it out, it came out so easy I was so surprised. we then loaded it onto a trailer with a hand winch and it is currently on my yard awaiting its own shed to be build after new year!

I'm now very busy spraying everything with WD-40 and have put ceresin down the bores to free it up a bit, and now I'm cleaning the surface rust off the inside of the liners. I will have to investigate the gear box as it wont go into gear, I have freed up the H and Low lever which in-gages and disinigages, I think the little ball that  drops in to hold it in gear when driving is stuck and need moving.

 

I think its going to be easy to get running as they are good engines, I have all the parts which just need bolting on, I will see if the engine will turn over tomorrow after the wd-40 and ceresin has done its job! then if it does I will bolt everything together and get a new battery, filters and fuel as I say everything is completely original, with even the original tax disc holder, with original tax discs in!

 

 

[nigel 1,876]

If its had the head of I would pour some diesel in and leave it a couple of weeks to free the rings

[Joe the small engine man 89]

 

Just got tarp off and now trying to inflate tyres! amazing how they all went up and have stayed up.

 

 

this is the tractor out of the garden, without the bonnet as I was looking at the cylinders.

 

 

this is it loaded on the trailer, with another tractor! which I also picked up from there   a westwood t1200.

 

 

this is the side of the engine as it was when we took the tarp off, it has a bit of old crumbling carpet over the barrels.

 

 

this is it on the trailer again, from the back showing the westwood and the bonnet.

[meadowfield 1,900]

Good luck with getting it running

[nigel 1,876]

The Westwood looks tidy Joe

[Joe the small engine man 89]

The Westwood looks tidy Joe

 

 it comes with all the accessories, grass collector and sweeper, which I will pick up at a later date. it has a new gearbox and a different engine in her.

[Wristpin 400]

Now that IS patina!!!

[HeadExam 1,783]

You really pulled in a great haul Joe!!! That Ferguson is a great collector machine

[Stormin 4,458]

I think you'd be surprised at how many are at the shows, Alain. Certainly not rare over here.

[Joe the small engine man 89]

The FE-35 (Gold belly) are rare as may people don't have them as many didn't sell, In the time of the tractor being made people didn't like the colour scheme that harry Ferguson wanted gold and grey its said even his employees told him that people wouldn't and didn't like the colours, and preferred the TVO 3 cylinder petrol (Perkins engine that was in the old standard cars), so many people either bought the Massey 35, which was painted the Massey colours grey and red, or even the older types for example TED-20 or TE-20 that was produced before the FE-35 and other older models which were just painted grey. As that tractor is its worth a bit not running, but when it is it can be worth over £3000, they go down in value if you re-spray them as collectors such as myself like the original patina, but if its too far gone that its full of rust they you would buy new panels and re-spray.

Don't get the Ferguson FE-35 mixed up with the Massey MF35 different years (1955-1964)  and colours (Red and Grey) and they have a different values in money.

 

Regards Joe

 

 

this is another picture will put some more up later after I have put some more WD-40 in the barrel and have washed all the moss and dirt of it

 

 

[Stormin 4,458]

  My comment on not being rare, was meant for the little Fergies in general, Joe. True there are not as many of the gold 'n' grey FE35's, but still a good few. Some seen at shows may not be the genuine article.

 

As to freeing the engine, I agree with Nigel. Diesel down the bores will work better than WD40 for penetrating down.

 

Good luck with it anyway.

[Joe the small engine man 89]

That's fine Stormin, There are a few around the UK and other areas of the world.

 

Thanks  , I put some burning oil down them instead of diesel because it works better as a lubricant as well, will try and turn it over slowly tomorrow with a spanner, if no movement then ill leave it for a couple more days to soak. I gave it a wash today and it has a lot of the original paint on it and in fairly good condition!

 

Regards Joe

Edited December 31, 2015 by Joe the small engine man

[HeadExam 1,783]

Yeah I don't think the FE35 is common here in the states, I see many people looking for the TO35?, I think that's the one. I have never seen a FE35 here, but that doesn't mean much, I never seen a Red Headed Nymphomaniac Eskimo girl whose dad owns a liquor store, and I even put adverts in the paper.

[Joe the small engine man 89]

haha, the TO35 is the same as the FE35 accept it was produced in the USA, it started production a year after the UK started producing the FE35 in 1956, I think!

 

Regards Joe

I clean the liners in 2 of the barrels today, they were covered In surface rust. lots of work to be done in the next few mouths to get it going! the engine at the moment is sieved, but will hopefully be freed up soon    

[Wristpin 400]

That's fine Stormin, There are a few around the UK and other areas of the world.

 

Thanks  , I put some burning oil down them instead of diesel because it works better as a lubricant as well, will try and turn it over slowly tomorrow with a spanner, if no movement then ill leave it for a couple more days to soak. I gave it a wash today and it has a lot of the original paint on it and in fairly good condition!

 

Regards Joe

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

[HeadExam 1,783]

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

yep, fill 'er up.

[C-101plowerpower 548]

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

 

50/50 acetone/atf

[pmackellow 2,738]

Nice tractors Joe, good find

[Wristpin 400]

Just watching a repeat of a repeat of Salvage Squad and they have a stuck four cylinder lump from a Tiger Moth and the old chap supervising them heats up a pan of oil until it smokes and then pours some into each bore . Apparently the heat helps penetration and expands the bore a fraction to aid freeing the pistons. - allegedly !!  Any way it worked for them   !

So get the chip pan out!

[Joe the small engine man 89]

ill certainly try it! just soaked them with coke, apparently it works! anyway i'm making a contraption to put over the cylinders to push the two down forcing the other two come up slowly, hopefully doing it every carefully it will free the rings on the cylinder from the liners, Ive done it before on a 3 cylinder perkins engine that was seized and it worked, so hopefully it will again!

 

Regards Joe

 

does anyone else on the forum own a FE35 or a TO35?

[C-101plowerpower 548]

ill certainly try it! just soaked them with coke, apparently it works! anyway i'm making a contraption to put over the cylinders to push the two down forcing the other two come up slowly, hopefully doing it every carefully it will free the rings on the cylinder from the liners, Ive done it before on a 3 cylinder perkins engine that was seized and it worked, so hopefully it will again!

 

Regards Joe

 

does anyone else on the forum own a FE35 or a TO35?

 

i don't own one but i worked for someone who had every version of the ferguson 35 apperantly

[Joe the small engine man 89]

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

 

Ive been putting multiple different things down the bores, ive cleaned the liners in two of the four bores, they were covered in rust  , the next idea which I will do tomorrow is heating up the oil in a pan and pouring it in, thanks to wristpins comment  , I had never thought of it!

 

Regards Joe

 

I need all the ideas, I can think of!

i don't own one but i worked for someone who had every version of the ferguson 35 apperantly

 

that would be quit a collection!

[Joe the small engine man 89]

im feeling so confident that the tractor will run, I just got an old 2 furrow ransome plough! great thing, got some weight in it

 

Regards Joe

[diggerjames 543]

Looks a good project buddy good luck un seizing it

[Ian 2,417]

The Fergie looks a nice project Joe, it should keep you busy for a while