New toy

[hair bear]

We had a grey that smoked like a train but no fire.
Thanks, it's quite tidy for 45. It's a fine line between keeping it original and giving it a three-field restoration.
Yes it has the spacer. That little bit extra gives more room between the gear stick and the seat - makes a hell of a difference. As I understand it, under the 500 metalwork/rust composite is a 148 'super spec', whatever that means.
First match of the year used to be near Farnham on the sand there, polished up the boards for the rest of the season.
My first thought on the mini triple was just because you can, doesn't mean you should. From what I could see both front axles removed, a fabricated pivot installed, and the heavily modified rear linkage was carrying a full size 2 furrow Ransomes plough.

[hair bear]

Not so much 'new toy', more 'needed accessory'!

[hair bear]

So, going back to post 1, and my comment of 'a minor problem with the hydraulics'.
The position control lever on the hydraulic services quadrant didn't work. I was sort of suspecting to engage in some gearbox gynaecology but with wifey on the levers, from underneath I could see the draft lever linkage moving, but the position lever did nothing. I could move the position linkage so that was free and could see the lever (in cab) had it's roll pin through it, and I could see the lever shaft move with the lever so it appeared to be the other end of the shaft not moving the linkage.
Got the quadrant box out and on the bench, 4 bolts, 5 minutes. The Position lever (in cab) is fixed to the center shaft with a roll pin, with a similar set up with a roll pin at the outer end to move the control mechanism. This roll pin was broken. Had to take the shaft from the quadrant to get the broken bit out but all back together and working as it should in under 2 hours.
All happy? No.
Messing around with the link box today and instead of pushing the draft lever all the way forwards to lower it, old numpty fingers pushed the position lever all the way forwards instead. The result was interesting. There was a loud click as the lever went forward, then the lever pulled back up as far as 'constant pumping' and jammed - this is where the external linkage was stuck previously.
Looking underneath, the turnbuckle adjuster on the position link rod was caught on the edge of the opening where the rod comes through from the cab.
Long story short, there is a flexible hydraulic pipe running from the top casing (somewhere near the stackpipe) through a 90deg bend to a coupling on the rh rear panel. This has obviously been replaced at some point and the new pipe is a little too long. The result being the extra length gave a wider radius and was causing it to push against the control linkage, which was in turn forced off center to the right and causing the jam. The previous owner then probably gave the lever a hearty shove which broke the roll pin off in the constant pumping position!
I will need to revisit the routing of said pipe at some point but is now held out of the way with a hoofing great zip tie, and the levers are all moving as they should.

I think this is known as cause and effect.

[essexpete]

Useful little tractor Rob.

[hair bear]

It's time to get the plough out again but wasn't long before I was sidetracked by something else found in the bushes.
It's a Boughton 1NL . I've known it since 1985 but apart from putting it on my 35 to rewind the cable when we first had it, I've never used it. It has since changed hands a couple of times over the years and has had a fair amount of use but I can't find anything online about the spec or manuals. I think it's more suited to the old Major so when I get time I'll give it a try.
550 now finally sporting it's new window.

[hair bear]

Was it worth getting the plough out? Hmmm...
Nice day,


Started sort of ok,


Passable at the moment,


It all went up the pictures after that to the point the finish was so bad I didn't bother taking photos, just gathered up the poles and found a quality item to park beside.

[essexpete]

Nice straight opening, I now South of FA with ploughing but what went wrong with the finish?
Is that a Fergie plough?

[Billy26F5]

I like that opening too, although I'm not that used to using a plough (over here cultivators do everything).
Sandy

[hair bear]

Thanks.
It's a standard 2x10" fergie plough with a cross shaft adjuster, age unknown but probably mid 1950s at a guess. The correct Massey plough for that era of tractor was a badge engineered Huard. These were very expensive when new so not popular and not many still around. Anyhow I digress.
So where did it go wrong? Simple operator error.
Veering was a bit shallow but at least it was reasonably straight (pic 2). Once that has been judged you fill it in (crown) and go three times round (gathering, pic 3). The plots both sides will be doing the same thing, and when they're done you turn towards the next highest number plot and fill it in. The Nuffie in the distance in pic 3 is still gathering but will plough the plot on my right. The Massey on my left has completed his turns and moved on so now I fill in the plot on my left (casting). The aim being to bring the work in parallel until you have 1 1/2 furrows left. That all went sort of ok, but, the last run should be thrown towards your veering. To get that to work you need to be slightly deeper on the veering side and shallow on the away side. Somehow I ended up with the deep side away from the veering. It wasn't a prize winning plot from the start so I should have cut my losses, accepted the mistake and turned the finish away from the crown and leave it at that. But no, in my mind I thought I could fix it. Wrong. Didn't matter what I did the plough would not steer. Every 3 or 4 feet it would kick out of line and take the whole 15" as one bite, then it would come back for a few yards and then do it again. The cross shaft wouldn't hold it or correct it, eventually ended up locking it against the check chains to keep it in line but by then it was too late.
Discovered later that a U bolt clamp on the cross shaft adjuster was loose so under load it was letting the plough do it's own thing, and a previous repair I'd made to the hydraulic remote linkage (a few posts back) I'd adjusted too far and instead of the rods catching on the cab frame they were now interfering with each other so adjusting one quadrant lever was also incrementally moving the other!
Maybe I should take up modern dance classes instead.

[essexpete]

Thanks.
It's a standard 2x10" fergie plough with a cross shaft adjuster, age unknown but probably mid 1950s at a guess. The correct Massey plough for that era of tractor was a badge engineered Huard. These were very expensive when new so not popular and not many still around. Anyhow I digress.
So where did it go wrong? Simple operator error.
Veering was a bit shallow but at least it was reasonably straight (pic 2). Once that has been judged you fill it in (crown) and go three times round (gathering, pic 3). The plots both sides will be doing the same thing, and when they're done you turn towards the next highest number plot and fill it in. The Nuffie in the distance in pic 3 is still gathering but will plough the plot on my right. The Massey on my left has completed his turns and moved on so now I fill in the plot on my left (casting). The aim being to bring the work in parallel until you have 1 1/2 furrows left. That all went sort of ok, but, the last run should be thrown towards your veering. To get that to work you need to be slightly deeper on the veering side and shallow on the away side. Somehow I ended up with the deep side away from the veering. It wasn't a prize winning plot from the start so I should have cut my losses, accepted the mistake and turned the finish away from the crown and leave it at that. But no, in my mind I thought I could fix it. Wrong. Didn't matter what I did the plough would not steer. Every 3 or 4 feet it would kick out of line and take the whole 15" as one bite, then it would come back for a few yards and then do it again. The cross shaft wouldn't hold it or correct it, eventually ended up locking it against the check chains to keep it in line but by then it was too late.
Discovered later that a U bolt clamp on the cross shaft adjuster was loose so under load it was letting the plough do it's own thing, and a previous repair I'd made to the hydraulic remote linkage (a few posts back) I'd adjusted too far and instead of the rods catching on the cab frame they were now interfering with each other so adjusting one quadrant lever was also incrementally moving the other!
Maybe I should take up modern dance classes instead.

I have not come across the veering term.