my grandas old dexta & machinery from a bygone age..

[Bensdexta]

Have you any other pics to show us, inc under the bonnet?

It's always interesting to see original tractors.

[gjsteed]

Yeah sure il take a few and post them next time I'm out messing about with her

[Cvans]

I'm no expert on anything but form what I've seen they do tend to hunt some when you first start them up but after a minute or two it should settle down to a steady speed. I know mine does no matter the outside temperature and the others I've seen on videos seem to do the same thing. If it continues to hunt after a couple of minutes I'd say she needs some attention.

[gjsteed]

Have you any other pics to show us, inc under the bonnet?

It's always interesting to see original tractors.

heres a few more pics i took today,maybe not the best of quality but you get the picture,,










:
clap:

[Bensdexta]

Have you any other pics to show us, inc under the bonnet?
It's always interesting to see original tractors.

Why is EnFo upside down?? Very mysterious!

Thanks for the pics!

[gjsteed]

Have you any other pics to show us, inc under the bonnet?
It's always interesting to see original tractors.

Why is EnFo upside down?? Very mysterious!

Thanks for the pics!

Yes I've always wondered that myself , what is it exactly ment to say&stand for ?

[Bensdexta]

..what is it exactly ment to say&stand for ?

A lot of our parts from 50's and before are stamped EnFo. Short for English Ford.

Why yours should be upside down I can't imagine. Guess someone was asleep that day in Dagenham and put the stamp in upside down

I notice that the hatch pattern on your bezel is different from the usual pattern, unless yours a repro bezel, but I think your tractor is pretty original.

[Broadspeed]

Looks very nice But how it is so rusty?

EnFo stamp in my Dexta is also upside-down

[gjsteed]

Looks very nice But how it is so rusty?

EnFo stamp in my Dexta is also upside-down

I guess she's had an hard aule life,my mum says when she was growing up there was never a day she wasn't started,then when she got laid up she lay in below a leaky roof for 10+ years which prob didn't help matters.. But honestly she may look rusty and bad but it is really only surface rust that you see ,underneath she is as solid as a rock,the mud guards are as sturdy now as they were when she left the factory (unlike the super sitting next to her they are just hanging on,which I always thought strange)..I just think she's great and have decided just to keep her the way time has made her..but obviously if she needs a mechanical part it will get replaced ...

[Wee59dexta]

I would definitely keep her in her original clothes mate. A good power wash to expose her true working clothes is all u need. I would agree and say she will definitely get the most attention at the show as she is. Let me know when ur local show is on mate, I'd love to see a show in Ballymena.

[gjsteed]

10/4 wee59dexta ! Theirs usually one around July in Ballymena show grounds , not sure of the exact date...
On the subject of power washing her , I was a bit unsure of power washing the engine incase I may do damage to her, what do you guys suggest ? Maybe buy a big tin of gunk or something simalar ? What about the electrics ?

[Wee59dexta]

Gunk is about as useful as a .............. Hard to beat the Mr Sheen Oven Cleaner mate (other types available). Ensure the exhaust is sealed/covered at the manifold, the air breather (mushroom) is covered, and give it to her. I wouldn't worry about the electricals (just be careful) as the tractor is designed to be left outside in glorious Ulster weather. Just check the condition of your starter, alternator etc ensuring the casings are intact and water won't be collecting anywhere it probably shouldn't. I'm no expert mate but just ensure water does not enter the engine!

[gjsteed]

Mmmmmmm oven cleaner ?? I suppose it makes sense ,if it can shift baked on lasagne I'm sure it could shift a few mm of oil ! Lol that'll be my Saturday job for next week,I think the wife is working so it's a "me" day lol

[Tubal Cain]

Oven cleaner is caustic based and as such can be dangerous to use and may damage the tractor.

A steam cleaner will remove most of the encrusted oily deposits. I have found "Marine Clean" to be very effective for de-greasing, use it with a stiff brush on heavy deposits. (Search the internet for suppliers). Other products are available from Motor Factors.

I used Milk Stone Cleaner (phosphoric acid/Jenolite) on the tinwork my 1959 Dexta! Apply it to the steel surfaces, allow it to soak for a while then wash it off with fresh water. It does leave a white sheen which washes off after a time it kills the rust and prevents further rusting even after pressure washing or when left out in the rain.

Gerald

[gruffydd]

nice dexta you have there looks good in its working clothes

[pbufton]

An absolute beauty of a tractor. I have the same loader on mine, really finishes the tractor off i think.

Whats it like starting from cold?

[gjsteed]

An absolute beauty of a tractor. I have the same loader on mine, really finishes the tractor off i think.

Whats it like starting from cold?

Thank you verymuch,she was addicted to easy start for a long time my father told me, but after replacing the glow plug/heater button and cleaning out the atomiser on the inlet manifold I finally managed to start her without that horrible stuff !! My sequence of starting her is as follows (not according to the manuals way but it works for me)
3 good squirts of the primer
Hold the heater down for a good minute
Couple more squirts of the primer
Revs closed,not half open as the manual suggests
Then crank her over and boom she fires
Might I had it took a few different approaches to me finally figuring out her cold start up,but it has started her up no problem for me the last three or four times !! So no more easy start thank goodness

[Vulgunx]

Fires up instant or takes a couple turn overs to fire up? is it worth to clean out the atomiser on the inlet manifold? since my tractor was addicted to easy start and it takes about 2-3 attempts on using the heater to get her going

[gjsteed]

Fires up instant or takes a couple turn overs to fire up? is it worth to clean out the atomiser on the inlet manifold? since my tractor was addicted to easy start and it takes about 2-3 attempts on using the heater to get her going

Takes a few cranks, but she will start . When I first started looking into her cold starting problems ,I found the heater switch faulty,then checked the wiring to the glow plug was ok by using just a basic multimeter,i had already replaced the glow plug ,then I checked that the primer was pushing fuel to the atomiser , then I screwed the atomiser out and blew down it with my mouth to see if it was clear, it wasn't,so I blagged one of my wife's larger type needles and carefully pushed it down the hole in the atomiser to clean it ....and out pushed a few pieces of gunk and grime then gave it a clean in petrol ..can I also add I've a good well charged battery to help things! My father always said that "that Aule engine in that dexta is done that's why she needs easy start to start" so I had quite a grin on my face showing him that she could be started without easy start lol not as done as he thought me guesses lol
So next on my list is sorting out the dynamo ,it ain't charging ..hoping it will be the brushes ! Fingers crossed

[gjsteed]

thought id post a wee vid of the dexta in her natural habitat ..lol

[gjsteed]

well its been a good few months now since the old girl was rescued from rot and ruin and im pleased to say shes going strong,ive managed to sort the cold starting out on her,give her a engine and gear box oil change (axle oil change coming soon)fixed a few leaky fuel pipes,serviced the air filter/oil bath,new fuel filter, put a good 2nd hand tyre on her at the front and replaced the lift pump...still a good few more jobs to do but il just do them as i get round to it.
We had a old hawthorn tree blow down the other day in the heavy wind so the aule boy cut her up and we loaded it onto the dexta&trailor,the fields were pretty wet and i thought she might not make it back up to the yard(images of my neighbours new holland and me with a red face being pulled out after bogging her down were flying through my head lol) but no..she pulled that load through the wet fields no bother at all...what a great wee tractor !!

[gjsteed]

Ive been having a rumage around a few more old sheds and thought id pull this international harvester/reaper out and hook it up to the dexta,its in great nick and runs well,its a pretty dangerous piece of machinery it would soon nip a few fingers off if one wasnt carefull !!

[gjsteed]

I decided to take a walk down the fields of my grandas farm to an old abandoned shed/house from manys years ago,i crawled through the under growth and managed to push open the door...and this is what I discovered..enjoy


somewhere deep in the co antrim country side..




old type of wheels for ??? anyone hazard a guess?



whats that hung on the rafters??

just a nice pic of the chimney breast..

a cool old lister pump of some sort ??

[Cvans]

The objects in the rafters appear to be needles for a baler.

[john.n]

think the wheels are for a fergie but will fit a dexta
Regards,
John