The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

I'm trying to get a tractor running a little more reliably and am trying to find more info on it for timing specs, etc. Everything mentions finding a serial number. For the life of me, I can't find one. Here is what I have found though...

Off the engine block and towards the rear (transmission) is the following: "P30B" (above a "5")
On the rear housing below the seat: "EIADKN", then below it "152", and below that "995203"
On the axles housing(s): "DKN4010B"
On the Simms main body: "SPE 4A755527"
On the lower engine block side: "E"
On the block: "DDN F3"
Elsewhere on the block: "P31B"
On the case behind engine (transfer case?): "P31B"

I'm also including some pictures.

I see lots of people restore these, and that may be fun for this someday, but for now, it is just going to be a work horse.

If this is in the wrong forum, could someone please move this? Thanks in advance!

Welcome LazyTRanch,

Your on the right forum.
As far as I can see you have a Power Major from December 1958.
Above the diesel pump on the front of the engine, just under the valve head there’s a small rectangle with an engine number. It should be between 1489000 and 1509600. Also on the fire wall between the battery and tank there should be a plate with the same number as on the engine.

Just to help clarify, most of the numbers you quote are of no use,

Anything that starts E1ADDN, E1ADKN, DDN, DKN etc.will be the same on every tractor.

The ones that are date codes and where Henk got the information on a date, are the P30B numbers. Every cast part that left the factory has one of these codes and it will tell you the date that part was cast. If you find one that is way out, that might be an indication that the tractor has had that item replaced at some time or, that the tractor is what we call an ASP (All Spare Parts).

The serial number should be under No.1 injector. It may not be there if she has had a new block at any time. Yours seems to be in line with other parts as far as casting dates so the number should be there.

Timing degrees are given in the information above. Time with the clamp bolt on the coupling below the drive shaft as this will ensure you are on No.1 cylinder. Do not vary from the degree given. The engine must be timed exactly to the stated figure.

Thanks much! It's incredibly hot here right now and I'm not eager to be spending too much time poking around the wasp infected tractor, but I'll be seeing if I can find that number today now that I have a bit of a more focused search location.

Thanks!

Eureka! I don't know how I could have missed it was right in front of my face. Covered in oil a but, but it was there

The number is 1494800! So it looks like January of 59 which fits right in with the earlier casting date decoding of December 58. That's pretty neat that I have a 50 year old tractor

With that S/N, that would put me at 23 degrees BTDC of piston 1 according to my I&T manual.

Thanks much!