Dating a Fordson skid with a Weatherill

[essex pete]

Hi
Andre on the CMN has just bought an old Weatherill 2H shovel. He is trying to date various things. The shovel looks like it out to be pre 1956 but may have been fitted with a later Super engine. He has not found the casting codes on the transmission but the machine plate gives the number 1580513 which does not tie up with the guessed age. The block appears to have a casting code of 3J13. Do those tie up? I thought the engine no seemed '61 but the casting code '63. The further anomally is that it is a drum brake skid pre Super.
It also has the export grill.
It seems a bit convoluted but possibly the Brit Army owned machine returned to Weatherill for refurbishment when a new engine was fitted and the number on the plate updated. This may have been followed by another later engine. Any ideas?

[Dandy Dave]

Would like to see photos. Dandy Dave!

[essex pete]

Dave I just edited my post as it read completely wrong in the light of day!

Here is a link to the site, I'll ask if it is OK to nick a couple of photos.

http://www.classicmachinery.net/forum/w ... -s110.html

You might have to regester to see the photos but you might do that more quickly than me copying into photo bucket etc!

[essex pete]

[Dandy Dave]

Wow, that's a real heavy duty industrial unit. I've never seen one quite like it over here. Hopefully someone will know something. Dandy Dave!

[essex pete]

Dave the Weatherill marque started in the very late 40s when Fred Weatherill, the finance director of the rope shovel manufacturer Chaseside, decided that hydraulic power was the way forward.
I think their first machine was produced in about 1950 and the machine in the picture would have been the next step on as it were. Matchbox toys made a model of the 2 H for years and the link was that in the 1950s they were in next door premises to FE Weatherill in London.
As you can guess I am an anorak about Weatherill but also find any Major industrial conversion interesting. Sadly, perhaps due to weight in terms of moving them and scrap value coupled with relatively low volumes of production, a lot of machine have disappeared.

It would seem that possibly the gear box and engine wer replaced in probably early 1961 as the casting codes and engine numbers suggest this. The final drive appears to have remained and with luck the owner Andre will be able to date that with a casting code.

[essex pete]

Andre has been able to find a casting code on the rear axle N29D which I believe is Nov 1960. When did the Super start production and did a few Powers get assembled after the Super had started?

[JC]

You've got kind of a strange one there, Pete. The 3J13 casting code doesn't make sense, because the casting code format changed in June '63, and after that, there were no J month codes.
The Super was introduced in Oct. '60, serial number 1575886.
Industrial Supers had drum brakes, but they were on the axles instead of the bull pinion shafts.
1580513 is Dec. 1960, which is the month after the rear axle was cast.

[essex pete]

Andre has found the code on the bull shaft housing and it is L 29 D which is 28th sept 1960 right at the end of the Power Major era. Perhaps the Army requested a replacement skid to match the old one or they got supplied with what ever was in the bin?

[JC]

It doesn't seem to me that the whole skid has been replaced, since the serial number coincides with the casting number on the rear end. The engine has been changed, for sure. Maybe the brakes were changed from discs to drums because they are more trouble-free. Does it have brakes on the rear axles, too? Can you date it with the 2H serial number?

[essex pete]

The engine on the Weatherill plate ties up with all the casting codes save the bull shaft housing but that is only 2/3 months older than other castings.
On CMN we are lucky to have the input of John Tutt a former Weatherill service man but he can only date to approx 1954-55.

Another number that has come to light is S355033 and followed by 452

The casting co 3J13 came off the engine as well. Has anyone got some ideas on these? Does S stand for industrial or replacement?

[Frans]

I have 2 engines with a S in the number one is from an industrial(replacemend) and the other from a county
I belive the S is for Skid so they told me

[essex pete]

Thanks for that Frans and all the others looking in, I wonder if Brian might look in and confirm.


Regards Peter