The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

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By essexpete

Perhaps Brian or Oscar can delete the unnecessary!

It looks like you have it all figured out now. Those are some nice old pictures. Can you tell us something about them? Do you have any more?
It seems like 600 pixels wide is about right for this BB, it keeps you from having to scroll back and forth.

P.S. I will delete the first 2 while I'm here.

Hi Pete;
Great photos. Interesting to see a Roadless tricycle conversion in use in England, didnt know any were sold here. Also the tall air cleaner extension which was used on Country crawlers.
Any more info on the tractors, location & history?
David

Some great pictures Pete.

The young man in the second picture provided the photos. Trevor started life on a farm by an airfield named Heathrow. The farm disappeared and Trevor's farther moved the family and heavy horses to Saffron Gardens farm at Horndon on the Hill to work for the Mee family.
Trevor has told me that the farm had new Fordsons on trial direct from Ford. The trike was particularly disliked for its handling.
Some of the Majors were very fast on the road with the governers opened up for some reason.
The men are loading beetroot in the first picture. Is the guy in the second laughing because he is just about to get stuck?

Is that a power steering ram just visible on the trike near the lower left hand nose cone.

Yes -thats the end of a power steering ram - even more interesting.
David

Yes that tricycle front end is interesting. The I&T manual that I have(an authority on nothing, I know) includes them as if they are a factory Fordson part. Most knowledgable people refer to them as Roadless conversions. Did Fordson and Roadless both make them, or only Roadless?

Pete;
The common "rumor" is that Roadless made 50 of these tricycle kits - 49 fitted to tractors sold to the USA, and one in England.
Mervyn Spokes who worked for Gates of Baldock a Fordson/Ford dealer found a brand new kit and fitted it onto a Power Major he owned (also fitted a Lucas clockwork starter motor) in the late 1960's / early 70's and this tractor is still owned by a collector somewhere in the south or east of England.
Contact John Bownes Ltd in Cheshire, they recently purchased the Roadless spares & records, and may have something in their files.
David

Seem to remember seeing a trike for sale in the last couple of years but never seen one.
The power steering coupled with wheels in the centre would probably explain why friend Trevor said it was a pig to handle particularly in top gear!
I got the impression that the tractors went to the farm direct from Ford but would Roadless have sent the conversion to Dagenham?