The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

AdrianNPMajor wrote:Thanks, Mathias.
Best, Adrian.

I have it scanned, though i cannot upload a pdf on the board or wiki

Many thanks for trying, Mathias.
Wonder if Rick or others can advise.
Best, Adrian.

I would fully agree with you Rick, it does look nice loamy soil, which makes the job a little easier, and it's dry, flat fields - but the plough looks well set-up, the tractor looks comfortable pulling the plough at a decent depth, and everything is buried. Two priorities of mine - bury the weeds/seeds completely, and have no compaction to rooting depth

On the subject of hobbyist ploughmen.. I was ploughing a field beside the road when 2 old guys stopped in a car, one of them asked if he could bring his 'new' tractor and plough so he could try it out in my field? I said, yes of course, and went home for my camera



The guy was delighted and so was I, his plough (a single-furrow Sellar) poished up nicely, he did an acre or so, wouldn't accept any diesel and in fact called back later with a bottle of whisky for me
I would welcome anyone else who wanted to come plough a bit - and no need to bring whisky either

Great photo, Bob. Lovely Nuffield too.
That's a sizeable field. What tractor/plough combination would you typically use on this field?
The field in my latest photos is the easiest going I have encountered. The Major sails along in fourth gear at 1400 rpm. Last year one of the fields was so tough and dry that I often had to engage third gear.
I'm learning new aspects of ploughing in this field. For instance, it is possible to go too fast. The skimmer/mouldboard relationship is upset if forward progress happens too quickly - you don't get such a clean finish. Also, when you encounter compacted soil in a tramline, the plough has a tendency to rise up and over the hard spot rather than bite through it if you are going too fast.
It's mesmeric looking back as the plough does its work. The skimmer peels off the top inch or so and dumps the trash into the furrow ahead of the mouldboard, which folds the soil on top of the trash and seals the turned furrow.
All in all, a very satisfying process.
Best, Adrian.

The field is 11 acres, 'L' shaped, the short piece on the right is what the guy finished off.

I had ploughed the rest with a Leyland 344 (55 horsepower, although a lot of the horses have asthma) and a plough exactly like yours, although with no discs, only skims - incidentally I don't think you really need discs on your soil/conditions, you could save a bit of weight if you wanted, by taking yours off?

Having a chassis frame, the Leyland doesn't need any added weights on the front with that plough.

I was trying to remember how I ploughed when I had a Major, which I used with a 2-furrow MF plough, and yes I think it was 4th gear too, although with not many revs as we had big boulders in the soil, and I would rather stall the tractor than break something

This is some rough overgrown pasture I was trying to reclaim - at the time I didn't have a rotavator and it took a lot of discing to get it kinda level -



(probably 3rd or even 2nd gear here, and skims removed completely to reduce choking with long grass, rushes etc)

And yes I still find it mesmeric watching a plough too - this is what I use on the farm where I work, I think 16" furrows/roughly 10 feet per pass/up to 6mph/ 5 acres per hour/ 190hp tractor in front of it:


Although somehow, it is easier to choke among long grass than my old Ransomes

Thanks for the info and pictures, Bob.
Choking (just learned a new term) is an occasional issue with the 102. Usually happens on headlands where the grass has grown thick and long, or where there is a dump of straw from the combine.
The discs may not be necessary for the work I'm doing, but I love watching them do their work. They cut through any trash and leave a lovely clean edge on heavy land, though not so much on the latest field I'm working on.
I've never been up close to a Leyland 344. It looks well made. Have you still got it?
The rough pasture was certainly a challenge. I would like to have spectated to see how everything works under such conditions.
Going back to watching the soil being turned, it really is a mind-calming experience. I have a feeling that it taps into something elemental in the human spirit, stone age farmers and all that. I also love the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts. No mobile phone ring is going to penetrate the bark of a Ford 4D!
Thanks again.
Adrian

ISTR the WIKI was not updateable and only re appeared as frozen info (now without any Photo-muck-gits stored images )

Not sure if a file could be stored there, I have used 'Dropbox' for file posting / transfer in the past, no charge and secure.

https://www.dropbox.com/?cctld=&landing ... r_team_exp

You can either make a file or folder publicly available or restrict access to individuals.

HTH

If it is not too big a pdf you might send as an email attachment I know different internet providers have different file size limits which is a pain.

AdrianNPMajor wrote:Many thanks for trying, Mathias.
Wonder if Rick or others can advise.
Best, Adrian.

Adrian,

Here you can download the file:
http://www.datafilehost.com/d/db2622de

Adrian, soil turning in the furrow, water over a weir, grain down a hopper all mesmerising and / or relaxing to me - probably some ancient genetic thing from the days before instinct was over ridden by intellect

Thank you so much, Mathias. Very kind. Could I just say that I admire your command of the English language.
Rick, couldn't agree more. Some experiences cut through.
Best, Adrian.

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If I may, gentlemen.
Ricky, just to add to your list of 'pleasures'.
The birds getting a good feed from the exposed furrow.
And as my boss drummed into me as a 15 year old -- ' Stop wasting time; the quickest way from one side of a field to the other is a straight line'
And pride, as well as pleasure, was satisfied when doing so on an undulating hillside.

Pavel

Yes thats a nice one Pavel

Given the size of some Australian & Canadian fields he praps ought to have told you the shortest distance was a Great Circle

Any Brian & Ann sightings your way yet ??

It's quite possible, Ricky, that Brian and Anne didn't even overfly West Aus. on their way to Melbourne if one of their stops was, say, in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Perth would add a few extra thousand Ks.
A great circle? The mind boggles at having to plough a straight line from one side of Britain to the other.

Pavel

We came in from Dubai so crossed the coast just below Perth then over the Great Australian Bight, waving to all my relations as we passed Adelaide on the way to Melbourne.

Will report on other thread later but we have spent the last couple of days on the Deniliquin show ground helping to set up the huge stand. As we drove into the site I saw three Ford items that I had never seen before, a Ford Model "T" tractor with steel wheels, a Ford baler and a Ford Disc plough. I also met the E27N that left J, J, Wright and Sons many years ago, (it said it was pleased to hear a Norfolk accent after all these years), and the owner. A Malcolm Moore grader drove in with the sweetest sounding E27N P6 I have heard for a long time.

A few last images taken today.
Finishing one of the numerous headlands on this field.
Unearthed a wasps' nest on this headland. Didn't know that wasps nested underground. Sorry to rock their world.
Best, Adrian.

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A few images of PJE 243 on her way to coming alive again.
Best, Adrian.

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Two more images looking back.
Best, Adrian.

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nice pictures Adrian
did you also do an engine overhaul? I would love to see some pictures of it. Or maybe the hydraulic settings.

Hi Mathias
Yes, I did a full engine overhaul. I'm beginning to repost some photos because the ones posted earlier have disappeared courtesy of photo*ucket.
I'll repost some engine rebuild photos.
Re the hydraulics settings, I asked a former Fordson fitter to adjust the springs/linkages, so I'm not the best person to ask, though I do have full info thanks to my workshop manual.
Best, Adrian.

Hi Mathias
A few images of the engine rebuild.
Best, Adrian.

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So anyone did some ploughing lately?

I did: https://youtu.be/UEwPURQ8Xgo

Looks great Mathias.

Been practicing ploughing a few times for some matches. One was today but there were allready to much ploughers and the next one was on september first but has been moved to the eight. that date I have a job to do and it can't be moved. GRRRRRRRRRR.
So no more ploughing this year.

Been visiting the Europian Oldtimer ploughing match at Sint Truiden Belgium last week. Seen and learned a lot.

Excellent work, Mathias. Would be good to see more of the tractor.
Haven't ventured out into the field yet this year. Hope to do so next month.
Best, Adrian.

This has been an excellent thread, and a tonic when I get wound up about all the stupid in the world!

As we have other tractors ploughing, I'm attempting to attach a pic or two of a bit of ploughing in Western Canada.
My dad taught me to plough back home in Yorkshire, but hadn't used a trailed plough till we moved here.
Plough is an old Oliver 5 x 16" No skimmers but discs. Tractor is blue...... (Landini he whispers)

Frosty morn last year, first time 'round.

OK, so That didn't work!....... LOL..

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Image hoster is imgbb

That don't work either...back to drawing board!

Looks nice out there Richard, not too much time wasted on the headlands

(photo visible if you copy this bit https://preview.ibb.co/hHZyyU/DSCN1896.jpgurl

and paste in the browser address bar

people with posh phones are on their own............