The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Just purchased a 1955 Fordson New Major Diesel. I know it has been operated in the last 10-15 years, still has fuel and oil and some coolant. My initial thought is to drain all fluids and replace, as well as any filters before trying to start. Is that a good approach? Has maybe a gallon or two of old diesel in the tank. No obvious signs of any fluid leaks underneath. Any other suggestions that will save a lot of headaches later?
I'm in Northern MN, USA, so planning on using 10W-30 oil throughout.

New fluids and filters all around is a pretty good start. If the old fluids look okay it probably wouldn't hurt to top them up and coax the tractor alive first to see what the overall shape is.

The old diesel, if it doesn't look too scummy, can probably be filtered and diluted with fresh stuff. Diesel doesn't really go skunky and unburnable like gasoline.

Other points to check would be the front wheel bearings, steering linkage, steering gearbox and the brakes. The steering gearbox has a seperate oil reservoir and probably hasn't been looked at for decades.

Hi,
Before cranking, make sure the engine is free. Try rotating it with the fan.

Thanks for the tips! The engine oil is very black, the transfer case oil has a little water contamination, and I'll have to check on the other things recommended. There's only about a gallon or so of diesel in the tank, but it looks clean, I've not found any signs of rust. Is there an air filter, and if so what type is it?

The air filter will be an oil bath type, located next to the battery in front of the fuel tank. Whatever you use in the engine is sufficient for the air filter.

Some water contamination in the transmission is normal for old tractors due to their large, cavernous housings. Be aware that the transmission reservoir is seperate from the rear axle.

I haven't found a separate spec listed for oil capacity for the rear axle, just the 22 quarts listed for the transmission. Is it included, two different reservoirs, or is the data missing online?

Here's a link to the capacities: http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... .php?t=827

The filler cap for the transmission is on the side next to the clutch pedal, while the filler for the rear axle is behind the seat. There is a dipstick in front of the main gearshift that indicates the level of the rear axle.

The transmission level is pretty much set to the lower edge of the filler cap.

If you are showing oil leaking from the rear wheel trumpets and soaking the wheel hubs, the seal between gearbox and back end is leaking and most of what goes in the front moves to the back and overfills it Easy way to return it is to put a hose on the trailer pipe connector lead it to the gearbox filler and gently operate the lift lever until it is refilled

Full disclosure, I am a complete novice, only getting into this because we just couldn't let the tractor leave the family. This was my father-in-law's pride and joy, and I just have to see it up and running again. I've been looking on-line at filters, but I'm unsure of what are the correct part numbers I should be buying/using for oil, fuel, and air (am I missing any?). I tried talking to a Ford Implement here, but they spent most of the time trying to understand "Fordson" vs. Ford. Not a real confidence builder.
Does anyone have a list of filters and part numbers for my 1955 Fordson Major Diesel, please?

Excluding attachments like loaders or backhoes, there were originally only two filters on the entire machine: engine oil and fuel.

Napa 1193 is the engine oil filter.

Napa 3194 is the fuel filter.

The air filter is an oil bath and does not need a filter, as the oil is the filter medium. To clean the air filter you change the oil in the filter.

There is an intake screen and a pair of magnets on the rear axle for the rear hitch hydraulics. The screen is accessed by removing a round cover that also holds the drain plug. The magnets are on a pair of bolts beside this cover.

Thank you so much for all your help! I hope to have the Major up and running soon!

Engine still turns over, plenty of compression. Napa had filters in stock within a day's delivery. Making good progress. Will be trying to start the tractor soon to confirm it's in good enough shape to continue investing. I've not figured out how to add photos to this post, otherwise I would add some pictures of the current state.

Principle for showing photo's are in this topic http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=7&t=5024

You may need to use a different service to Photobucket as they started to charge silly money to host.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?source= ... sj3IdQX1PI

Lists numerous services available - Fordson Tractor Pages have no facility for hosting pictures hence trhe need to link to an external service

Hope that helps you some.............

Trying Flickr: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/164596818 ... 8143707472]. Let me know if that site is accessible.

You need so called tags in front and back, instead of the [ and ]. Use [img]in%20front%20and[/img] after and it will epear.

Link in the image function does not seem to work, so just posted the link to my album. Let me know if that's OK.

That works for me ! Looks well worth saving. Dave

Thats a large chimney and chear on it. And beautifull raindrop rust.
But it seems to be complete and not in a very bad shape.

Thanks! It was a mildly foggy morning with a very heavy dew when I took those pictures. Tool box is starting to rust through, one fender has a broken mount, and needs a new seat and steering wheel. Hopefully by mid to late October I'll have pictures driving it around the farm.