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Dead drive Super Major
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:42 pm
by John b
The Super Major i dragged out of a hedge a while ago has a single stage clutch, the high/low box lever is up for low and down for high. Can anyone tell me (Sandy will probably know) were many Supers build with dead drive? I always assumed that all Super Majors were live drive but obviously i was wrong!
Re: Dead drive Super Major
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:41 pm
by shepp
I doubt that any figures will be available from any source as to live drive and non live drive production, and there was no distinction in the serial numbering system unlike DB which had e.g. 990A and 990B prefixes for live drive and non live drive models.
However I would guess that quite a few non live drive models were ordered, even at the time of the Super Major some farmers were very careful with their money and did not see the point in spending an extra £30 or so for a live drive clutch on their new tractor. A farm nearby had a new non live drive Major in March 1958 and then a new non live drive Power Major in 1959, they were VERY careful with their money and even more so after selling their land for big money for a housing development !!
Re: Dead drive Super Major
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:55 pm
by John b
Thanks Shepp, that makes sense. My Grandad always said the local farmer could count the change in his back pocket by sitting down, and that he would wake up at night to see if he'd lost any sleep!
Re: Dead drive Super Major
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:03 am
by Billy26F5
Then you also have farmers using their tractors hard, they would go for a heavy duty clutch, which was never one with an aluminium cover. The dual clutch was initially sold as heavy duty, but when it failed far too often in heavy conditions the old thick 11" clutch would reappear until the 13" clutch was introduced. I've never known of any figures, although Ford might have some in its own records.
Sandy
Re: Dead drive Super Major
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 12:32 pm
by fenhayman
I bought a Super Major from Cheffins sale in Cambridgeshire assuming that they were all live drive. Discovered that mine wasn't. Needed different driving styles when using pick up baler and topper. For baler, to slow down forward movement, accelerate, shut throttle, clutchless change down and opposite for speeding up. With topper begin to stop ten yards short of hedge or ditch.