The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Ive been without a tachometer for quite some years and i wish to change that. the marinized major engine in my boat has the AC unit, the longest tachometer cable i am able to find (part number 5267) is 1450mm. from where the AC drive unit is situated to where the helm/dash is, i would need minimum 1800mm (a little extra would even be better) to make the installation function, in terms of ease of view, water proofing and practicality.
does the hive mind have any clever solutions to this problem?
cheers in advance
Chris

If you don`t get any luck with the usual retailers it might be worth visiting someone who restores or maintains British motor bikes as long as your sure about the size of the end fittings. They usually make up their own cables and the thread sizes won`t frighten them off.

I assume you mean Agriline 5267, which is part no. E1ADDN-17365A, for all tachometers using the Power Major dash and the AC or later Smiths angle drive unit, no specs as to whether it's an AC or Smiths tachometer. Power Major's with an early Smiths drive unit (used till March 60) use E1ADDN-17365B. A pic of the tachometer would be great to confirm what you have, as different tachometers need different cables and angle drives (or the mounting on the minimec as used on later Super Major's), as would be some of the engine including the serial number and casting codes.There aren't many Major powered boats on here but there are a few. Having had a quick look I found this one, but I'm not totally sure that it's right without actually seeing what you have: https://histoparts.com/fm4022___tachoca ... catid=1902
I seem to remember one 2m long being sold a while ago, but I might be cofusing it with some stop cables that are (or were) also around.
Sandy

Lots of info here https://www.speedycables.com/speedometer-cables/

Superb find Emiel, we might get stuff from them too.
Sandy

some amazing info here! thanks guys! looks as though speedy cables are going to be the perfect solution.
Currently i dont have a tachometer to install, and the original fordson model tachometer is not exactly the right match for marine purposes as it is very tractor orientated. Will talk with speedy cables to find the right solution, chances are they might have something laying around collecting dust that would better suit my needs.

On a side note, Sandy, i trawled through this forum at length before posing my question and noticed you pop up everywhere loaded with an incredible wealth of knowledge on all things fordson. So i was very happy to see you reply to my thread. Theres something else i would love your help with.

In the past, i have tried to more thoroughly identify my engine to a specific model, to no avail. It has been marinized, sometime long ago in its life, and according to a classic marine engine specialist, who did have some knowledge on fordsons, it has over time become a mixed bag, with some uncommon parts from the norm of the companies that typically marinized them, which made it more difficult for him to assist me. All i know is that it is a fordson major 4 cylinder, he suspected it was a 4D

The main serial badge has been replaced by a number, most likely put there by Ebro, which was the main complication. I would love to have more detailed, concrete information on its make, model and year number so that i can track down more specific information and manuals directly relating to it. Ill attatch some photos and would be so grateful if youd take a look

I don't know if you've posted the pics yet but if you have I can't see them. I recommend you see this: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5024&p=53955#p53955
Sandy

included are all numbers i could find on the engine plus a couple not so close up pictures. let me know if you need anything else to make it easier

This confirms it's an Ebro engine. I reckon the block is an earlier casting (20·6·63) not sure if it's a stock casting or a reused block. The head is 18·6·74, so both of them are June, but nearly 9 years appart. The engine number (under injector no. 1, 186960 I would say) fits the period nicely, as should the serial number from the intital digit (4xx3981), unfortunately the crucial second and third digits aren't visible because of the fuel pipe but they should tell us what this is. A view of the RH rear mounting flange, injector pump type, sump and the LH side would be great too, as the sump can be very good for telling the origin of the engine. I can't yet tell you what combination of parts you should be looking for in general (need the pump type for that), but most are the same as an NP Super Major.
Mathias has an Ebro engine that came with his NP Super Major, he might have similar parts but I can't remember what numbers his one had (but I think they were pretty close). From 1958 Ebro stamped the serial number under injector no. 1 and the engine number under injector no. 4 but in the early 1970s (not sure about the year as it could be to do with the D or E tractors or the E series lorries) they swapped the positions of the two numbers. Tractors also have the serial number stamped where Ford put the crown wheel and pinion ratios (just in front of the gear lever on the flange of the rear axle casting). I can't yet say what they did between 55 and 58, but the Ford serial number was definitely kept.
Sandy

no tacho on my tractor with ebro engine. my engine number is *180924*
You need to know the nut sizes probably 5/8" on both sides?
There are cables that go to 1,75meter. Maybe you can move the tacho a bit closer to the engine?

Thanks very much Mathias, I would say that's early 74 but not easy to tell with what I know about Ebro at the moment.
Do you have the exhauster type pump? If not you could have used the normal minimec unit. Do you have the number under injector no. 4 and casting codes too (Chris' pics show their locations)? Sorry about all this but there is very little information on Ebro serial numbers and I'm trying to get a better idea of what they did when so we can then have the Ebro's with similar information to what we have for Major's, they are after all, yet another variation of the Major, and over 200000 engines were eventually made.
Sandy

Billy26F5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 23, 2023 10:59 am

Thanks very much Mathias, I would say that's early 74 but not easy to tell with what I know about Ebro at the moment.
Do you have the exhauster type pump? If not you could have used the normal minimec unit. Do you have the number under injector no. 4 and casting codes too (Chris' pics show their locations)? Sorry about all this but there is very little information on Ebro serial numbers and I'm trying to get a better idea of what they did when so we can then have the Ebro's with similar information to what we have for Major's, they are after all, yet another variation of the Major, and over 200000 engines were eventually made.
Sandy

I will look for the pictures Sandy. I hope to replace that engine in the future for a rebuild engine.
The fuel lift pump is mounted on the injection pump. The back of the injection pump might had an air compressor in the past.

Thanks very much again Mathias. It'll be interesting to see what kind of injector pump you've got, as well as the usual P4596, Ebro used the P4630/A on the Ebro 160, and both Ford and Ebro would have used slightly different pumps in the lorries (all of the lorry ones being the exhauster type).
Sandy

Thanks very much Mathias. I think this could be a lorry engine, the pump is certainly not a normal tractor one, and it seems to have the front cover of the exhauster (a later type that Ebro introduced on the D lorries in 1968). Unfortunately I can't quite see the casting codes, the head is 23 January but I can't see the year (probably 74, in the same location as Chris' one) and the block is hidden by the manifold. You seem to have several Ford parts from this tractor's previous engine on this one, which is unusual. The number under injector no. 4 would tell us for sure what this engine was first fitted to.
Sandy