Fordson Conversion

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:24 pm

Wow, hard to believe that there is a Fordson Major under all that.

How about a photo from the rear?

Dandy Dave!

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:53 pm

I agree Dave! I would have hated to have been the engineer of that project.

MAXPOWER · Post by **MAXPOWER** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:28 pm

"How about a photo from the rear? "

dandydave dontcha mean from the front!

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:34 pm

Sorry there was not a picture from the ''other'' end.
Is that a Major front cowl? Looks like a super or power instrument pod and it was apparently fitted with a shuttle gearbox.

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:29 pm

MAXPOWER wrote:"How about a photo from the rear? "

dandydave dontcha mean from the front!

Yeah,

I thought about that. But without it being in Farm Tractor form, it was hard to decide.

Dandy Dave!

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:24 pm

Well it could be from the side

EddieJ · Post by **EddieJ** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:05 am

Oooh a spot the Fordson competition.... cracking idea!

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:09 pm

Name this then?

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:44 am

If that photo shop head is who I think it is, "Tony Blair" then you could say he's knee deep in something really smelly, mucking out a barn. It's the Blairspreader!!!!

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:57 am

Mark wrote:If that photo shop head is who I think it is, "Tony Blair" then you could say he's knee deep in something really smelly, mucking out a barn. It's the Blairspreader!!!!

LOL....Obama would look good there also. But I am sure he could not operate it to save his (Beep).

Dandy Dave!

The Swanndri Guy · Post by **The Swanndri Guy** » Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:45 am

Hey "essex pete",is your picture meant to be "ironic" or a "metaphor"?

I see the muckspreader is a "Duo", so where is "Tonys" friend?

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:31 am

The Swanndri Guy wrote:Hey "essex pete",is your picture meant to be "ironic" or a "metaphor"? I see the muckspreader is a "Duo", so where is "Tonys" friend?

In truth the picture came to me by request from a farmer still using the ........? He did not want his face on the photo so I added another.
The iconic part to me is the machine and yes it ought to have made a good metaphor for Blair recently but as always he seems to be slippery enough not to have the muck stick.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:28 am

TSG,

That's a good one. It would look better if he was sitting in "W's" lap.

The Swanndri Guy · Post by **The Swanndri Guy** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 7:00 am

essex pete, out of curiosity, what exactly is the "Bob the Builder" loader and what tractor is used to drive the muckspreader?(Most farmers down here normally have a 70 to100hp tractor with a front end loader rather than a specialist loader/excavator.)Cheers TSG.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:03 pm

The Loader is a late 50s Chaseside Loadmaster 700 built on the Power Major skid. This was an updated version of Chaseside's first hydraulic shovel which was a little late in arriving in 1955.

Chaseside became bogged down with financial woes in the early sixties and were bought by Northrop. A completely new shovel range was launched and this continued into the early 70s by which time they were badged JCB after a buyout in the late 60s.

The machine does not belong to me but the photo was posted on the Brit Farming Forum at my request. Not sure what they would use on the spreader which looks like around 10t capacity. The power would be dependant on slopes and gradients and would be in excess of 125hp and no doubt more!

The Swanndri Guy · Post by **The Swanndri Guy** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:46 am

essex pete, great explanation

Cheers TSG.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:56 am

This was sent by an ex Weatherill service man, John Tutt.
I think they may have been Chaseside publicity shots. You can imagine how dated the rope shovel was by this time.

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:41 pm

When Men were Men....and those who wern't, knew their place.....

Note that the rear tire is on backward.

Looks like a pile of silage he is digging in. Very Cool old photo. Thanks for sharing

Dandy Dave!

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:03 pm

Some more pictures lifted from the net:

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:09 am

Man! That things looks rough. I'd hate to work that in the fields all day. I'd like to see that thing operate on you tube, you don't have a video do you Pete?

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:00 am

Sorry I have not seen a video, remember watching one work years ago and it did look strange. Howard had a works not far from me here in Essex UK.

I found this picture of one that described as in good working order sold by the auctioneers Cheffins in late 2008 for £2000. I note the track set up is different to the first one. Perhaps a later version?

The Swanndri Guy · Post by **The Swanndri Guy** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:55 am

Hey "essex pete" would they both be Howard trenchers? And did Howard make a reduction gearbox similar to what you could get for the Dexta's for the Majors too?Cheers TSG.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:55 pm

Brian will clarify no doubt but I think you can see the reduction box in the last photo. You can see the extra lever and transmission flange. I am not sure but the reduction box may have been designed initially for use with one of Howard's own conversions like the trencher. Presumably one of the main advantages over simply gear reduction was the making of more useable gears.

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Fri May 21, 2010 10:33 pm

Another unusual and probably farm built conversion.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fordson-Major-For ... 2a0747d641