posted July 20, 2004 08:12               

Serial number : ( can be found on 2 places )
On the clutch housing, on top of the starter (left side of the tractor) and on the engine above the fuel injection pump just above a cover plate. On both locations the indicated (stamped) number is : 1246176.

Fuel injection Pump :
SIMMS with mechanical governor P4596
and a code identified as : DM11448

Casting codes I found :
Engine : 6D50G J3167
Gear box : E1ADKN-7222 N19H
Lift top cover : E1ADDN M17H

Can somebody help me dating this tractor ?

Regards
Jos

posted July 20, 2004 12:05               

According to the listings on the mainsite, the H in the castingcodes of lift and gear box means 1962. This wil go OK with the vacuum governor on the injection pump. I'll check this at home tonight, when the mechanical governed pump was introduced.

posted July 20, 2004 12:34               

The casting codes give 1962 but I would suspect the engine to be about 1952 to 1953. Henrietta is 123... and she is September 1952 and the number was not stamped on the flange after 1954. This means you ahve a Fordson "Bitsa". (Bits of this and bits of that.)

kind regards

posted July 20, 2004 13:15               

Remaining 2 items open :

There is however a DECOMPRESSION on the engine , so could this have been installed afterwards ?

And the serial number I can find on top of the clutch housing above the starter. I'll check the number again, but it is the same as on the engine, so there I also find that very old number , eventough that housing was not produced before 1962 .

But does have some nice 16.9/14 x 30 rear wheels. Looks Cool

Jos

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian:
Jos,
.......This means you have a Fordson "Bitsa". (Bits of this and bits of that.)

---

posted July 20, 2004 16:34               

The decompressor dates it as a very early engine if it is in the head. If on the valve cover it could have been retro fitted but most likely ordered from new or possibly export spec. My wife has tidied the office so I can't find my serial numbers book at the moment.

The number behind the starter is stamped on the engine half of the flange not the clutch side normally. The engine was the only part that carried the number as it was classed as engine/serial number. Thats why the casting codes are important.

You should find casting codes on the block above the dynamo and on the head top surface near the manifold.

The manifold ports should not be in line but you may find that someone has put a later head on the engine if you also have a minimec pump.

Sounds like a right muckup!!

posted July 20, 2004 16:54               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian:

Sounds like a right muckup!!
Brian

---

posted July 20, 2004 18:52               

Sorry, but I misread your posting, about the fuel pump. It is mechanically governed indeed. Further all the details given by Brian should help you dating the tractor and engine.

About the serial number near the starter: Do you mean is is punched into the clutch house casting or in the engine casting?

The original serial number is normailly also punched into a plate on the wall between batterie and engine. This should you help dating the tractor, except the non original engine.

The serial number your engine has is from 12/52 or 01/53, according to A Condie
Regards Emiel

posted July 20, 2004 20:22               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Emiel:
Hi Jos,

Sorry, but I misread your posting, about the fuel pump. It is mechanically governed indeed. Further all the details given by Brian should help you dating the tractor and engine.

About the serial number near the starter: Do you mean is is punched into the clutch house casting or in the engine casting?

The original serial number is normailly also punched into a plate on the wall between batterie and engine. This should you help dating the tractor, except the non original engine.

The serial number your engine has is from 12/52 or 01/53, according to A Condie
Regards Emiel

[This message has been edited by Emiel (edited July 20, 2004).]

---

Does it have disc brakes, or drum brakes,and is diff lock available?

posted July 22, 2004 08:05               

Yes, Diff Lock is available.

For the rest, the engine is running like new, starts even better than my car, brakes are perfect. As there is a fully hydraulic frontloader installed, it does have major clearance on the front-axle. There are no lights anymore.

quote:

---

Originally posted by josvella:
Does it have disc brakes, or drum brakes,and is diff lock available?

---

posted July 23, 2004 01:12               

Also the rules for engine number placment are not always true. My November 1962 has its number near the starter motor. Some rules are just made to be broken.

Steven B

posted July 23, 2004 11:37               

The frontloader has been "drastically modified" and a lot of supports were welded on the chassis.

I still have to re-check the casting codes on the engine for better dating the engine.

Jos

quote:

---

Originally posted by Steven B:
That tractor sounds legit to me, not a bitsa. I would go have another look if I was you. Late Super with loader is very desirable in my eyes.

Steven B

---

posted July 23, 2004 17:50               

There could also be a couple of things that may have happened. Could you have missed an "S" on the serial number? This would make it an industrial engine that had been fitted and the numbers would then not line up with the tractor date.

The other thing is the block itself. When we fitted a new block to an old engine we would use the old numbers.

So you could get a Super block in a 1952 tractor but we normally would have fitted the old things like head, pump, etc to it. Check the decompressor. If it is in the head at the rear it is the old type and this would agree with the number you quote. If it is in the valve cover at the front then it is the later type. Look at the fuel lift pump. If it is a small metal pump fitted close to the side of the block it is a Super type. If it has a glass bowl on the top it will be the old Major type.

Check for codes on the head behind the manifold and behind the dynamo.

If it has no breather on the timing cover (like a little air cleaner on the right of the engine near the fuel pump) it is an old engine. If it has a breather it could be a Super.

Is the fan belt wide or narrow?

Are the ports on the manifold in a straight line or is the inlet higher than the exhaust?

Is there a little pipe between the valve cover and inlet manifold? There was on the old engine.

regards

posted July 26, 2004 08:55               

The serial number on the injector pump side has no S , but I'll check again the number on the engine at the starter-location. (yes, the number is on the engine and not on the transmission housing).

The castings of the rear transmission are 1962 so your statement doe not make any sence "So you could get a Super block in a 1952 tractor but we normally would have fitted the old things like head, pump, etc to it......."

The decompressor is in the valve cover at the front.

The fuel lift pump is a small metal pump fitted close to the side of the block. It has no glass bowl on the top it.

TO DO : "Check for codes on the head behind the manifold and behind the dynamo."

It does have a small breather on the timing cover (like a little air cleaner on the right of the engine near the fuel pump).

TO CHECK : "Is the fan belt wide or narrow?"

TO CHECK :"Are the ports on the manifold in a straight line or is the inlet higher than the exhaust?"

TO CHECK "Is there a little pipe between the valve cover and inlet manifold? There was on the old engine."

posted July 26, 2004 09:40               

Industrial engines were different specs to the tractor engne. They were built for combines, generators etc. They had things like old versions of the mechanical governed pump which was a huge thing.

Because they were not fitted to anything specific by Ford they did not have a common engine number so mainly the numbers started with an "S".

If someone had had a block problem on a 1953 Major (as your number dates it), they may have fitted a new block. All the bits such as head, crank etc. would have been changed over and the old number stamped on the block. Suppose then that the old girl had finally worn out. Someone could then have fitted the engine to a later tractor and moved some of the parts from that onto the engine from the earlier tractor if you see what I mean.

Or the whole engine could have been replaced in an earlier tractor. This was rare and only occured in the late 1960's (as far as I am aware), when engines became available from EDBRO in Spain who took the whole Super production line from Dagenham and started building re badged Supers. Some dealers bought engines complete from them to keep Supers' going as the parts dried up.

At some time the engine must have been in an earlier tractor because of the number.

From what you describe, it sounds more like a Super engine with the breather and the decompressor. It just shows the need for casting codes as the ones from the engine would give a truer idea of what has gone on in the life of that tractor.

regards