Sparts conglomerated tractor thread, now with added Massey Ferguson 50b loader!

[spartacus]

Not going far but it might take a while, the vehicle is 1951, top speed is 12.5mph and it's grey.

I'm sure that'll give it away pretty quick.

https://i.imgur.com/4YSO5pz.jpg

Me, Mrs Spart and my two girls, on the way.

[BL Bloke]

Would I be right in saying that the rear wheels are larger than the front?

[Saabnut]

TVO or Derv?

[LightBulbFun]

a 1950s Electric invalid carriage?

[spartacus]

Bl Bloke, yes, Saabnut, petrol right now but TVO normally.

Soz LBF!

[spartacus]

At the vendors place, bonus chod in the background!

https://i.imgur.com/EmEQsWF.jpg

[spartacus]

Dunno why my pics aren't working though.

[gadgetgricey]

1 hour ago, spartacus said:

At the vendors place, bonus chod in the background!

 

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, spartacus said:

At the vendors place, bonus chod in the background!

https://i.imgur.com/EmEQsWF.jpg

has a hand throttle like an invalid carriage, good enough for me!

[The Moog]

At the vendors place, bonus chod in the background!
https://i.imgur.com/EmEQsWF.jpg

They look thrilled* with the purchase!

[spartacus]

Mrs Spart, far right in the pic, was the main protagonist in this, she wants the tractor to move stuff like hay and horse shit around, after the drive home we all had a massive smile.:-)

[spartacus]

Here I am driving it for the first time in the vendors paddock.

[Matty]

Please tell us you went on the bus and all of you are going home on the tractor. True autoshite ?

[The Moog]

I will happily pay your entry fee to the next autotest in that baby!

[anonymous user]

I learned to drive on one of those (some say it shows) Once I had the hang of the little grey Fergie I was upgraded to the red 35 with its high/low ratio. I wish we had kept one.

[bangernomics]

Amazing purchase I am well jell.

[spartacus]

Oor lass, driving on the way home...

And the view when I took over driving duties, taken with a dash cam, obvs.

It must be 20 years since I've driven a tractor and never on the road but it's pretty simple and at a max of 12mph not much can go wrong. It drives surprising well for a near 70 year old agricultural vehicle, my LDV Convoy has more slop in the steering than this.

It's scruffy but starts and goes OK, although when we got it back I couldn't get it to turn over on the starter solenoid, I had to put the jump lead straight to the starter motor, it fired right up then, so it can't be too tricky to fix! It's a spark ignition engine that starts on petrol, then once warm runs on TVO, or tractor vaporising oil, it's difficult to buy these days but relatively easily made using kerosene and petrol. Obviously using a duty-less fuel on the road gets HMRC all excited and wet, so I drove it back on petrol, there's no TVO in the tank so at some point I'll have to don my petro-chemical engineers hat and mix some up.

We got plenty of friendly waves on the way home and even other road users didn't seem to mind being held up by an old tractor!

It's fully legit too, I even put it on my trade policy!

@Matty, sorry, but no! I did consider giving each of my girls a ride on it, like you used to see back in the day but the footboard on one side has rusted completely away and isn't very sound on the other. One I've reinstated those then a trip to Retford Morrisons, about 7 miles, is on the cards.

[Saabnut]

Careful, it is (and always has been) illegal to carry passengerson the road unless an approved seat is fitted (not possible on old tractors as passenger seats were never approved). The difference is in the old days plod did not care, in todays society it is an easy nick with the bonus of "protecting the kids". It will also invalidate your insurance.

[spartacus]

Good point SN, maybe the local shop is a more realistic target!

Morrisons can be just me, on a warm summer evening with a cigar and mug of tea!

[LightBulbFun]

Lovely stuff, even more so that its being bought to actually be used 

I do like me an old tractor, also loving the AEC number plate

theres not a local drive through you can roll into with it is there?

(dont think iv heard of TVO before, will have to do some googling at some point, I have heard of tractors that started on petrol but ran on diesel)

given how London traffic is never more then 3Mph, I wonder how well one would do as a city car LOL!

[spartacus]

? good call on the drive through LBF, there is, not too far away, if I ever get out there I'll be sure to take some pics.

[Six-cylinder]

I have ours on Classic car insurance, fine for rushing along A roads but not covered for agricultural use!

[lesapandre]

I have one. Still cheap for what they are IMHO. Now you can collect all the attachments - mower, circular saw, hedger etc. Oh and get a Standard Vanguard to go with it - roughly the sameish engine. Lovely thing. 

[anonymous user]

There's something about a lady on a tractor, I really hope that you had the Wurzels playing on loop in your head on the way home.

[spartacus]

No Wurzels, but I know what you mean about the lady on a tractor thing. I've been looking forward to this.;-)

[5speedracer]

Careful, it is (and always has been) illegal to carry passengerson the road unless an approved seat is fitted (not possible on old tractors as passenger seats were never approved). The difference is in the old days plod did not care, in todays society it is an easy nick with the bonus of "protecting the kids". It will also invalidate your insurance.

Used to stand on the 3 point linkage, felt safer.

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

[dollywobbler]

11 hours ago, Saabnut said:

Careful, it is (and always has been) illegal to carry passengers on the road unless an approved seat is fitted (not possible on old tractors as passenger seats were never approved). The difference is in the old days plod did not care, in todays society it is an easy nick with the bonus of "protecting the kids". It will also invalidate your insurance.

Yeah, tell that to these people...

[Saabnut]

In that last picture they are in a "transport box" not riding on the tractor that opens up a whole heap of different legislation! I seem to remember it must have a min of 18" sides and the "contents" must be secure, so hand grab rails would probably do. In reality, if plod thinks it looks safe(ish) they will probably leave you alone rather than get embroiled in legislation they are not fully conversant with and is a bit of a grey area.

[RRT22R]

I've had my 1950 TE-A20 (straight petrol) for a few years now. I was out on it at the weekend terrifying the locals at 11mph.

With regard to the starting issue; just pop the starter solenoid off, give it a clean and check the spring. Don't drop the pin or the actuating lever into the gearbox when you take it off...

Enjoy!

 

[colnerov]

Hi, I suppose passengers could be carried in exceptional circumstances. -

Colin