ploughmyfield.com

Saturday 17th October 2009 saw the 118th Norton Ploughing Association plough match just south of Sheffield. Roy went along and was kind enough to send in some photo’s I was unable to attend as I was at Beamish.org.uk attending their ploughmatch on the Sunday.

Hi Tim

Norton match was very good the weather and ground superb. I spoke to Maurice Butcher he drove the Bedford lorry at WILSON & SON (Ferguson dealers in Sheffield) for 2 or 3 years in the late 1950′s he know Frank Wilson of course and Freddie Wilson. Freddie was the son of Frank. Kenneth Wilson was listed as a director of Wilsons in the 1950′s Kellys directories as was their  father Alfred E. Wilson.

Roy.

One of the competitors used this Ferguson TE-D20.  I think the grey item cable tied to the front is to attach a marker to line up on the first run. Getting the first run as straight as possible is one key parts to a good plough score all the other furrows are based on that first one. The Number plate of this tractor is very close to mine an age related plate I believe.

Here is the plough at the back of that tractor. A Ferguson 2 Furrow with front furrow adjuster. The most interesting thing about the picture I think is the inserted item. It looks like some sort of attachment to hold the implement up without engaging the hydraulics whilst moving between jobs. I don’t think it was a Ferguson item but I did see one of these for sale on eBay recently.

Another Ferguson 2 furrow plough. This one I’m not sure would be allowed into the Ferguson class as it has a couple of banned items fitted. 1. the adjustable top link. 2. A stabalizer bar fitted to the left lower link arm.

Checkout the rules of the Ferguson class (now officially recognised my the society of ploughmen) here if you do want to enter a Ferguson class and there is one available at your next plough match.

Ferguson Tractor & Ferguson Plough rules

This looks like an FE35 with a Ransome plough, probably entered into the Vintage Hydraulic class.

And finally the “get the job done” solution, this modern alternative to vintage ploughing. It just doesn’t look the same as a nice Ferguson and 2 furrow plough.

Tags: 2 Furrow plough, Ferguson, Norton, Plough.

Ploughmyfield.com gets a logo

To me there is nothing that represents Ferguson tractors better than the Ferguson spanner. Nearly all the bolts on the tractor and implements can be tightened or loosened using the double ended Ferguson spanner. Whilst ploughing the notches on the side indicate depth of furrow in Inches and on the other side millimetres.  So to me there was nothing other than to have a representation of the spanner as the logo for the website. I also like the idea that a spanner represents mechanical and it’s the mechanical repair and restoration of tractors that I am also trying to demonstrate with the site.

So the next step ploughmyfield.com t-shirts!

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For those of us in the northern hemisphere the nights are really starting to draw in. It’s dark by 7pm where I live. Now is the time of year when I start thinking about all those winter projects. I never seem to get any restoration work done in the summer there is always something else to do.  Throughout the summer there are so many country shows, tractor working days and plough  matches to distract you.  So now is the time to dream about a restored tractor immerging from the garage in the spring having spent the winter being fully restored. Somehow it never quite goes to plan and I end up completing less than half the jobs I intended to complete. I believe you have to have a plan or a list in place of the thinks you would like to achieve otherwise you get distracted from the jobs you have set out to accomplish.

• Re arrange the garage – I can’t get in to work at the moment
• Lighting Kit,
  Clean the side lights and paint.
  Source new cork packers top and bottom, grommits for bonnet, wire braid(black) Heat shrink. – Newark
  Finish the wiring loom and install it on the tractor.
  Complete a wiring loom for the back of the tractor.
• Finish Painting the tractor.
  This is a large task so splitting it down to smaller items might make it more manageable. It’s also more items to tick off when complete. Everyone likes crossing completed tasks off a list don’t they?
• Half shaft seals Replace.
• New mudguard skins + Paint.
• Steering box seals.
• Fill sand and paint the rear wheel centres.
• Shotblast, fill sand and paint the rear wheel rims.
  I also need new tyres for the back wheels these will have to be Goodyears 11.2×28 at the same time I should fit new inner tubes.
• Use the Ferguson jack I’ve bought. To do this I need to replace the new repro lower link arms I have bought with some original ones as the new ones are a different size and shape to the originals which means the connection for the jack doesn’t fit.
• Ferguson Link Box – Renovate, new skin, welding needed

I’m never going to get that lot done in a winter!

One distraction I have booked is the Newark Vintage tractor & Heratage show on the 7th -8th November at the Newark showground. By pre entering you save £2 on the ticket price. I’m going with Roy and after the show we will be going to have a look at his TE-D20 he bought earlier this year, the restoration progress of which has been documented on these pages

Great Picture.
Have you ever seen that picture of Harry Ferguson driving the Ferguson Tractor out of the Hotel in London? Originally the photo was taken at the time of the tractors launch. Great publicity shot. Well this picture isn’t that one. It is however just as fun. I’d love to have a go at this it looks a great challenge.

http://www.englishheritageimages.com/pictures_430568/st-etheldredas-church-hatfield-aa054112.html

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reborntractor.net trailer video (not 3ton trailer) available for you to take a look at. I must admit the presenter is a little easier on the eye than Harold Beer! I wonder when the DVD is going to be ready and how much it will cost?

Wheel Weight Purchase.

After a conversation with Colin Taylor he had the bright idea that I should be looking at collecting Ferguson accessories rather than implments. I barely have the room to store and work on my tractor let alone implements. I came across this ferguson front wheel weight with 4 bolt holes rather than the 3 bolt holes for the earlier front wheel weights and rims. So I’m on the lookout for another one. It should be cheeper to buy one rather than a pair. I’ll add it to my list of items to buy.

I can’t find any information about these weights anywhere. When where they introduced? Which models will they fit?  I know the earlier Ferguson wheels had only 3 bolt holes.  Anyone with information, advice?

Also Where can I get new bolts from the ends must be square to fit in the holes on the back. I’d like to use the weights in conjunction with my transport box to pick a bit more up in the box without the tractor front end lifting.

Lighting Wiring loom.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time recently trying to reproduce the wiring loom that came as part of the Joseph Lucas lighting kit. With the side lights I purchased I have one length of original wire which I have measured. I have then compared this against the wire in this picture.

I have then with the aid of a bit of string made a wire harness to test on the tractor.

BA Bolts

The 0BA bolts have arrived and they are very close to the originals. not exactly sure if they are the same as the originals seem to be worn.

(photo’s to follow)

Beamish Weekend + Vid
I spent a great weekend at Beamish where an agricultural weekend was held. A great FE35 and 3ton trailer in very original condition also two fordsons with very different specifications.

Using a TE-D20 to bale straw from the thresher.

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I hate to see metric bolts on my 50 year old Ferguson tractor. Nowhere in the TE-F20 parts list can I see anything that isn’t imperial sizes. To me the wrong bolt in the wrong place can kill the image of a nicely restored tractor. I’ve gone to great lengths to try to source like for like on all the bolts I have replaced on the tractor.  Recently I even got hold of a rusty old plough someone was discarding to source 12 X 1″1/16 A/F,  5/8″ UNF nuts for the wheel rim bolts. The modern 15/16″ A/F nuts cannot be undone with a Fergie spanner. So why the rant? well I’m having trouble sourcing a nut and bolt and it’s really bugging me. I need 8x  0BA X 1/2″ long round headed bolt. See the picture below.
Does anyone please know where I can get these from?

Why do I need them? This type of bolt came in the Lucas lighting kit and was used to fit the sidelight arms to the tractor bonnet. Can you help? Have you got some? Do you know a supplier? Please get in touch.

The elusive 0BA x 1/2″ long bolt and nut

Follow up to this plee, one of the readers Jerry Galvin has sent in this link to a company specialising in BA nuts and bolts over the internet. I’ve ordered some and I’ll keep you posted on there suitability. Thanks Jerry

Whilst on the subject of nuts just spend 5 minutes walking round you tractor before you start it up next time and see if all the bolts have nuts and are tightened up. Why do I say this? Because I found a nut missing from one of the bolts that holds the dynamo onto the engine bracket. What would have happened if it had vibrated itself out?

Loose bolt close up

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Paintwork DVD Release
After reading about the forthcoming release of a DVD on tractor painting in Classic Massey Magazine I contacted Old Pond Publishing to find out more information as I know painting tractors is a subject readers can’t get enough of.

Alan doing his stuff at Newark 2007

Vapormatic e-Newsletter
Be in with a chance of winning a cordless drill, sign up for the Vapormatic e-newsletter for a chance to win.

http://www.vapormatic.co.uk/subscribe

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Saturday saw the best Longshaw sheep dog trials to date. This year was the 111th and I believe this is the oldest sheep dog trial in the country if not ever.

I usually attend the Fell race on the Saturday and travel to the event on my tractor. I met a friend on the way whilst on one leg of the journey. Great picture this as Alan can’t drive!

I Parked up, folded in the side lights and placed over the tractor the newly acquired canvas cover. As you can see from the wheels the field was very muddy. Many of the cars opting to park on the road.

A lot of cars got stuck with the boggy conditions. I was asked to help pull them out!

I’m afraid I didn’t do very well. You can see in the photo above the right back wheel of the tractor slipping.
With a lack of tread on the tyre and no Dif lock I couldn’t shift this car. Much to the delight of all my running friends.

So in came a proper tractor.

great comment here from james.

A I can just imagine the thoughts running through my son’s head.

“So why can’t dad get one of these? The seats more comfortable, and it’s got a cab, and its got way more gears, and you can get cars out of the mud, and it’s got a stereo.”Yes Ollie but it won’t go in the garage!

On the up side, I had a fantastic drive out, I won a prize in the fell race for first runner  to finish who had arrived on a tractor. I was the only one!
I also provided a bit of entertainment for all my running friends. I don’t know how I’m going to top this next year.

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I couldn’t leave my tractor with just one side light arm, so I managed to find another one.

Notes for me on fitting.

Wiring the Lighting Kit.
55 watts (main Bulb)= 12Volts x 4.58amps
wiring (5 amp min) – path. connector in bonnet.
black, 10m (Earth)
Red, 10m (To Main)
Blue 5m
Green 2m
Brown 2m

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Rather than taking a rusty tractor to it’s annual outing to the Longshaw sheepdog trials on Saturday 6th September, I’ve followed Roys post below and I’ve painted the back wheels of my tractor. I’ve not done a proper job so don’t look to closely. I still can’t find the money for the new tyres so I masked the back wheel rims Wire brushed them and used a £2 can or grey primer to paint them. I removed the centres and as these had been shotblased I just painted them. They look a so much better than rust! The centres are unusual as they have lots of holes in. I presume for bolting wheel weights to. Someone suggested they where centres from a Ford tractor. Can anyone identify the pattern of holes and match them to a tractor?

A great Follow up from Roy here, It looks as though this tractor also shares the same centres, thanks for the picture Roy.

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I can’t believe it, Thanks to Mike I have one swing out side light arm for the bonnet. It looks a bit sad on it’s own.

Mike who’s tractor appears at the bottom of the lighting page has only had one side arm on his tractor. In a recent meeting he told me he was selling the tractor and offered me the arm. It looks fab in place in it’s new home and all I need now is the other side and some wire.

The arms are held on with screws and bolts. As ever one screw proved difficult to remove. The screwdriver kept slipping in the slot and I couldn’t get a grip with a pair of pliers. In the end I resorted to filing two flats on the nut and holding it with some mole grips. Finally it was off.

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It’s time to look again at Roy’s progress. I get an email from Roy from time to time letting me know how the restoration of his TE-D20 is going. It has got to the stage that the mechanical side of the tractor is all working correctly so Roy has turned his attention to the cosmetics. Having had a tow ball welded to the back of the transmission housing (see previous post for pictures) of his Fergie he has spent many hours grinding off the tow ball to return it to normal. It’s got to the painting stage and it’s looking good in red oxide primer, then grey top coat.

 ”I finally got the wheels from Sleaford last week (the sellar had arranged to supply early ferguson front centres), collected new tyres and tubes from Fergiland today it was a nice run out with a lunch stop. Busy stripping them  have red oxide primed them,. I will have the tyres fitted but not  inflated to allow spraying after masking.”  Roy

It’s nice to see Roy’s wife is taking an active role in Roy’s hobby, we just need to get her onto the grey ones now.

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Lucas LD109 side lights as fitted to many 1950′s Vehicles

I’ve splashed out again on the side lights that fit on the end of the side light metal brackets on the swing out arms which are attached to the bonnet of a ferguson tractor.

I still need the metal arms to complete the set. I am becoming worryingly obsessed by the Ferguson lighting kit originally available in 1949. The last little bit to get is the swing out arms which are fetching very high prices at the moment. I am thinking I will have to bite the bullet and spend what it takes to get a pair of swing out arms the next time I see some.

The full lighting Kit can be found on the lighting page

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Ferguson 2 Furrow Plough
For over a year now my Ferguson 2F plough has been in the north east at Beamish Museum. This weekend I’ve liberated it.  With the Autumn ploughing under way in many areas and my tractors engine back together I am ready to practice my ploughing skills. The intension is to set the plough up using this excellent Ford Ferguson Manual.

Setup and servicing a Moldboard plough

Then as I don’t own any land I was hoping a local farmers would have some small fields they needed ploughing and let me plough them. This would allow me to practice and get them a free ploughed field.

I can catch up on the Ploughing competition rules here. The ferguson tractor with ferguson plough has it’s own set of rules

I don’t own a car with a towbar so transporting the plough was as much hassle as getting it there in the first place. I have to break it down into small enough pieces to carry it in the back of my estate car then re assemble it at the other end, not Ideal I know. I’ll keep you posted on my progress, after all this site is called plough my field and there hasn’t been much of they going on!

Ferguson Jack
Saturday 22nd August 2009 saw a Cheffins auction sale at the Harrogate showground. A friend went and I am now the owner of a working Ferguson Jack. The plate is missing from the back section, but is in place although unreadable on the front section. There where two types of jack produced for the TE-20 before a 3rd type for the FE35 was produced. The difference between the two types was the introduction of the TE-F20. Because the diesel model had battery boxes fitted to the trumpet housings of the rear axles the original design interfered with the battery holders so a re-designed version working off the connection point for the lower ling arms instead. This later modification ment the jack could be used my all types of TE20 tractor. I do own a ferguson jack already but as the front and back have been welded together and  number of holes drilled in the frames so that the former owner could turn them into a go kart it was going to require a lot of effort to turn it back into a working example.

I found it a great pain using a car jack to change the back wheels of the tractor when I recently had to swap the centres so that the originals could be shot blaster. Whe the originals to go back on and the current wheels needing to be painted I will be swapping wheels a lot in the coming weeks. The jack should make life a little easier and with the lack of space to collect implements then collecting accessories seems to fit better with my situation.

I presume an instruction manual was produced although I have never seen one. I will also try to track down at least a photocopy. Do you have a copy you can let me have please get in touch. As well as the original instructions on the jacks use I would also like to put together a short video demonstration its use.

Here you can see Colin’s Video of the Tractor Jack in action lifting all 4 wheels of the tractor clean off the ground.

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Hi All,

I’ve been away on my holidays as many of you are (or your getting in the harvest) the emails have fallen off as everyone has better things to do other than look at websites!

Before I left I was bidding on a pair of fold out side arms on eBay. They made £150 and there weren’t even any lights on the end!

If any one does have one or both of these lights they would like to sell. Please get in touch as it’s the last Item I need for the lighting kit on my tractor.

I’ve been down to Cornwall on my holidays and whilst away of course I’m always on the lookout for Fergusons or any other tractor for that matter. Near to were we where staying was the 54th West of England Steam Engine Society’s Rally. Well worth a look I thought. Not only over 52 steam engines but motocycles, vintage cars, scale steam engines, stationary engines and VINTAGE TRACTORS over 220 in all. below are some of my highlights from the show…….

Included in the Vintage tractor section was an area marked “Hedgerow Display, Items as found unrestored condition” I think all shows should have a section like this it was a refreshing change to the high gloss and paint jobs of a normal show.

Amongst them was this TE-F20, even in this state there are still some really useful parts I can see.

I’ve seen this Idea of having a small secure box on the back to carry items on the lower link arms. I have a spare 9 hole drawbar and I’ll be off to my local army surplus to get a box to bolt to it.

Here are some other pictures from the show.

I didn’t know they made a Diesel Porsche tractor!

Steam Power the order of the day

and the stream power came in all shapes and sizes.

I always thought it was the ferguson butterfly plough that was a revolution. Nothing is new as this example of a reversible horse plough will demonstrate.

But the crowning glory of the show for me was discovering this Ferguson Brown Serial number 1200, owned by Robert Irving. He let me sit on it and then took my picture. It was in great condition. I hope to add more pictures of this tractor under the photo section later. I also have more information about this tractor from the owner still to add.

fishboy Clothing, Penzance, Cornwall.

Finally I went back to a shop in Penzance whose slogan is “KEEP it RURAL” it sells very nice T-shirts, Jumpers and Hoodies with Rural pictures on them. A couple of years ago I bought a -shirt with a tractor print on it. It seems as though this has become a bit of a trademark and the range has been expanded.  I bought a hoodie in black  with a white tractor (only a fordson on this one) on it and a yellow land rover on a blue t-shirt. You can but online as Penzence is a long way to go. The website says they will also do any colour print on any colour T-shirt. A friend bought a pink combine harvester on a green T-shirt! No, he isn’t colour blind. speaking to the owner he said he will be expanding the range of prints very shortly.

I’ll be very interested in what new designs will be available.

www.fishboypz.co.k Buy T-shirts Jumpers Hoodies here

image by kind permission of fishboypz.co.uk

fishboy@
64 chapel St
Penzance
01736 331846

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What is Roy upto…..
Roy a friend of mine recently purchased a TE-D20 tractor and is in the process of making it mechanically sound.

Unwanted Hitch
A tow ball hitch was welded to the back of the tractor. Roy has spent many hours using an angle grinder to remove it.

Dashboard
The dashboard has been removed sanded, resprayed and re fitted. I think Roy used aerosol cans for this as it was a small item.

Seat
Next on the list was the seat. Roy wanted to buy a new seat but I convinced him that once cleaned up the old seat would be much better (the metal seems much thicker on the old seats to me). It has had a repair at some point in the past which all adds to the character. Besides you can add a seat cushion and you won’t know it’s been repaired. They all seem to go in the same place.

Before.

After.

Roy was complimented on the thickness of braze used to repair the seat. He didn’t repair it by the way.

Mudguards (not Fenders, I”m not American)
Finally Roy has been working on the mudguards this one seems to have turned into a bit of an epic. I think all he originally wanted to do was give them  a coat of paint and it’s turned into far more. First off he bought a compressor and paint gun to apply paint as I think the aerosol’s where costing a fortune.

With the mudguards off the tractor trumpet housings and brake drums looked untidy so he got to work on those at the same time.

Bonnet
Roy has now moved onto the bonnet. here you see it in it’s primer greay coat.

Recently the +50 year old Ferguson has been joined by a stable mate. I wonder if it will be still going in 50 years time?

……more from Roy soon I’m sure

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It’s been ages since I’ve posted anything. In fact I’ve got out of the habit and I am finding it quite tough to get back into it. I don’t think it helps that during the summer there are so many distractions, you find that time just slips through your fingers.

Wheel Centres
My dad came to visit a couple of weeks ago and it was great to show him how to drive the tractor, then let him have a drive around the block. Yes I know we look alike. Oh well at least I know what I’ll look like when I’m older.

From the photo above one thing was clear, the back wheels where shocking. At least all the other parts of the tractor have some grey paint on them.

So I decided to paint the back wheels. Currently I cannot afford new tyres, (£150 each + inner tubes) So I thought I’d make a start on the centres swapping the current set for another two I have. I spent a couple of days applying WD40 to the nuts to free them off.  They eventually all came off with a socket and  600mm long bar. There is a lot of rust.

I took the centres to Darren the shot blasters in Derby. Where as usual I had a fantastic survice. Anyone in the Derby area who needs shot blasting, I’d say take it there.

and this is the result…..

The funny colour on the inside is car body filler.  I hope to fill the wheels, sand and apply paint in order to get the wheels to a mirror finish you can see your face in. 2 o’clock final coats, 4 o’clock polished.

This is the template I’m working to.

At the 6 o’clock position is the painted only shot blasted face, 7 o’clock just shot blasted, 8 o’clock filled and sanded, 9 o’clock 2 pack primer (I’m not going to do this) 10 o’clock smoothed 2 pack,  12 o’clock primer coats and sanding, 2 o’clock final coats, 4 o’clock polished.

I saw this being demonstrated at the Newark tractor show in 2007.

http://www.ploughmyfield.com/Newark.htm

I will let you know how the progress is going.

Lucas PPG1 Side and Main Light Switch.

An eBay purchase I have picked up A Lucas P.P.G 1 light switch as included in the lucas (Cyclops)lighting Kit. It is a two stage switch for side and main lights. It isn’t exact a bit later year wise but as close as.

Trailer plug.

Small quantity of Parts.

I’ve found a company on the internet that will supply just one and two’s of the nuts and bolts. I also got some copper washers and electrical parts. I originally looked for the site as I was looking for a 1/2″ BSF bolt  (20TPI) to go in the Hydraulic  corner plugs. I want to make sure it is a 1/2″ BSF thread. As you’d expect they are expensive because it’s one and two off’s, but you can get small quanitities at short notice.

http://www.namrick.co.uk

Sheffield Tractors Number Plate Bracket.

If you’ve taken a look at the Local History page you’ll know I have an interest in tracing the history of my local Sheffield ferguson dealership from the 1950′s. As well as fitting a name plate to the tractors,  all the tractors that where road registered had a bracket made by Mr Charlesworth of Holland St. The bracket was of strip steel welded into a cross with the long end bent over and two holes drilled in to mount to the mudguard bracket, on the right hand mudguard in a similar fashion to the Lucas lighting kit numberplate holder   here are some photo’s

I went to a Farm sale a couple of weeks ago and an old pair of mudguard had one of the brackets fitted. The mudguards went for more than I was willing to pay but approaching the buyer he was willing to sell me the bracket.  The bracket is a present for a friend who has a Sheffield registered tractor but no number plate bracket.

Colins Visit.

I had a visit from Colin last week. http://www.myfergie.co.uk/ He has an impressive collection of tractors and implements. He was over in England collecting items he had bought on eBay. My heart goes out to his wife who came with him and has spent a lot of time driving around the country collecting things. It was great to meet him and next time we may get longer. Next time I’m over I’m definitly going to visit him. A lot more interesting than my small garage.

Steering Seal Post

Jeff at Holland Brand Tractors has posted a fabulous article on replacing the steering box seals. I thought you had to remove the dashboard and all the steering before you could replace them. I do know as an alternative you can grind off the top part of the steering arms and the seals will them slide over. I’ve seen a couple of tractors that have been done like this and for me this isn’t an option. I’ve spent so much time restoring the engine properly I have to continue with the rest of the tractor. I don’t like the look of this ground method either.

http://workshop.tractorbit.co.uk/blog/_trackback/4255058

I see now looking at the Holland Brand Workshop site that this was to be Jeff’s last post. Jeff has now left Holland Brand Workshops. They don’t seem to have much luck at that place. May be a name change would be a good Idea?

As an outsider I have no idea what went on within the company, I don’t really want to. I do know Ferguson tractor restoration has lost a good “engineer1260″ I hope Jeff isn’t lost to tractor  restoration as he is too good. Jeff if you do read this I’d love you to write some posts for this site. All the best in what you do in the future.

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Hi Geoff,
First of all are you a member of FoFH? www.fofh.co.uk. If you are then this is exactly the question you could have asked in the forum. but if you’re not I’ll ask the good people who look at this website if they can help.

Have you tried Patrick at Fergiland.com he may have the parts?

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A couple of interesting links to mention to you today.

Electronics Manual

The first is a Finish site where I have found a whole ferguson Tractor manual available for download. It is 46MB in size and over 460 pages. It is similar to an electronic copy I have and print out to take into the workshop to stop my paper original copy getting covered in grease and oil.

http://www.ferguson-talli.net/FE-20.php and the item to download is “FE 20 TE Service Manual”

Pictures Available

I am trying to create an online picture resource of interesting ferguson pictures. It would be useful to have a pictorial representation of an original ferguson item to check yours against, remember where to put so and so. The hope is I will add more as Time goes by. If you have a set of photo’s you think others would be interested in then please get in touch and if suitable I will get them added. I hope soon to add, 2 furrow plough, TE-F20 engine rebuild and dismantle.

Two are available so far.
1. Ferguson 3 Ton Trailer –  a friend is rebuilding his 3 Ton Trailer and I thought it would be a good idea to take some pics along the way.

2. Ferguson TE-F20 Engine – after completing the rebuild of the engine I just wanted to add some pictures of it to the web. If there is something not right with the way it looks please tell me.

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Well the title isn’t exactly right. It’s amazing how many other items where supplied as part of a new ferguson 3ton trailer delivery. I now have everything, except the trailer. By that I mean all the many items supplied with the trailer that where actually attached to the tractor so you can lift, pull and tip your MK2  3ton  trailer. I even have the instruction book.

The original manual measured 7 1/2″ x 5 1/2″  and consisted of 23 pages

Take a look at these diagrams from the original 3ton trailer manual.

Now take a look at these  pictures I took of my tractor, (below). I have gathered these items together over a period of several years. Trying to buy them all at once can prove expensive. Recently the autohitch part has been fetching very high prices on the internet and at auctions. Recently the tipping pipe has also seen prices double or tripple for an off tractor example. I believe as people have got hold of the autohitch they are now looking for the pipe.  The last piece of the set I aquired was the tipper pipe that connects from the tractors hyrdaulic pump  to the trailers hydraulic ram via a hose to raise and lower the trailers body.  I swapped one of my number plate holders with Roy for the pipe supplied with his tractor. A none tipping trailer was also available which didn’t need the tipper pipe.

Tipper pipe showing the end that connects to the trailers flexible hose.

Connection of tipper pipe to the back corner of the tractor’s hyrdaulic pump. The thread needed to connect to the tractor is listed in ferguson manual as two sizes, a: 1/2″ BSF at 16 threads per inch (TPI), b: 1/2″ UNF which has 20 TPI.

The combination of the Auto hitch I have is unusual. the t-bar (lying in the floor in the middle) is from a TE-20. You can tell this as it has the destinctive button shape half way along used to engage the latch which when pressed lowers the hitch. Or when raised locks the hitch in the up carrying position.  The hook (hanging down from the tractor) is from and later FE/MF35 it was fatter than the skinnier TE-20. I have a TE-20 hook but prefer the later fatter type.

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Hi John,
I’m glad you like the site.
Please send a report and photo’s of the Heritage museum. I’m sure lots of others would be interested in your view.

Yes I will be making a timing disc. I have access to a (CAD)Computer Aided design package. I’ll be adding the disc as a download for you all to make your own. it’s a bit like blue peter here!

I will be do documenting everything I can john it’s an essential part of the website.

To Do

• Make template for timing (30BTDC (hole in flywheel) 32BTDC spill timing point, 0TDC (just as a check for the valve timing)
• Ask Holland brand workshops if they have a number one port swan neck I can borrow for the pump.
• find a hexagon spanner to undo the nuts on the front of the pump.
• Read the Manual agin and again.
• Find some time when I can do it.

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I hope you are all well,
The tractor has been the last thing on my mind just lately. We’ve had our son’s first birthday, I’ve been to Munich on business and next week I’m off to the Scottish island of Jura to run up and down the hills for 14 miles.

I don’t know when I am going to schedule some time to look at the timing, which still seems very daunting to me.

Funny I never thought of myself as being an inspiration to anyone so this email was a nice surprise. I’ve had this great email from Geoff who also donated £10 which will keep the website up and running for a month for everyone to enjoy. Thanks Geoff.

I was starting to well up by the end of your email. Then I got to the part about wind whistling through my hair. Geoff, I don’t have any hair! not to worry, I’ve never had any hair! Well once upon a time I must have. I’m only joking Geoff, Its nice to see all my friends loosing there hair now as well and getting really paranoid about it. I do like to tease them. Anyway back onto the subject of tractors, here is Geoff’s letter

Geoff, I took the pump out of my tractor to drain the green sludge out of it (green sludge was one hydraulic fluid) With the pump cleaned and refitted and new hydraulic fluid it’s been great ever since.

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Thanks again mike,
Yes I’ve been in the garage stopping the leaks from the fuel and oil pipes. I think I’ve got it sorted now.
I love that last picture of the ploughs outside the croft. Very staged but very aesthetic.
I hope you get the computer working. I bought a Machintosh (Mac) computer and a time capsule backup. I can go back over a year to find a file. It’s also great for web edition and movie editing.
I notice your fergie plough in the first picture is a Sherman (Ford Ferguson) plough as it has the cast top section that connects to the top link. I later models this was 4 bent pieces of metal.

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Thanks Again Mike.
Yes I am very proud of my FT57 lamp I’ve been waiting a long time to find one as the right price. Now all I need to do is find a pair of fold out side lights. Does anyone have a set they would sell?
I’m coming round to the idea of leaving the light in chrome.I just don’t think I bring myself to spray paint it!

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The readers of this blog are great.
What a paint job. I see once the tractor had a lighting kit? I’m looking forward to the rest of your travel posts.

Thanks for emailing in.

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Busy so not much posted just some pics and a movie! startup is getting very close.

By turning the engine over I hope to circulate oil around the engine before startup.

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There is so much going on at the moment and not enough time to do it all. So I’ve got a roundup of a couple of items I’m tinking aboout.

Airfix
The Airfix kit I came across whilst looking through eBay sold for a staggering £598.88 Wow, you really could buy a tractor or two for that money. This quarters classic Massey has an article about a gentleman who bough two TE-D20 tractors for £230 bargain.

Donations
A big thank you to Jim and Jerry who have made large donations to the ploughmyfield website by clicking on the button on the right. Thank you very much. Your donations will pay for the server space for the site for 2 months.

Shot blasting
The mystery blaster turned out to be a man called Darren Willis.  I’m down in Derby this week and he is kindly shot blasting some more items for me. Radius arms, cradle for fromt axle, front axle, fan blade, air intake tube are all having the paint stripped from them. I’m picking them up tomorrow so etch primer tomorrow night then fitting on Thursday! 

Painting
I’ve added a final coat of Ferguson grey to the starter motor before fitting it tomorrow night. I have to say it looks Fab. I can’t wait until it’s all been painted.

I have to say it looks even better in real life. The grey is a lot darker and more shiney. I’ve also sprayed around the back of the block where the starter is positioned as there is no way I will get in once the start has been bolted on.

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Did you know that Airfix’s first model want’s a spitfire or a hurricane but a tractor! A ferguson TE-20 tractor to be precise.

This one has come up on eBay with 4 days to go it currently stands at £230 ( almost as much as a real one) I wonder how much it will go for? Here is the link so you can keep an eye on it.

eBay Airfix Ferguson Tractor Kit

Here is the sellers information:

• Plastic construction kit of the Ferguson TE tractor made by Airfix. 1/20 Scale.
• This was the very first Airfix kit and made in the 50′s in England.
• The kit offered here, is a true collectors dream. All the components are present, even the tiny box with small parts is still sealed and never opened!
• Complete with original instructions and translation in Swedish!
• NOTE: A version which I’ve never seen before, all the parts are molded in blue plastic and tires are cream colored rubber!

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Front Dynamo Decompression Assembly

I can’t stress enough how important it is to take loads of photo’s at every stage of the process of restoration. With digital cameras now costing less than £50  (www.ebuyer.com)there is no excuse to not be snapping away. I try to take pictures of everything, you never know when they are going to come in useful. Take the picture above, I’ve dismantled the front decompression assembly and I can’t remember how it goes back together. Now with the aid of the photo I can. I can also see the position of the cover over the dynamo brushes and which side the bracket goes that attaches to the top of the dynamo to adjust tension. Photo’s Priceless!

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Ploughmyfield is in the news.
Have you got your spring 2009 copy of Classic Massey yet? Mine arrived through the letterbox this morning.

On page 42 as part of the article ” Our Tractors” Scott Lambert mentions this website. I sold him one of my excellent number plate brackets some time ago to complete the restoration of his TE-D20 tractor. Scott wanted to promote the site as he feels the standard of the reproduction number plate bracket should be talked about.  Thanks Scott.

Loads of other great articles in the spring edition including buyers tips for the TE-D20. Roy are you reading this now there is no excuse to delay the buying of your very own TE-20 as the guide gives you all the info on how to find the right tractor.

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I sold a number plate bracket to a customer in Belgium.

He was very pleased with it and wondered if I had made any to go on the left hand wing rather than the right as he has lots more tractors. It is also illegal to drive with one on the right and not the left whilst driving on the right of the road. I explained that I’d just had a batch made and it might be some time before I got some more made and had the chance to enquire about getting them folded to suit the left hand wing. It will be cheaper if I got a batch done than a one off.

Along with the enquiry Ivan sent some pictures of his restoration. I puts my efforts to shame. I thought you all might like to look how a restoration should look.

I love the space he has in his workshop and the number plate looks great.

The casting on the back is from the howard rotavator which he is also restoring (nut and bolt)

Does anyone have information about the Lucas lighting kit that was made for the european market? I saw a model recently with the number plate on the left It looked funny. But then again the right one looks funny to people in europe.

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I got asked by Steve how I paint my parts and how I get them ready for painting.

I’ve added a page as I think this is a subject that will interest a lot of people.

This is still a work in progress with some picture to add. Please add your comments at the bottom of the Painting Parts Process page and let me know how you do it. 

http://www.ploughmyfield.com/painting-parts-process/

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Festival Of Britain Guide Cover

Don’t ask me why but I bought this guide to the festival of britain in 1951. I think I was drawn to the striking design of the cover.  One of the areas covered by the many exhibits was “The Country” which had a heavy focus on mechanisation. There is a picture of a Ferguson tractor pulling a 3 Ton trailer. and a great adver for the Ferguson system.

Ferguson Advertisement 1951

Layout of the "The Country" exhibition

Did anyone go to the exhibition. Can anyone remember what it looked like or have photo’s of the country at all. I’m going to do a bit more digging to see if I can find out what it looked like.

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I’ve been round to see a friends Tractor. It hasn’t run for a year or so and the green moss is staring to grow on it. Mike says he had it running a couple of years ago.

Mikes Tractor

It has the plate TE-A130359 so originally it was a straight petrol. I originally went to look at the tractor several years ago as it has most of the lighting kit. I have been researching the plough lamp bracket as I’d like to go back into production with a repro version. Mikes tractor still has the bracket, but not the rear number plate bracket.

Cyclops Light and one side light

Bonnet Up

I keep on trying to get Mike to sell me the one side light he does have. The other has been broken off at some point. Mike still accuses me of taking it. 

As I started to look round the tractor I found it more and more interesting. It has at some point been converted to TVO I think. why do I think this. Well there seem to be a lot of shims under the head gasket. About 5mm worth. This would make the bore 85mm instead of 80mm.

Interesting Engine

It looks as though it has the remains of the back of the manifold shield you normally see on a TE-D. I don’t know what a TE-A or TE-D exhaust should look like so I can’t tell you if this is the right one.

It has the cross over switch to change the fuel supply from petrol at startup to TVO once warm. I didn’t look at the dash to see if it had a temperature gauge!
So I have no idea why it has a diesel Fuel tank fitted.

The exhaust elbow has a support bracket on it. I’ve never seen that either.

And I’m not sure if this as a 12Volt dynamo? can you tell me, please leave a comment below.

There will be more pictures of the lighting kit which I believe was fitted when the tractor was new in the lighting page to the right.

Thanks Mike for letting me get the information I need. Watch this space for plough lamp brackets on sale soon.

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I’ve updated the lighting page. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment to this post. click on the comments button just below this post and check out the new lighting section on the right.

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Me Ploughing

I’m feeling a little sad with the tractor not working at the moment so I’ve posted this video of my ploughing last year. This is what I’ll be doing once I get the engine rebuilt

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Phil's completed 30 cwt trailer

I was passed  some information today about a supplier of Ferguson trailer parts and complete trailers.

The company is Fergie Trailer Shop   and is owned by Phil Kolbe. I made an enquiry about the side rails for a ferguson 3 ton trailer. Phil responded quickly and I hope will be able to help me friend.

The products Phil supplies are quality items and I know he’s spent a lot of time making sure the items he produces are as true to the originals as possible. I wish you well for the future Phil. 

The company started by producing a 30cwt reproduction but it looks as though they are branching out into the 3ton trailer aswell. I would say get in touch if there is something you are after as they have more itms than are listed on the website!

When communicating with Phil don’t forget to mention you saw the advert on ploughmyfield.com

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I now have an engineering company working on my design of the Ferguson/Lucas wing mounted number plate holder, that came as part of the Lucas lighting kit check out the Lucas information in the lighting page, link on the right. They should be ready to post by the middle of next week (first week in Feb 2009). I have added a button on the right hand side for you to take a look at the product and order one. I have already had a lot of interest.

Comments
I think I have fixed the comments section of the site so you can add a comment to any of the posts.

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Thanks to all of you for sending me an email to say you are all still alive out there.

There seems to be a problem with the add a comment section of the website which I’m looking into. So that’s why no one has left a comment.

I have this morning placed an order for number plate brackets. I will get an ordering webpage setup and I will then be taking orders for the parts. No news on the plough lamp brackets yet. I’ll have to finding someone who is willing to make them but the last time I did this it proved to expensive.

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I’ve been tinkering with the website tonight as well as rubbing down the inlet manifold. If there are any problems with any of the pages, something missing or something you’d like to see on the site then please get in touch.

Forthcoming web stuff, 
I’d like to put a page together of restoration tips,
No one is leaving any feedback on the site so I’d like a age on how to use this new site,
You can’t go any where at the moment without hearing the words credit crunch. so I’d like to do a page on tips to save money whilst restoring.

Number Plate holders

I’ve asked a local engineering company to give me a quote to have another batch of number plate holders made. I still get one or two people emailing about them.  If you are interested in one please email me. and I’ll send you an email back telling you there ready when they come into stock.

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I had a sudden panic whilst replacing the thrust bearing on the clutch. The housing is not symetrical.  The arms that the springs connect to Which way round should it go?

Thrust Bearing Holder

So I went trawling through the photo’s I have taken when I took the tractor apart. A piece of advice take as many pictures as you can before and whilst you are doing anything. I found the photo I needed. I’m going to put a page together tip for restoring and before you start restoring. Taking photo’s will be on the list.

Archive clutch thrust picture

The housing gasket that connects the engine to the gearbox section tool about an hour to remove. I have to remember it is made of alloy and will require something to stop the galvanic corosion occuring.

I still have lots of cleaning up to do with this middle section. It is looking a lot claener though. I don’t want to remove any paint as it’s just the engine I’m working on for now. The main aim is to get it all working again. Then i can start stripping paint.

The next few pictures are a reminder to me what need doing.

Clean gasket surface

Housing from above

Housing from the side

Closer side view

And this is what I am trying to get back to. This was the tractor just before I started taking it apart.

Before

And finally, here is the best picture I could get of the ferguson model that comes with the magazine that has been launched. Its a small model so the photo isn’t great. It is a very detailed model. How accurate it it I also don’t know as I’ve researched TE-F20′s mostly.

Tractor Model

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Not much happening on the restoration front this weekend as I’ve been away running in the Lake District. Didn’t spot many tractors though.

I put together a drawing of what I think a clutch aligning tool would look like. I know that’s a bit early but I was visiting a company on Friday and thought there might be a chance of getting one made. I was wrong. I still have the drawing for when I need it.

I’ve created the drawing as a PDF so you can download a copy and have a go at making one yourself. This is for the diesel engined tractor. I don’t know if the clutch is the same for other TE’s (I can’t see why it should be any differen? please let me know, send a comment)

Clutch Aligning Tool PDF

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With the site hits reaching the 30,000 mark its itme for a change. This post represents a new time for www.ploughmyfield.co.uk. Hopefully this new wordpress software that this has been written on will allow for greater interaction by you readers and easier administration my me the administrator. All the old stuff will still be available.

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