Geoff Ravenhall

From memory, we first saw the polymer decks in the late eighties and appeared first on the 16″ model. I forget if it was a rear roller or four wheeled machine but it may have appeared in both guises.

Those were good days at Windsor Racecourse and the show was far better with plenty of demonstration plots for the hard landscaping contractors and manufacturers. Blec was one that I always used to go to see as they were always out in front with something new like a levelling box on the back of the tractor that was laser controlled.

At one of the…[Read more]

I have seen the clip version before and forgot to mention it (sorry!).

Is it possible that you have tried to tap the shaft from the end whilst the clip/peg was still in place? In which case it may have jammed the peg in the hole; try tapping the shaft from the other end to realease the tension on the peg. I doubt it will be rusted in as there is…[Read more]

Hello, Graham, thank you for taking the time to find us and ask the question.

The Trusty countershaft is reasonably easy to remove but be aware that it has probably been in position for many years, so getting it started may be a challenge! For those of you who may be reading this at a later time I will go through the sequence of screws and bolts…[Read more]

Mine’s just arrived. Another good read, Alan, well done.

There’s no mention of registration numbers on the factory records. The registration process was most likely done at dealer level and the information was not passed back to the factory.

As Charlie says, if the number has not been used for a considerable time then DVLA will consider it as no longer in use and re-issue it to somebody who wants an…[Read more]

The fact that he had a link to Norway would suggest that it may be a possibility; he may have bought it from the Norwegian owner and had it shipped back. Is there any chance of some photo’s? If you could take some around the back end there may be some bracketry that is only for the half track and that would narrow it down considerably.

This does tally with an accurate serial number, but does it sound like your machine?

NTSB287 was sold from the factory on 16th February, 1953 to the Norwegian importer Maskin A/S Expedit. It was supplied with pneumatic wheels as well as a half track conversion and should have ended up in Norway. The serial number would suggest that it had the air…[Read more]

Don’t rule that one out- the previous owner may have contacted me to put it on the Trusty Register, so if you could let me know his name I may be able to trace it back like that.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I’m not in the best of health at present. I blame the weather!

I’ve looked through the company records but whilst they kept an accurate listing (in most cases) for the serial numbers, the engine numbers seem to be a bit hit-and-miss; some tractors have the engine numbers listed whilst others don’t.…[Read more]

I may be able to trace it from the engine number and let you know what the correct serial should be. It does sound like you have the correct engine for it at least.

Photo’s of the parts listing for you. If you let me know the serial number I can tell you where and when it was sold.

By the way- I’ve just seen another posting of yours and you describe the engine as a Norton 16H. Tractors (London) Ltd. had a very good working relationship with Nortons and always used the Big Four in various types, so please…[Read more]

The Steed had at least two different governors fitted; the earlier Mk2 Steed had an air vane governor and the later Mk2’s had a mechanical one fitted which drove off the magneto drive. Most have been removed over the years because they never really worked very well in the first place and you are better off adjusting the engine revs by hand with…[Read more]

It is always good to welcome a new recruit to our forum. Never be afraid to ask a question, no matter how trivial it may seem to you; we’ve all had to start somewhere and we have a host of people here with centuries of experience between us, so ask away.

I’ve sent you a Private Message using the forum’s PM system. Click on your avatar (the photo…[Read more]

Congratulations on your purchase and I’m sure you will not regret it in the coming years. The only thing people find now is that you get bitten by the bug and have to find it a housemate.

If you let me know the serial number (on the back of the transmission case) and possibly the engine number I can give you an accurate date that it was sold from…[Read more]

Another brain teaser for Christmas from the Master! Well done, Alan!

This will get you all thinking.

Just to add a little more to Charlie’s post you will need to understand that most seed drills meter out a measured quantity of seed for a given distance travelled; they make a groove in the soil, pour a measured amount of seed into the bottom of the groove then cover it over in one continuous operation. This results in a continuous row of…[Read more]

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself and it sounds like a good bunch of people that were willing to stop and help a novice.

One thing I found invaluable when I started was to go along to a few matches to spectate; that way you can pick up a few pointers whilst not under the pressure of competing and you have a lot more time to take in what…[Read more]

Thank you for the feedback on the cover. I am now taking lots of pictures that I can use for cover shots so you should see some more recent (and more relevant!) covers from now on.