Newly acquired Trusty with digger(?) plough

[vhgmcbuddy]

Douglas Engine Trusty No 6091T. On the Isle of Wight. You can just see my first scar on the landscape.

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[will-haggle]

Very nice machine, Chris, you’ll get the hang of it!

[vhgmcbuddy]

Tis a very interesting beast to drive – I’m rarely pleased at being heavy but was today. A harrowing experience.

I am puzzled at the function of the device in the 1st picture below and will be most grateful for any advice. It is easy to see that when it is moved into its “back” position the pin or dowel locates in a hole in the “rack” and prevents the plough from moving sideways. But, only a small upward movement of the handles and the thing swing forward and disengage. Once disengaged it locks disengaged and needs two hands to reengage it. Should one plough with it engaged or not?

2nd picture is of by ploughing attempts. It aint pretty but its all mine.

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[trusty-mad]

nice machine. you plough with the draw bar lock disengaged. as far as i am aware it is there to make transporting the machine between jobs easier by locking the plough in place. you use the two small bolt on stops to limit the swing of the draw bar during ploughing but i cant really describe how to set them as it depends on what sort of ground you are working on and i don’t know if you set it differently when using a digger plough as apposed to a greyhound.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Great. Your reply is seriously appreciated. I had worked out that it was better to leave it alone. There is a ploughing event on the Isle of Wight on 12 April. I shall be there with a piece of straw and seeking out the experts, deeply humble and anxious to learn.

[chap]

no dont try to plough with that locked it makes it impossible to steer most people have two stops in the holes on the curved bar this allows some movement see picture, also note in the picture how the plough is set slightly leaning to the left to keep the plough upright while ploughing notice the notches in the piviot flange.

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[chap]

no dont try to plough with that locked it makes it impossible to steer most people have two stops in the holes on the curved bar this allows some movement see picture, also note in the picture how the plough is set slightly leaning to the left to keep the plough upright while ploughing notice the notches in the piviot flange.

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[chap]

no dont try to plough with that locked it makes it impossible to steer most people have two stops in the holes on the curved bar this allows some movement see picture, also note in the picture how the plough is set slightly leaning to the left to keep the plough upright while ploughing notice the notches in the piviot flange.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Ta chap, Again, my appreciation for reply is deep and genuine. I have the stops and haven’t altered either, on the basis that he who had ploughed with this machine before me knew more than I do. Another go tomorrow. When I got it it had a rogue/wrong needle in the carb. I have found the float needle in the pipe, twiddled, and got it starting OK from cold. Now need to sort out tick over (and therefore clucth not gripping) and hot starting.
I hope I can learn before he who own the field gives up on me.

[stevewoollas]

Your engine should slightly over-rev when ticking over with revs lifting slightly as the governor moves. When engaging drive turn throttle inwards, anticlockwise, to its stop which should produce a slow tickover, reducing revs and ensuring the centrifugal clutch disengages and the transmission cross shaft stops rotating. Drive will then engage freely. Good quality effective clutch springs are essential for this to happen correctly.
Good luck with her.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks Steve. I spent some time last week getting it so that it started fairly easily and the tick over was ok. 2 days ago we ran up against a piece of wood and it is now a bugger at starting and. when started the tick over is poor. I suspect that the timing is now a little out and that I need to look at the governor. If I have to I will take the head off and do the valves etc but I would prefer to play with the plough for a bit first. You advice re the springs is well noted. Thanks for your interest.

Chris

[vhgmcbuddy]

Ihe engine has started again after 2 days of starting troubles. learnt a couple of things; easy to get the contraption stuck with its nose down. In that position repeated failed attempt to start causes the oil filled air filter to become more a petrol filled air filter. Eventually came to the conclusion that I could not start in that position so I removed the plough and leveled the Trusty. After much churning got it started – refitted plough. engine ran roughly for ten minues and stopped. throughout all this i checked i had a spark – yes. Time for G&T. Next day sat and looked and thought. After doing nothing I tested spark – no spark. Left it. Next day – no spark. I have been twiddling engines for the past 58 years. I know all about “change the plug” and, of course, I have done that whenever I explored starting problems. But in all that time I have never ever found that the cure and came to regard it as a most unlikely “too easy cure”. Today I changed plug and it started easily. A tale of delightful hubris.

I am now concentrating on getting it to tick over without activating the centrifugal clutch. I checked the springs, they seemed good, rusty and strong. I feel sure I need to slow the engine.

I am now looking out for an attachment to flatten the increasingly lumpy field.

What fun

[vhgmcbuddy]

I have learnt a bit more. When I look in the spark plug hole I see a remarkable amount of black crud. The correct plug for this engine is a Lodge CN, surprisingly still available. I now know this is a hot plug with 1/2 inch reach. The fitted plugs have been 3/8″ reach and, I suspect, cooler. At the very least this explains the ridge of crud round the bottom of the spark plug hole. I feel a little closer to a better tick over.

[vhgmcbuddy]

I have lost the bolt on share/tip/point off the plough. Does anyone have any ideas as to the make and where I might get a replacement?

[stevewoollas]

The point for the Greyhound plough, which yours appears to be looking at the photo, is identical to that of the Ferguson plough, (not MF). You may be able to obtain one from Westlake Plough Spares at Peterborough or Old Twenty Parts, Derbys..

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