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On our Monarch tractor which has the same size and ply rating front tyres, the tyre pressure is maximum 20 psi

regards FP

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With a cast front your tractor is a MK1

If it was a early MK1 (yellow and red colours) the chassis and engine number would be on a cast aluminium makers plate mounted on the right chassis.

From what I can see your tractor is the Co-op Blue colour and the chassis has fixing holes for the underslung toolframe so I think this is a later MK1 where the chassis and engine numbers were on a brass makers plate on the dashboard to the right of the steering column.
A few more photographs would help further identification and if it still has the original engine number (on a machined flange over the manifold) I have Ford manufacturing records and can date engine production date.
Lucas also stamped date of manufacture on starter and dynamo so have a look at those
Happy to help and you can contact me on 01926 632509

regards Joe Paget

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Having a sort out at present and came across a spare parts list for a Martin Markham all steel 70/90 Trailer with a A3 size centre fold exploded view of the trailer with blow up’s of hydraulics, brakes, hitch etc

Send me a PM with your E mail details and I will scan and send to you.
Unlike yours it has steel deck and sides but running gear and chassis look same so it may assist your restoration

regards Joe Paget

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Seen at the Royal Show 1993 on display was the Powa-Trac 36 Crawler about the same size as a MG40 with a Lombardini diesel engine powering hydraulic drive, attachments and pto

Developed in Jersey as the salesman said to replace the old Ransome MG crawlers that were getting a bit long in the tooth
Quite a nice looking modern machine ,I only saw them displayed at the Royal Show that one year and wonder what happened to them, at £16,000 for the basic machine they looked costly compared with the Japanese four wheel drive mini tractors also at the show

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I think the points made by Charlie are spot on and a completely valid view of restoring any machine

The Ransomes mowers were made in much larger numbers than the crawlers and as a result have probably survived in larger numbers as well. If you have made efforts to find a good home without any joy you have taken the right course

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I think eight different owners brought either OTA or Monarch tractors to the show. You do not see many OTA or Monarch tractors out on the rally scene, but speaking to owners and visitors it would appear that some have up to ten OTA and Monarch tractors in various states of repair at home.
The cast front OTA rowcrop came onto the market in 1948 with the yellow/red colour scheme they are easily recognised by the cast makers plate bolted to the chassis. On cost grounds Ota changed to a Co-op Blue colour scheme on the later MK1 cast front models with a brass makers plate on the dash board
Again on cost grounds OTA introduced the MK2 sheet metal front model which incorporated a few other changes in late 1951
The four wheel OTA Monarch (MK3)was introduced at the 1951 Smithfield Show and was produced by OTA until March 1953 when design rights were acquired by the Singer Motor Co who launched the Singer Monarch tractor.
No three wheel rowcrop tractors were produced after this date, Oak Tree Appliances was wound up as a company and remaining unsold rowcrop tractors and spares were sold to a Coventry company.
Singer Motors carried out some improvement works and introduced the Singer Monarch (MK4) but only 17 were manufactured before production ceased when the financially ailing Singer Motor Co was taken over by the Rootes Group .
So production of the OTA and Monarch tractors was over a eight year period, survivors can be found from Finland in the north to New Zealand in the south, who knows what could have developed if circumstances and different decisions had been made

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a few more

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A few more now resized

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Good Display of OTA and Singer Monarch tractors with the various models represented
Some photographs attached

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The person you need to contact is Dick Bentley the Club Helpline expert on Winget and MSW tractors.

Contact details are in the Cultivator

Are you sure it is a Winget rather than a MSW ?
I understood that Wingets had Lister SR1 engines and a Newage gearbox while the MSW developed from the Winget had Petter or Hatz diesels or Kohler or Wisconsin petrol engines with Marshallmatic Peerless Hydrostatic drive in the lighter model or a Lister ST1 diesel with Sunstrand hydrostatic in the heavy duty model.The Newage 3 speed gearbox was also available as a option on the MSW.

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In the working instructions and parts book I have for the Ransomes TS42, TS42A and TS42B quite a few different bodies are listed :-
EC Body 12″ cut, Scout Body 10″ cut,VY Body,YL Body,RHA Body,SHP Body,TCP Body,Epic and IRDCP Body, some of these look very small and referring to Anthony Clare’s book Ransomes tractor share ploughs these smaller bodies were developed for work in orchards,stubble paring ,initial soil preparation before deeper ploughing or seedbed preparation where moisture retention was important like the Ransomes riffler ploughs.
This links in with that many two furrow ploughs went to France where these requirements were needed in orchards,vineyards and similar and having just come back from the Dordogne area of France saw a lot of work being carried out under Walnut and Almond trees to suppress vegetation.
Anthony Clare states in his book that the TS42A was a lowered version of the TS42 introduced in 1946 for orchard work

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I can only echo the comments already made, it seems only a short time ago there were concerns on these pages that commercial concerns had abandoned the vintage horticultural sector but VHGMC members under Alan as editor are contributing to make The Cultivator a magazine that reflects and covers the broad church of interests amongst the Horticultural and Garden Machinery community.
What struck me about the June issue was the wide range of interests that were covered and contents were a good read on subjects which may have not been your particular interest.

Alan is quite correct however that we should not become complacent about the magazine content and it should be a constant evolution to reflect the memberships interest and if you feel it does not what better way than to contribute something yourself to Alan.
It cannot be a easy task to compile the magazine and achieve the current high standard so it is up to the membership to support Alan in contributing items however small or diverse, large or focused.
My late father always said a little help is worth more than a lot of sympathy

Joe Paget

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The OTA tractor is listed separately in the Farm Implements guide so is not the Fortuna tractor.
The OTA tractor was exported to Australia as the OTA tractor and the main importer was the Dickson Primer Co

I am the registrar for OTA and Singer Tractors in the Singer Owners Club although mainly cars Singer did produce in early days cycles and motor cycles but also small commercials ,speed boats, small rollers under the Motor Units division and the Monarch tractor from the manufacturing rights purchased from OTA .The Singer 100 year Celebration rally at Stoneleigh Abbey a few years back had examples of all the products they produced and was some event.
From company history Singer did not research tractors and the A.P & E Singer name is not the Singer Motor Company just a coincidence . From evidence the Singer Motor company got involved in the Monarch as a means of financing development of replacements for its aging sport car range influenced by the Fergusons being produced by the neighbouring Standard Car company in Coventry, as the Singer chairman in his annual report stated “we see the Monarch tractor producing valuable income to the Company”
Quite a few light tractors used the Ford 10hp engine ,a cheap slogging engine with spares /service readily available from Ford agents. OTA, Kent Pony and Byron are just a few light tractors that used the same engine but have significant specification differences from the Fortuna tractor.
Perhaps the Fortuna is just another of those light tractors that sprang up in the post WW2 period, announced but withered away before proper production due to finance, material shortages etc,some appear not to have got into double figure production.
Anyway keep your eyes and ears open, it never ceases to amaze me what is still lurking in the back of sheds out there. The other day came across a Kendall in amazing original condition with spares from another “scrapped” in the back of a storage unit tucked away behind other tractors out of sight and not for sale.

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Please see attached copy of Howard Mini Cross Gapper Sales Leaflet, hope this assists a unusual and interesting machine
regards
Joe Paget

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You might like to use the attached view from the original BMB Cultmate brochure to display with your machine and also help identify some of the Cultmate implements which sometimes turn up in the Tractorworld auction
Hope this assists
regards Joe Paget

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