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Viewing 15 posts - 226 through 240 (of 1,005 total)
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  • #38067
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    One further point…….I’ve just noticed your serial number has too many digits. Could you check it again and possibly post a photo of the serial number plate? It looks like you’ve been having trouble with the size of your photo’s- check out Charlie’s instructions for reducing photo size so they don’t get too big for the software.

    #38066
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    The engine you have is a JAP 5, made by J.A.Prestwich of Tottenham, London. It should have JAP stamped in large letters above the inlet holes for the cooling air and it will have JAP cast into the crankcase just above the output crankshaft. Engine numbers should be stamped into the crankcase at the base of the barrel.

    Parts are (or were) available from Meetens Industrial Engines, but I understand that Paul Childs (who runs it) has sold out to another company. Generally there aren’t many parts that you need for these engines as they seem to have been designed for a long working life. Gaskets and spark plugs are just about all you will need and maybe a rebuild on the magneto if you can’t do it yourself. Parts for the tractor are non-existant beyond the usual bearings, seals and chains and you may have to make some parts such as the drawbar pin for the swinging drawbar- this is a usual part that tends to seize in the drwbar and wear the castings above and below it.

    With all of the bits and pieces you have I would allow about 750kgs for the weight of the tractor and associated parts. It may come to far less but the only way to know for sure is to put it on a weighbridge.

    I will enter your tractor on the Trusty Register as well. It may be some time before I can go to look up the number but keep watching the “Survivors” tab and the purchase date and selling dealer will appear once I’ve looked it up.

    Thanks for sharing it with us.

    #38051
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    I’ll have to shop around locally to see if there’s anybody around here that offers the same service. Thanks for the info, it’s something that I hadn’t considered.

    #38011
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    A combination of old skills and new technology has triumphed again! The pressure gauge was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but once it was all working the gauge face was copied onto a piece of white card with a Rotring pen and compasses and the graduations marked off. So that the lettering and numbers would look professionally done I then scanned it into my computer and used Photoshop to produce the letters and numbers, then reduced it down and printed it. It is now glued onto the original dial face and fitted to the gauge so all I’ve got to do now is to find a piece of perspex to make the gauge glass out of and then it’s onto the huge challenge of the Cobra artwork.

    Wish me luck, I think I’m going to need it!

    Attachments:
    #38010
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    You should be able to adjust the main support bar by bending it in stages to get it flat again. The normal way set these old finger bars was to stretch a piece of string between the two extremities and use gentle force to persuade the bar to move back flat again; hitting it with a hammer should be avoided, better to put part of it in a vice and use a lever to bend it back, then move along and repeat the process in gradual stages until the whole bar is flat.

    Once the bar is flat you can fine tune it by bending each individual finger up or down so that the sliding knife makes a scissor action with each finger. If you don’t get a scissor action it will put excess pressure on the drivetrain and give a poor cut- have you ever tried cutting wet cardboard with blunt scissors? It would be the same effect.

    #38002
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    That will be the bare tractor; allow another 90 kgs for the plough.

    #37975
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    I have just looked up your tractor’s history in my records and found it was sold through the official Trusty dealer in Huddersfield, a company by the name of Tractors (Yorkshire) Ltd. It was invoiced to them on the 10th October 1951.

    #37974
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    The NTS stands for New Trusty Steed, so I’m assuming you have what we now call the Mk2 Steed.

    The Norton Big Four engine fitted is the same as the motorcycle engine- it has a short, tapered crankshaft extension and the cooling fins on the head run from front to back; don’t confuse it with the Norton Big Four engine which was fitted to the 2-wheel Trusty as they are different. The easiest way to identify them is to look at the valve chest cover; the engine fitted to the Steed should have an oval valve chest, the one on the 2-wheel tractor has an oblong one.

    The cooling ducts on the Steed take the air blast from the fins on the crankshaft and blow it around the back of the engine then through the fins and out through the front. On the 2-wheel tractor the airflow is simpler and goes from the fans through the cooling fins from the right hand side and exits on the left.

    Before you embark on the rebuild why not have a look at my step-by-step engine rebuild in the “projects” section? It was some time back now but the way I tackled it is still relevant today.

    Good luck with it and I will add it to the Trusty Register. How about some photo’s and a separate topic in the Projects section?

    #37867
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    I think I may just dig out my old engineering drawing equipment and re-draw the gauge dial on card with a Rotring pen. It can’t look any worse than it does now and I’m not damaging the original.

    Mr. Woollas has said that I can copy his artwork for the perspex window so it’s just a matter of getting to see him soon to take a decent picture that I can work on.

    95% of the work is already done but it’s always that little 5% that makes the difference between an average job and a great job. Let’s see if I can make the difference with this one!

    #37863
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    The only way I’ll end up buying that caravan off you is if you fill it with expensive alcohol, particularly single malt whiskey. Your half-hearted attempt at filling it with Liebfraumilch and home-made Damson Wine simply wasn’t enough to sway the deal.

    You could always try Mr. Woollas!

    #37861
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    You are absolutely right, the short films that appear under the “Glimpses” title on Talking Pictures TV are real gems. Using them for fillers is a masterstroke and they can also be seen on YouTube under the title, “Look at Life”.

    #37859
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    On the same note, many manufacturers would start their serial number runs at an artificially high number to hide the actual numbers of machines made and sold.

    Tractors (London) Ltd, the makers of Trusty products, would always start their number sequence at 100 and so any competitor looking at one of their tractors would assume they had already sold 100. Other factors would also come into play; my Trusty No. 220 is actually the 45th off the production line because they started the sequence with 100, made 25 (of which most were returned by customers for various reasons) then stopped production to change the design. When it was re-launched the number sequence started again at 200, hence mine is the 45th and earliest known survivor.

    Sorry for throwing an element of confusion into the mixing pot, but history is history and cannot be changed.

    #37804
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    A little update so you know that I’m not being idle! The pump is nearly back together but there are a couple of areas that I’d like to improve upon; the logo on the perspex cover is a definite piece that needs work and patience to make good but I also need to replace the face of the pressure gauge dial. The original is steel which has been stove enamelled then the numbers painted on- if I try to rub too hard to remove the rust stains the numbers come off as well. A paper facing glued over the top would be sufficient but where do I find one? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

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    #37803
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    I think Thomas’ sojourn in the south has diluted his Yorkshire qualities somewhat. Maybe he needs to go back there for a holiday to top up his thrift muscle.

    #37793
    trusty220
    Keymaster

    You say that they are a little cheaper- that’s definitely the Yorkshire part of you coming out; why pay good money for Kilner when you can get just as good for half the price?

    It all goes to prove the saying that you can take the man out of Yorkshire but you can’t take the Yorkshire out of the man! It looks like you’re all set to have a great winter this year if these shelves are anything to go by.

Viewing 15 posts - 226 through 240 (of 1,005 total)