[trusty220]

They were standard items “off the shelf” at the time so you should be able to find some at an autojumble. I’m not sure if Newbury sort-out is on this year but that would be the kind of place to go to where you are most likely to find something.

[trusty220]

Before you put it back check the carrier arms for cracking at their base. If the pivot bolts for the shoes are overtightened it stresses the cast iron and they can break off at the base of the arm. The bolts should have locking nuts on so that you can just nip them up without having to tighten too much- I’ve had both Nylocs and Binx nuts on mine in the past, but you could also get away with two half-nuts locked together.

It’ll be interesting to see if it goes again now you’ve cleaned it! (Only joking, of course!)

[trusty220]

The backfires will be caused by an excess of unburnt fuel so my guess is that it’s running slightly too rich. It may be worth trying a lower float height- there are three grooves on the float needle but I forget which one mine runs on- so what ever groove it is in try dropping it down to the next one, but you will need to re-set the carburettor again, but you should be quite a way to becoming an expert at that by now!

Just a thought- did you slide the magneto forward to take the slack out of the timing chain?

[trusty220]

From your picture I would say that the chain is definitely too slack; to adjust it slacken off the two large bolts underneath the magneto base and slide the magneto forwards (i.e. towards the front of the tractor). Don’t put too much tension on the chain as it will accelerate wear in the magneto bearings if it’s too tight. Just slide the mag forward enough to take the sag out of the chain, but not enough that you can play a tune on it!

The carburettor will definietely need a good clean out if there is any rust inside the petrol tank. The holes and clearances in the main jet tube are tiny and will block up very quickly with even small amounts of rust. Don’t forget to take the blanking plugs out of the slow running jet alongside the venturi either and give them a good blow out with the airline.

Before dismantling the carb screw the main jet in until it stops, counting how many turns in it goes. At least then you will have some idea of the previous setting of it. Do the same with the slow running jet as well and you shouldn’t have too much trouble starting it up again once you’ve finished.

Another little tip I can give you is that the slow running jet is actually controlling the flow of air that the engine is running on at tick-over. The more you screw it out the weaker you make the mixture. This is exactly opposite to what you do with the main jet which is used to control the amount of fuel going to the engine at working speed- the more you screw it out the richer the mixture, which is the normal convention for such items.

Best of luck and I hope your back gets better- mine always plays up after a few rounds with my Norton on a bad day!

[trusty220]

The most certain method is to take the head off but I know how difficult it is on one of these, so no explanation necessary as to why you don’t want to do that!

What I have found in the past is to take out the spark plug so that you don’t fight against the compression, then take off the valve chest cover so that you can see what the valves are doing. Turn the engine in the direction that it runs in (anticlockwise as you look at the RHS engine pulley) and stop when the valves are “on the rock”, i.e. when exhaust is closing and inlet is just opening. Mark across the pulley onto the cowling then this will be your mark for TDC.

Next you can turn the engine one complete revolution and stop at your mark again and the piston should be at TDC on compression stroke. The timing for the Norton should be 3/8″ BTDC, and the points should just be opening at that time. Unfortunately you’ll have to guess the 3/8″ but if the two sprockets for the magneto haven’t been messed about with you should be able to find which tooth is closest. That’s one advantage with this version of the Big Four Norton- the Wico magneto has a positive location for the drive sprocket, unlike the Big Four used on the Steed which has a BTH mag and you have to set it up exactly then tap the sprocket so it sits on a taper.

Points gap should be 15 thou and don’t mess up the screw holding the drive sprocket onto the magneto- it’s a left hand thread and the cast aluminium washer underneath it has a “pip” that locates into the end of the drive shaft of the mag.

Best of luck.
Geoff

[trusty220]

Hi, Chris,

Your tractor is now on the register and appears to have been manufactured in February/March 1948. In addition to the information that you have given, it is unusual in having the “Old Type” reduction gears which are more reliable than the “New Type” gears.

Old Type rely on ball bearings which are pretty indestructible, whereas the New Type have a leather seal and phosphor bronze bushes. Once the leather seal wears out it allows sand and grit into the bushes and the bearings wear quickly, allowing the wheels to wobble and destroying the top pinion.

The machine that you have bought should be reasonably trouble free.

Best of luck with the restoration.

[trusty220]

That looks like a good find and it’s complete with road bands as well. If you let me know the serial number I’ll put it on the Trusty Register for you.

Good luck with it and if you need help just ask.

[trusty220]

Hi, Robert,

How does the pump drive? I can see that it has two horizontally opposed cylinders with some sort of arm to make them move from side to side, but how does this arm move? A few more pictures may be helpful if you’ve got the time.

Thanks again.

[trusty220]

Do you have any idea what caused it to fail, Jonathon?

[trusty220]

You are quite right. I sold Dori machines in the early 90’s and they were imported at that time by Industrial Power Units (IPU) which was based in Wolverhampton at that time. They are still in existence and are based in West Bromwich but they wouldn’t be any help in sourcing parts.

After they gave up the franchise it was taken up by J.H.Hancox of Portway, Birmingham, but that company is no longer in existence having ceased trading over ten years ago.

I will make a few enquiries for you to see if parts are available in this country. Please be patient and I’ll see what I can do.

[trusty220]

Talking Pictures TV is a “must see” channel in our house. I will have to get up earlier in the morning and look out for some of these government information films!

If anyone is interested, when Wartime Farm was made it was based partly on the book, “The Farming Ladder” which was G. Henderson’s record of buying a derelict farm in Oxfordshire and turning it into one of the most profitable enterprises in the area during the Second World War. An absolute must if you’re interested in farming in any way.

[trusty220]

Jean (the owner of the farm) planted some three years ago in a tub. She never dug the potatoes out, and every year they come up with more green shoots and so we persuaded her to put it outside in the garden and fill it up to the top with soil. It is now enormous and I’m convinced it will be one big tub-shaped potato when we come to empty it out. We’ll see!

[trusty220]

I’m sorry, Alan, the rebuild has taken a back seat for a while. Every spare day we get at the minute is spent trawling the internet for smallholdings. We’ve already had a couple of viewings but nothing has proved suitable as yet.

Rest assured, as soon as we are settled I’ll have a working weekend at the new place; I told Dave Weeley last year that we’d have one and call it “Weeley West!”

Watch this space!

[trusty220]

Be careful what you are getting into, Dave. You may have to go to Wales to get your free Christmas dinner!

Rhubarb and fried egg for starters, custard and potato for main course followed by broad beans and beetroot for pudding. Still coming??

[trusty220]

I can’t believe that the last pictures were only three weeks ago. Compare them with the situation today and you can definitely see an improvement. The potato tops are mostly up; if I’m being critical they are looking a bit leggy, but all of the seed potatoes in the first row are going well. The middle row is a little patchy- these were the ones we rescued from the back of the pantry and weren’t intended as seed potatoes, just maincrop that had sprouted. The third row is similar but a mixture from our pantry and Jean’s to fill the space up.

One thing that did happen last week was that a couple of plants started to wilt after the strong winds. I dug into the ridge to look to see what was going on and the bottom of the stems had rotted and there was no sign of the original tuber. The second plant was the same, so I dug them both out and threw them on the bonfire with the soil that they had been growing in for safe measure. So far the rest aren’t showing signs of wilt, so fingers crossed!

The other morning I was looking at the plants and noticed that there were some new hoof marks in between the ridges. We have a few Fallow Deer that wander around the farm on a regular basis and it looks like one of them has been inquisitive; I can definitely say that Fallow Deer do not like the taste of potato tops!

Here are the pictures from this month for you to compare with June’s ones. The last one shows Mrs. Geoff’s new arrivals which are about ten days old. At present we think they are all cockerels! Oh well, try again!

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