[trusty220]

The flywheel that is attached to the crankshaft looks like a Ransomes Matador or Marquis one that is missing the clutch shoes. The other half of the Ransomes clutch drum can be seen in another photo as well with some strange attachments.

All in all I would say that if it was fitted to a Trusty it was a home-made conversion and there are no pieces that I can see on the photo’s that would have come off a Trusty. The engine looks like it originated from a Ransomes mower from the 1940’s by the look of the tank and fittings, and the cowlings are even painted in Ransomes Green just to confirm my guesswork.

Sorry to disappoint, Philip!

[trusty220]

Having restored most of the plough the one part that I was having trouble with was the disc coulter. The bearing that it runs in is very crude, with a cast iron sleeve forming the outer part and a mild steel spacer forming the inner.
My first thought was to enlarge the hole in the cast iron sleeve to take out the wear, then make up another mild steel spacer to fit the new hole. This did not prove successful and even a 1″ reamer did not take out all of the wear, so it was back to the drawing board.
I pressed out the worn cast iron sleeve from it’s carrier and made another using a weight from a sash window which was cast iron. This was then pressed into the original carrier and a new spacer tube made up to form the inner part of the bearing. A hole was drilled through the cast iron sleeve under the grease nipple hole so that it could be greased, then the whole lot was assembled and fitted to the plough.
Sounds simple enough, but it took me two days to make the cast iron sleeve because it was a difficult material to work with and I had to keep changing speeds on the lathe so that I didn’t burn out drills.
Anyway, the work is now finished and ready for paint. Nearly done!

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[trusty220]

That is similar practice to how Cushman used to categorise their trucksters. The first model produced in any year used the last two digits of the year, then followed it with a 10. So, the first Cushman Truckster to come off the production line in 1982 would be called an 8210; if they then introduced a different drawbar during that year the model would change to 8220, then 8230 for the next modification, etc.

You are quite possibly correct in your guess, but can anybody shed any more light on it?

[trusty220]

Leave one side untouched?? I see what your game is- now that you’ve retired you want to take it to shows and put a sign in front saying, ” Ran out of money halfway through restoration; please give generously”

A scheme worthy of The Gnome himself. Why didn’t i think of it first?

[trusty220]

The motors on these were never that good even when new. Back in the 80’s we used to have a warranty rack for return of failed parts to the manufacturers (if they were still under warranty) and there was one shelf on it that was always stacked high with Flymo motors.

Funnily enough they didn’t want many back!

It’s good to see that someone is collecting these for preservation because there will come a day when there won’t be any left, then it will be too late. Preservation is about re-awakening people’s memories of the past and it doesn’t really matter how we do it; this has dredged up a long-forgotten part of my past, so well done!

[trusty220]

How far have you got so far? Some pictures would be a great help, but remember to downsize them using Shrinkpic (instructions at top of menu).

[trusty220]

That’s the same as Charlie and me having a natter on the front cover. I didn’t see anyone taking a picture and I didn’t realise I was eight months pregnant, either!

I think we can safely say that Alan had one up on us! Well done for a good read again, Alan, and I particularly liked the Trusty story. We need more like that, so get your pens out everyone and see what you can come up with!

Keep up the good work.

[trusty220]

How about putting a register together once you’ve found out? It’s surprising what turns up once people know that there’s someone else interested in collating information.

[trusty220]

It makes you wonder why somebody thought it a good idea to undo the bolts with a chisel. I wonder what else you’re going to find, and hope it isn’t too expensive to put right!

[trusty220]

I bet you’ll have it running next week! It certainly doesn’t look as bad as it first looked, and you may be surprised by the internals.

Go on, you’re dying to look!

[trusty220]

In addition to my comments above, the proposed law will effectively do away with the SORN declaration for road-going vehicles. Many of us run vintage vehicles as well, maybe as transport for our machinery, and it is a useful fall-back occasionally to be able to mothball our vehicles by declaring them to be off-road (or SORN-ed). I did it myself a couple of years ago when I lost the keys to my GT6 and missed the MOT date.

Under the new legislation I would have to continuously insure my car even if I wasn’t using it. As far as I can see this would also apply to vehicles awaiting restoration and un-roadworthy.

Clearly a backward step to put us in line with Eastern European legislation. Why???

[trusty220]

The main reason that we are getting involved is that it looks like we may have to insure all of our collection, whether they are being exhibited at an event or not. The original court case was based on a farmer reversing a trailer into a barn and knocking somebody off a ladder- plainly not a public place and all occurring on private land.

The rumour is that we shall have to insure all of our collection at all times; this could be a problem to those members who have upwards of twenty Trusty’s, or any other make for that matter. Potentially a trespasser could come onto private land and injure themselves on some machinery and then be able to sue you for letting them hurt themselves.

I wouldn’t put anything past the law-makers these days, so we are trying to make sure that this does not come to be an issue.

[trusty220]

I certainly wish you the best of luck with it. Rarities only come along once in a while and if you don’t go for it you will only regret it in the future.

[trusty220]

It’s amazing that even at this late stage the powers that be are still trying to toe the line with Brussels/Strasburg/Wherevertheyarethisweek. Our best hope is that it takes so long to work it’s way through the procedures that it won’t be needed after all.

I wonder why the whole thing has blown up to this level? If the accident happened in this country it would have been dealt with by the employer’s insurance.

Oh dear, I’m off again, don’t get me started!!!

[trusty220]

Welcome to the club forum. We do run a very active register for Trusty owners, so if you let me know the tractor serial number (off the plate where the handles join the transmission) I can let you know when the tractor left the factory and which dealer it was sold to.

If you need any practical advice on restoring/repairing/just keeping it going then you’re in the right place. You will find that our members have a wealth of knowledge that they are only too eager to share!

Enjoy your Trusty!

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