ERF and Fordson tractor

[Miller]

Some ERF and a tractor, that looks to me like a fordson. (net finds)

10314753_10207136345820580_1651499761685539665_n.jpg (109.51 KiB) Viewed 1865 times

12592339_10207136345660576_3981209745031953224_n.jpg (100.8 KiB) Viewed 1865 times

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Fantastic, just love these old vehicles and I look forward to getting to some shows this Year.

Ghosthunter.

[fixer]

when i was a labourer on building sites one of my duties was to to drive the ancient Fordson Major with a rear rotating broom to sweep the local roads,
equipped with a stick type throttle, independent brakes to the rear wheels (would that be fiddler brakes ...Ghosty??) horrible gear box and the biggest s.o.b. of a clutch ever invented, which gave you all or nothing in the way of clutch control, resulting in wheelies if you had the stick pulled back a bit too far and steering so heavy it took all your upper strength to make a turn
at 18/19 yrs old it was an experience

[GHOSTHUNTER]

More or less Reg, fiddle brakes can mean a caliper on all wheels but operated independently of the master cylinder controlled brakes, I think a full fiddle brake system requires an extra caliper on each wheel, a small master cylinder for each extra caliper and some bypass valves.

Getting a normal Four or Six caliper system right is hard enough, shouldn't want to try a full fiddle system...

Ghosty.

[fixer]

the darn thing had separate peddles for each wheel with a drop down bar to lock the two together
the funniest thing about it was when the engine let go whilst the plant mechanic was under it the sight of him covered in black engine oil was a sight to behold and thse dip stick must have gone twenty feet in the air , after that they bought an old council road sweeper which i was not allowed to drive as i was too young

[YYS4BOB]

The first thing I ever drove was a little grey Fergie like this one. I was 14 or 15 I think, so over 40 years ago. My dad was a groundsman at a local football/cricket/bowls club, so any chance to bomb round the backfield was grabbed with both hands!

[Taniwha]

Hi Bob,

Yes, I thought the tractor on the truck was a red Fergie, and your pic confirms it. It certainly isn't a 72a Fordson Major which is a bit larger, and they were also almost always painted blue, very much like the Lesney model.

Nice picture though, I love the old tractors, and those ERF trucks are beauties too.

Cheers,
Gavin

[zBret]

the darn thing had separate peddles for each wheel with a drop down bar to lock the two together

Gotta love those old tractors !

The brakes are called just that Reg "independent brakes" and the reason for having them is to be able to make tight turns at the end of a crop row- locking one wheel and pivoting the tractor around on it. They are also used as form of traction control on muddy ground, as in apply braking force to a spinning wheel that has lost its grip, thus allowing power to transfer to the to other wheel -that hopefully has some grip. When not in the field the brake pedals should be locked together, and that is the purpose of the lock bar. Tractors are slowed with the engine throttle and not with the brakes. The brakes are just used to complete the stop and to hold the tractor in place.

a little clip of what to do when there is no grip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnRRGW6z3UQ

zBret