N.O.S.

When I was looking to find one around 5 years back to replace the sold one (silly) I found myself caught up in MAJOR MANIA - the prices had suddenly gone telephone numbers, so I just gave up. Are they a bit more sensible now, Ed?

Think that's you pretty much sorted then - I had a really nice live drive Super Major but sold it when ran out of things for it to do - then got more land and an ex ministry MF20F loader tractor followed (which is basically an industrial version of the MF135? but with the most ridiculous hi/lo gearing - reverse is either snail or jaguar...). This runs a Votex 7ft mower just fine. But give me a Fordson Major any day.....

And don't forget a nice cheap Flemming 4 or 5ft linkage mounted transport box for when the mower is not needed

Very basic machine is a pasture TOPPER - usually a linkage-mounted single blade machine, 4' and bigger. Therein lies the conundrum - what do you want to achieve, and how quickly? They are also available as towed machines for tractors without 3 point linkage but more expensive - also available with engines but £££; Look at Wessex Groundcare site to 'gen up' a bit on what's available (look at prices too :wow:) The more you spend the better the quality of cut - for example a VOTEX 3 blade mower with rollers will produce lovely 'finishing quality' grass if needed as well as cut the roughest of meadow. But at a high price. So if the geese are not too bothered get a basic machine and do your smaller area of neater lawn with a garden mower. Generally the better the finish the higher the power input too. Biggets problem is knowing how to trade off power of tractor / width of mower against time to do the job. If time is at a premium and you can afford it, go for a 5ft or 2m cut machine and size the tractor accordingly. If you can't afford it, just get what you can and enjoy the hours trundling up and down

For that size plot I'd be inclined to maybe look at a classic British tractor - if you can afford a nicely restored one they are wholly useable and will hold their value really well if not appreciate. Maybe a diesel grey Fergie or even 3 cyl Ford (4600?) or MF?. Have a look at www.patrickedwardsmachinery.co.uk That will give you a good idea what is available. And yes he is in Oxfordshire, but from my experience he is very genuine and always comes to Cambridge Machinery Sales at Sutton so might deliver at 0/minimal cost. Good for new mounted / trailed mowers too. Something more budget, try Atkin Farm Machinery at Dereham. Sorry don't know any good Cambs based dealers.

Robert in Poland has many different plates available - very few are advertised at any time, for example he has no GMC plates in his ebay shop right now. I have had a set of zinc M6 plates which were a stock item and which were quite reasonable quality, also two sets of Autocar plates (one brass, one zinc) made to my own artwork - some of which (artwork) he tidied up nicely before producing. These were superb technically, and since I scanned some original plates and some large photos of plates from an original manual and gave the outline sizes for these, I am happy they are 100% correct. As Deadline implied, you need to know exactly what you want, then check proofs carefully (check spelling :cool2:) and you should be very satisfied with the result.

Great work - the driver's door fits straighter and better than most full size ones!!!

Isn't that a HIABOSAURUS? (Only jealous - bet it's a cracking little crane)

Well stone the crows, looks like Jack was right....

Progress report - Sep 25th, 2011, 23.00hrs. I'm begining to suspect that I might have been outwitted by the charger after all - the light is on, but nothing seems to be going in. I'm going to give it a few more days to play ball and then.....:angry

Matt - I have only one image, can't post here but have emailed you the car bit!

I suspect that underneath this lot there might be a Federal C-2 wrecker and C-2 trailer :-D

If the only issue is position of wheel centre in relation to rim (i.e. offset), you may find it relatively cheaper to get rims altered or new ones made to your specific requirements - try Tony Rosenthal at www.kirkbytyres.co.uk

Well, those wretched chargers are crafty and take a bit of fooling.... I put another good 6V battery across the dud in parallel (no flow of wrigglies as flat battery appeared virtually open-ciruit to the good battery), then after 4 minutes connected charger. Light comes on - so after 2 minutes I disconnected good battery from jump leads. Light stayed on - hahaha I thought. After another 4 minutes I had to momentarily disconnect charger so I could remove the insulated jump lead croc clips, plugged charger back in and no light . So - put on jump leads differently so I could later remove them yet keep charger croc clips comnnected, and put good battery on line, charger worked, immediately removed good battery and jump leads with charger still connected and all good so far. I have concluded that my intelligence, whilst not great, appears to be marginally greater than that of the charger. :cheesy:

Ah well, I wouldn't go and look at one in the first place. Because I'd have great difficulty leaving without it :red:

Sizes above 1/2" are interchangeable too - no worse fit than some of the sloppy metric thread fasteners coming in from China

Brake drums - for return :whistle:

Like another 6V in series and try on 12V charge, or another 6V in parallel and try on 6V charge...... I suspect the series set-up would cause the charger to still think it was open circuit, but will go and try this.

OK I've forgotten something fundamental here. 6V conventional lead acid battery, 3 months standing went from full charge to zero. My old fashioned 'as many 2v cells as you care to put on' rectifier charger has packed up and I've only got these new fangled 'intelligent' chargers - although they seem too dim to realise there isn't any charge in the battery, and don't seem able to get the charging process underway. So how to get it to charge? Voltage readings : Cell 1 (neg. post) 0.19V :-( Cell 2 0.13V :-( Cell 3 (pos. post) 0.04V :-(

Hey, where's the dog? Did he look smart in his morning suit? :-D Congratulations!

Title is misleading - you should have put VERY in front of Interesting! What a great link, thanks. Some really crisp images there, and very varied.

Just what I was after, thank you!

If anyone has the bible of postwar U.S. equipment to hand, I'm looking for outline dimensions (Length/Height/Width) of the M373 Van semitrailer. Also tyre size. Thankyou!

Just a thought - cylinders are being condemned all the while at refill stations. You may be able to sweet talk your local BOC agent (if not try with an appropriate phone phone number through website) into giving you a contact number on the cylinder processing side. And if you get really lucky they may give you a couple of de-activated (hole drilled in base) cylinders? It would certainly look good as a complete display set, you could play the 're-enactment' card in your negotiations. Or even email them a pleading letter - once they see the attached photos of the impressive Mk3 at a show with pics of the sad incomplete gas pack they'll see exactly why you need them, not for anything untoward.

Well how bizarre! Not sure I have your patience any more..... So looks like you will have a simple system. I'm still curious as to why the original system is so complex.:nut: