RAF (?) tractor used for towing what?

[2ndArmourMad]

6 minutes ago, ltwtbarmy said:

Funny, I looked up the picture on getty images, and right before the info you put up, it says “16th March 1945:”

https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/private-robert-oliver-of-the-us-army-trying-out-a-ransome-news-photo/3403389

Oh I was looking via google and that never showed up, how strange! Good to have a date tho, if only the photo was taken on a air strip in front of a plane.... ha ha quick someone edit it

[Hair Bear]

Interesting stuff, a farming background at home perhaps?

[Fltsgt2]

Could this be one of the original MG2 crawlers to have been tested? looks ot be a one coat original paintscheme with no other layers of paint visible under the od... ?

[MatchFuzee]

17 minutes ago, Fltsgt2 said:

Could this be one of the original MG2 crawlers to have been tested? looks ot be a one coat original paintscheme with no other layers of paint visible under the od... ?

A couple of sites that may help:-

http://www.vhgmc.co.uk/survivors/ransomes-mg-register/

https://forum.keypublishing.com/forum/historic-aviation/14700-help-needed-on-raf-mg-2-cultivator

[Hair Bear]

The carrier rollers, idler wheels and belt guard suggest a later version mg2, the main hubs look to be missing the outer castings. Shame the fuel tank casting is damaged, should be repairable though. Any makers or contract plates?

An invasion star??? Very slow up the beach!

[Fltsgt2]

Only ID - Engine number TB6255, placing it somewhere between 1939-1940 production, and Magneto type is WICO776B which is right for the years, all other data plates remaining are not brass and have rusted out - stencilled across front bumper though 'max torpedo weight 2100lbs' ....plot thickens.

 

[Fltsgt2]

and yes - the hubs are missing the outer casings correct, as it's had spacers fitted on the axle stubs, look factory rather than 'bodged' at first glance to give the crawler a wider footprint for stability which might suggest a test set up rather than later agricultural improvement - largely based on the fact we can't find any other pics of mg2 crawlers with spacers used i have to say...anyway we'll bash on with the research and will eventually get to the bottom of it all 🙂

[Hair Bear]

Now I look again, the first pic posted appears to have the same wider spaced track arrangement. My '38 ag spec (or should that be hort spec?!) is used for ploughing so is set up in a narrow configuration. I believe - without looking at the book - there were four width settings achieved by various swapping of wheels side to side, inner hub to outer hub etc., in a vaguely similar way to adjusting the rear track of Fergie or Ford with GKN style wheels.

I've just noticed it seems to have a tray under the engine, the only one I've ever seen other than mine.

Does it run?

Edited September 17, 2019 by Hair Bear

[Kevin Julian]

Did this thread inspire this artistic creation? Looks great but I don't fancy the operators chances.

[Hair Bear]

Neat set up. Good luck reversing it.

Fltsgt2 - how's yours getting on?

 

80th anniversary of the MG at Tractor World Newbury 2016, this one was only 78 (!) then.

 

 

[Kevin Julian]

Yep great little machines. And they will have played their part in WW2 by helping to produce much needed food on 1000s of small holdings. I still use my MG5 with a trailer to pull logs out of the wooded area of my garden.