Wartime Fordson tractor help

Hi,
Glad to help, I shall see what I can find, many are in books so will need scanning etc, and access to them is currently pending a storage area revamp.
Just one showing the wartime markings might be enough.
I would like to see one restored with cab, as that is extra special.

DBenz.

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Sorry to poach this thread but we are restoring a Fordson at the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre too. DBenz, we would be very grateful if you could share your pictures please.

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Sorry to poach this thread but we are restoring a Fordson at the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre too. DBenz, we would be very grateful if you could share your pictures please.

Fordson N tractor pics

Hi,
Just wondering what was the result of the request for Fordson pics, as I have come across this thread somewhat late and collect RAF Fordson N tractor pics, I might have been of use had I seen this ! Is there a way of contacting the gentleman ?
The Brockhouse Bowser by the way had a Lister ‘A28s’ engine.

DBenz

Ok you lot…
ODes anyone remember seeing pics of or the real thing of a fordson tractors during the war? A fellow signed my guestbook recently stating that he is restoring a fordson tractor here in canada and is interested in finding info beit pics or otherwise of what decals or markings were carried on these tractors during the war at ww2 airbases.
Can anyone sehd any light on this or is there websites that may help this fellow out? When he is finished his restoration late next summer, he is willing tobring it to out museum to display with our lancaster…..

thanks Guzzineil….!

He needs pics of the markings on a wartime fordson tractor so that his restoration will be authentic.

East Kirkby

a couple of the vehicles displayed there.. couldnt get a shot of the Fordson mentionned above as its tucked away in a new display area – if the guy in Canada needs pictures of any specific parts let me know and i’ll have another go..

Thanks Colin for that extra info about the Aveling roller – I may have to consider going along to next year’s event and must visit both museums sometime anyway.

I know of ten of those bowsers derelict in a field but the owner is absolutely imposible to deal with ! They are called Brockhurst refuellers from memory
and there is one on display at Hawkinge.

Do you still have that photograph of them David ?? , I take it the owners are typical farmers , won’t sell until they are beyond salvage !

Charlielima5

Hi Charlie,
The Aveling is very rare, its owned by the ‘Walton Hall Museum
Walton Hall, Road, Linford, Essex.’ I think they also have an aircraft tug fromm WWII which will be attending the 2005 Tractor event along with the Aveling

Our museum is the Thameside Aviation Musuem and we are base at Coalhouse Fort East Tilbury, Essex.

Colin

What a great thread, thanks for all the info on the tractos in the pictures I posted. Peter, I didn’t even notice that CASE label till you mentioned it – blind as a bat!!

Does anyone produce any good models of the airfield tractors, refuellers, etc? I think Airfix did a refueller in 1/72nd didn’t they? Any in bigger scales though? 1/48th or 1/32nd?

That Aveling road (runway) roller is superb and very rare if not unique – do you know who owns it and where it is normally kept? Which is the museum you refer to?

Brockhurst refueller !
we had a Vintage Tractor and Machinery day at the museum last Sunday, note the “Lister D” engine of the refueller, and one below running at the fort.

LIster D,
and below my fave

1944 AVELING WAR DESIGN airfield road roller

I know of ten of those bowsers derelict in a field but the owner is absolutely imposible to deal with ! They are called Brockhurst refuellers from memory
and there is one on display at Hawkinge.

These are generally known as Eagle Oil Bowser Trailers – I’m not sure of the powerplant but there are still a few around including one at East Fortune and two at Elvington.

Can you tell that I just like old machinery generally?

Adrian

Same here !! 🙂 .

I think the bowser looks like it has a shrouded JAP sidevalve single cylinder – there was a similar one on show at one of the rallys last year , there is also one with a Douglas flat twin out there somewhere. Somebody posted a shot of some bowsers lying in a field somewhere last year – I wouldn’t mind one – would be a novel mini caravan for trailing around . 🙂

Yes, the tractor with the Vildebeeste is indeed a Fordson ‘N’.

It looks like an Industrial model from the small wheels with rubber tyres, the cab and the downswept exhaust. It also has an air cleaner mounted on a 90-degree pipe on the top of the carburettor, unlike the agricultural tractors – the Duxford tractor has one just like this.

I’ve also seen photos of cabless tractors on agricultural tyres (not unlike modern tractor tyres, and the RAF also used Fordsons modified with half-tracks by Roadless. There is a piccy of one of those on the following site, if you find the link to “cool Roadless tractor” or somesuch:

http://www.oldengine.org/members/arnie/yank2001/yank2.htm

Is that a fuel bowser behind the Fordson? It’s got a stationary engine (Petter? LIster?) to drive something on it, and LOTS of asbestos lagging on the exhaust pipe – hot exhausts on a petrol bowser wouldn’t be fun… Given that tractor power-take-offs before the war were generally a pulley on the side of the transmission, it would make sense for the bowser to have an engine of it’s own to drive a pump. Any offers?

Can you tell that I just like old machinery generally?

Adrian

Excellent pictures – could the book Alastair refers to be by Bruce Robertson (1983) ‘Wheels of the RAF’ (Patrick Stephens Ltd, Cambridge)?

Does anyone know what these tractors are?

The one with the Vildebeeste was taken at RNZAF Station Wigram probably but it’s undoubtedly a British tractor, and I’d guess the cab is a local modification.

The one with the Anson is most likely to be at either RNZAF Station Bell Block or RNZAF Station Omaka.

Any ideas on tractors types? Cheers.

Dave , the first one is a Fordson N model and the second looks like a Case VI , I have a book somewhere that has all the RAF ground handling equipment listed , I’ll try to find it , DH Fan ( Ken ) put me on to it and it is fairly comprehensive .

Al

Dave, Case is a well-known tractor brand. More information is here:
http://www.tractorshed.com/

Does anyone know what these tractors are?

The one with the Vildebeeste was taken at RNZAF Station Wigram probably but it’s undoubtedly a British tractor, and I’d guess the cab is a local modification.

The one with the Anson is most likely to be at either RNZAF Station Bell Block or RNZAF Station Omaka.

Any ideas on tractors types? Cheers.

Hello chaps!
Thanks very much for the help on this. I will post pics when he sends me some.