Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

On all of the JAP engines that I’ve worked on I’ve found that they tend to be designed to run at governed engine speed. I’ll have to look it up but that would normally be a high idle speed of around 2500rpm (I’m working from memory, so don’t shout at me if it’s wrong!).

To achieve a tick-over speed the throttle cable is used to override the…[Read more]

As you say, Charlie, the vintage ruling is imposed by the Society of Ploughmen for their National Championships. On an every day basis nobody is stopping people competing with Wingets and Martin Markhams at the local ploughing matches and I have never heard of anyone being turned away because their tractor is too new- witness the amount of Kubotas…[Read more]

As you say, Charlie, the vintage ruling is imposed by the Society of Ploughmen for their National Championships. On an every day basis nobody is stopping people competing with Wingets and Martin Markhams at the local ploughing matches and I have never heard of anyone being turned away because their tractor is too new- witness the amount of Kubotas…[Read more]

I know what you mean, Angus. The old days of the Windsor Show in September are long gone, but what a show it was! Woodchippers running, Blec digging holes and filling them in and countless mowers running on demonstration plots. One of the last ones I went to had Ransomes challenging all comers to drive their Spider remote control mower around a…[Read more]

Global Press have now invested in a new notebook and sharpened all pencils and crayons especially for the event. If all goes well it should be a good show.

Well done, Andrew, for securing such a prestigious venue for showing off your collection. As stand space is at a premium in the NEC the GMA must think it important to advertise their long association with the industry. I can remember the unique displays that you put on at SALTEX when it was at Windsor Racecourse and nothing but complimentary…[Read more]

A very rough date for your tractor will be June, 1948.

Your best bet is to look on that well known online auction site for an instruction book for the JAP 5 engine. The original books come up frequently and are very concise, giving dismantling and rebuilding information as well as parts lists and exploded drawings for just about everything including the magneto and carburettor.

It would be unusual…[Read more]

I’m guessing that Charlie meant that the person who wrote the original post is no longer an active member, and so Merry-Tiller’s question to him is unlikely to get a reply.

It doesn’t stop anyone else from answering him, though.

One further point…….I’ve just noticed your serial number has too many digits. Could you check it again and possibly post a photo of the serial number plate? It looks like you’ve been having trouble with the size of your photo’s- check out Charlie’s instructions for reducing photo size so they don’t get too big for the software.

The engine you have is a JAP 5, made by J.A.Prestwich of Tottenham, London. It should have JAP stamped in large letters above the inlet holes for the cooling air and it will have JAP cast into the crankcase just above the output crankshaft. Engine numbers should be stamped into the crankcase at the base of the barrel.

Parts are (or were)…[Read more]

I’ll have to shop around locally to see if there’s anybody around here that offers the same service. Thanks for the info, it’s something that I hadn’t considered.

A combination of old skills and new technology has triumphed again! The pressure gauge was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but once it was all working the gauge face was copied onto a piece of white card with a Rotring pen and compasses and the graduations marked off. So that the lettering and numbers would look professionally done I then…[Read more]

A combination of old skills and new technology has triumphed again! The pressure gauge was proving to be a bit of a challenge, but once it was all working the gauge face was copied onto a piece of white card and the graduations marked off. So that the lettering and numbers would look professionally done I then scanned it into my computer and used…[Read more]

You should be able to adjust the main support bar by bending it in stages to get it flat again. The normal way set these old finger bars was to stretch a piece of string between the two extremities and use gentle force to persuade the bar to move back flat again; hitting it with a hammer should be avoided, better to put part of it in a vice and…[Read more]

That will be the bare tractor; allow another 90 kgs for the plough.

I have just looked up your tractor’s history in my records and found it was sold through the official Trusty dealer in Huddersfield, a company by the name of Tractors (Yorkshire) Ltd. It was invoiced to them on the 10th October 1951.

The NTS stands for New Trusty Steed, so I’m assuming you have what we now call the Mk2 Steed.

The Norton Big Four engine fitted is the same as the motorcycle engine- it has a short, tapered crankshaft extension and the cooling fins on the head run from front to back; don’t confuse it with the Norton Big Four engine which was fitted to the 2-wheel…[Read more]

I think I may just dig out my old engineering drawing equipment and re-draw the gauge dial on card with a Rotring pen. It can’t look any worse than it does now and I’m not damaging the original.

Mr. Woollas has said that I can copy his artwork for the perspex window so it’s just a matter of getting to see him soon to take a decent picture that I…[Read more]

The only way I’ll end up buying that caravan off you is if you fill it with expensive alcohol, particularly single malt whiskey. Your half-hearted attempt at filling it with Liebfraumilch and home-made Damson Wine simply wasn’t enough to sway the deal.

You could always try Mr. Woollas!