New David Brown Book.

[powerrabbit]

The new book by Stuart Gibbard 'The David Brown Tractor Story - Part 2' is now out. Covers the tractors produced between 1949 to 1964, 360 pages, hundreds of black and white photos and a few colour, most of which have never been seen. A very heavy hardback book, fairly hefty price at £34.95 but Waterstones book shops online it's £29.95, I ordered a copy from my local Waterstones quoting their online price which they of course matched plus I had an old Â£10 National Book Token that has been pinned up on the kitchen board for 20 years (these never expire because they're not dated) so that came in handy. For anyone into and interested in what was arguably the best British tractor make ever produced then this book is a must have.

[NIGEL FORD]

always amuses me though, that for a gear making specialist their tractor gearboxes were the most illogically arranged for selection common sense, not to mention noisy in operation ( so I won't mention it!.....Ah!... bring back Benny Hill!)

[powerrabbit]

The reason for the gear arrangement being the way it is, is designed for front loader work, reverse opposite first forward, it's actually one of the most uncomplicated most simple gearboxes for a tractor that was ever designed. The reason that it's noisy is because the gears are 'straight' cut, this gives the gearbox components greater strength in construction and loading, back in the 60's and 70's and even now rally cars were and are fitted with straight cut boxes for the same reason, you don't hear the rally fraternity complaining about the noise! The synchromesh later gears, 2nd and 3rd only, were quieter, earlier ones transmitted or amplified the noise more due to being housed in a cast iron box with an aluminium lid.

[Niels]

It does look a nice book and no doubt worth it's money. You can trust Stuart Gibbard for that. However, it is the reason why I haven't bought it (yet). Will wait until I can get one in my hands and see if it is really worth it for me personally. I drive David Brown tractors but not an addict. Would be a nice addition but I have shelves full of books and I hardly read them..

[powerrabbit]

I think for the 'normal' tractor enthusiast it's just another one make publication but to the D.B enthusiast, like a Fordson or Ford book for example would be to the blue boys, it's a must have. If you read up on the history of the David Brown Companies, started in 1860 making wooden gear patterns for the textile mills machinery, the other parts of the Company, which included Vosper Thorneycroft, Aston Martin-Lagonda and involvement in a myriad of other Companies, the tractor division was only a very small proportion of the Company but in itself was huge. It will surprise most people just how the Company  in many ways had a significant part in history, you could say that David Brown was like the Mini, nearly everyone's lives, within the time of it's existence, and beyond, have in some way been affected by it.