BC Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 A couple of you expressed an interest last week on my back garden post on seeing photos' of my Ransome MG2. Well here we go and I apologise on the quality of some of the photos since they are 25 year old ones and photopgraphed through a display board with acetate sheet on it. 1948 RANSOME SIMS & JEFFERIES MG 2 CRAWLER Serial Number 3118 This garden tractor was purchased new in 1948 from Barclay Ross and Hutcheon Aberdeen at the Royal Highland Show by Mrs Nicol from Bellenden House Milltimber Aberdeen. In addition a Ransome TS42A trailing plough, a tool bar with cultivator tines and 2 ridger bodies and a set of discs were purchased to work the large garden at Bellenden House. The MG 2 was driven exclusively by Mrs Nicol's gardener Peter Kaminskas. Part of the large garden was sold off for housing development and in 1984 I became the second owner of MG 2 number 3118. The crawler was restored by myself and my father during 1984 and 1985 and has now been shown on the rally fields for the past twenty years. A total of 3,200 MG 2 crawlers were made by Ransomes of Ipswich from 1936 to 1948. This particular one is the 83 rd last one to have been made by Ramsomes at their Ipswich works. The MG 5 replaced the MG 2 in 1948 and 5,000 units were produced.In 1953 the MG 6 was introduced at the Smithfield show and again 5,000 units were produced.The final model to be made was the MG 40 and this was introduced in 1960 with 2,000 units being produced before production ceased in 1966. During the 30 years of production Ransomes made approximately 15,000 units of the 4 models. ENGINE Bore : 3.417 inches Stroke : 101 m/m Capacity : 600 c.c Cycle: 4 stroke Cooling : Air ? by fan Lubrication : dry sump, pressure fed Clutch : automatic centrifugal Fuel : Petrol Ignition : Wico impulse starting magneto First up as acquired in 1984 or maybe it was 1983. As you can see the bumper was pained incorrectly in red and the body had been painted in Ransome's Nacton blue instead of the correct Orwell blue. The second photograph shows it out for the first time yesterday 2008 getting for the summer rallies
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Next working in the parents then back garden in 1984 with the toolbar and cultivator Followed by the first photo of the restoration
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 More on the restoration. The red oxcide on followed by the Orwell blue.
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Now the "wheels" are on followed by a photo from yesterday
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Yet more from yesterday. The first is my attempt at signwriing since transfers were not available when this machine was restored back in 1985. Secondly my "anti kid device" ... sorry display board but also keeps children from climbing on to it. I don't mind letting kids on to get a photograph taken. What annoys me is is the ones who climb on or worse still the parents who lift them on without even asking
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 And finally Hitched up to the Ransomes TS42A plough and then put in side the paint shop for temporary storage.
pudding Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 thats great, great to see this fantastic machine has a great home can you get decals now??
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 thats great, great to see this fantastic machine has a great home can you get decals now?? Yes I sure you can get decals for them now since I've seen others at the shows with them. Not too sure where you get them from or if people have just went and got the tranfers made up. I cheated a bit when I did mine. I blew up a copy of the tank front from the operators manual. I then traced that on to tracing paper. I then put carbon paper on to the tank and traced over the lettering so I could fill in with paint. A bit like painting by numbers really ;D
Kiwi6920 Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 OOOOO i love these old ransome MG2 crawlers, if i find one at good money im going to sna it up, They have all ways taken my fancy, Very nice job you have done there BBLQ, There are a few over here on the show scene
Lord Ferguson Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 :o - what a beauty Bill... lovely job done on that little lady too.... First class - I bet she gets some looks when you go to shows mate \
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 OOOOO i love these old ransome MG2 crawlers, if i find one at good money im going to sna it up, They have all ways taken my fancy, Very nice job you have done there BBLQ, There are a few over here on the show scene Oh I hadn't realised they had been shipped to the other side of the world too. What were they used for in NZ
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 :o - what a beauty Bill... lovely job done on that little lady too.... First class - I bet she gets some looks when you go to shows mate \ She was only at a couple of shows last year Mark but was first in the Horticultural at Glamis Castle in Angus. This makes her eligible for entering the Scottish Champion of Champion's which is being held in the North East town of Fraserburgh this year. I'll probably get my father to tow her along to that event since I will be going with my American Farmall Cub which will also be a contender for the 2008 C of C. The MG 2 will have no chance in the tractor class but its taking part not winning which counts in my book ;D
jdc Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 What a lovely job you've made of that - good when you know it's history too It deserves to win something too!
pudding Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 ya a few came to NZ BBL..........i guess market gardeners used them..........you wouldn't really know thou......we got one of everything in this country............ha ha!......just another member of the queens commonwealth!
Kiwi6920 Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 ya a few came to NZ BBL..........i guess market gardeners used them..........you wouldn't really know thou......we got one of everything in this country............ha ha!......just another member of the queens commonwealth! Yeah thats roughly what i was going to say, i think they were also council machines possably
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Yeah thats roughly what i was going to say, i think they were also council machines possably In Scotland their main use was in the "berry fields" i.e. between the rows of raspberries or market gardeners
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 Very nice Bill , has this been to Lanark ? I remember reading something about you taking it to a show recently but cant remember where I had intended taking this one down to Lanark last year Iain but then I was told by the promoter there was not a horticultural class so I decided against it. I probably saved a fortune in extra fuel cost since the mini curtainsider it travels in takes the full force of any headwinds and fuel consumption goes up quite substainially.
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 What a lovely job you've made of that - good when you know it's history too It deserves to win something too! Some credit needs to go to my father as well since he was the one who sprayed the top coat on that one. I mean he would not have trusted "the loon" to do that 23 years ago ;D. Its the other way round now though ;D I did a lot of the preparation and also the icing on the cake bits... i.e. the signwriting and the lining and the lettra set for the small transfers on the bottom rollers.
BC Posted March 31, 2008 Author Posted March 31, 2008 :o Fantastic Bill.... I'm green with envy! Funny you should say that Jason but I have seen green ones but probably the MG5 or MG6's. They were pained green when other companies added bits to them. I think the last one I saw sold was at a roup in Aberdeenshire a couple of years ago and it was fitted with a conveyor for loading dumpers etc with gravel etc. A chap a few miles up the road from me bought it so I will try and find out more about it.
nashmach Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 Horticultural tractors are not really my thing but I must admit nice job Bill
BC Posted April 9, 2008 Author Posted April 9, 2008 Horticultural tractors are not really my thing but I must admit nice job Bill Thanks Nashmash. The only reason I bought this one back in the early 1980's was because it was a one owner, it was local and I knew its history. At that time the only tractor I had was my Nuffield DM4 which I could only run to local rallies within a 25 mile radius of home. With the MG 2 I was able to tow it behind my car and attend further away rallies. I even took it down to the Kendal rally held at Flookburgh in 1985 or 1986 and I won the horticultural class there. I have a few rotovators ( 4) in my collection but don't show these. I must say the horticultural class is a growing one on the Scottish rally fields.
BC Posted April 9, 2008 Author Posted April 9, 2008 Although not a sales leaflet on the MG2 when I purchased the MG2 I got this near mint sales leaflet from the owner on the MG6. I don't know if they had considered upgrading to a newer model or if they just had a visit from a salesman looking for a possible sale ;D
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