BC's 1957 NUFFIELD UNIVERSAL DM4 Reg OSA 181

[leylandboy]

Would have taken a few hours to Road her down to Forfar Aaron. Yes the shafts were cut but well a good cut not a horrible burn like I've seen on some. Up in Aberdeenshire they were not needed since for drill work "neeps and tatties" drills would have been 28inches wide so the tractor wheels would have been at 56 inch centres all of the time anyway

it is quite rare to get them with the full shafts as people cut them off as they got tickled in gate posts etc.

[BC]

Today it was time to unwrap my Nuffield but even with the battery pack there was not enough power to start her. I was a bit disappointed but she won't be going to Banchory this year >

New smaller 12 volt batteries within old 1978 6 volt casings will be needed for next year.

[BC]

Yesterday I was in past an uncle of mine and I came away with two old black and white photos and the first one is probably the earliest photo we have of my Nuffield. Shame the photographer ( my mother I assume) did not manage to get all of the tractor in the photo...I guess she was going for the people. That is my grandfather feeding his dog (don't know his name...the dogs that is). Oh the left corn stack my dad is the one forking at the front and at the back my uncle Sandy I suspect. On the other stack that's my uncle Gordon.

On the back of the photo it says Harvest 1960 so I certainly was not around then and the Nuffy was not even three years old.

Now I don't know when the next photo was taken but it would have been the early 1960's. My uncle Sandy is forking what looks to be hay and yours truely is pointing at someone ;D

And the two photos

[BC]

Last year I commissioned Ian Leather to draw my Nuffield at the first North East Farm and Construction show which was held in Dyce.

The photo I sent

Ian at work

The final print I received last week.

I'm really pleased with it Ian and the photo of it here does not do it justice. Looking forward to seeing you back in Aberdeen in May and I wonder what you will be drawing this year

[BC]

Well my 1957 Nuffield will be 57 next year and I should in theory have much more time next year in my year out and my plan is to get her back on the road again and run her to some of the rallies. I still have the original old style hard casing batteries which were new when I acquired the tractor in 1978. Six volt batteries are expensive and many years ago my auto electrician Harvey Sutherland said he could melt out the lead and then use the casings to hold two smaller 12 volt batteries and wire up appropriately. Since I have been disposing of scrap of late I thought I might as well do the job myself. I will still have to cut out or melt part of the inside sections.

 

The first one I did I crack the casing but that won't matter since it will glue or silicone together again.

 

 

I wasn't so savage with the cold cut chisel and hammer on the second one.

 

 

 

 

[MF-ROB]

Bill that's a nice job look really good I wouldn't have the B**L's to do that just in case it blew up on my face.

[BC]

The batteries are nearly 35 years old and were dead so I had no fears Robert. They built substantial batteries with strong casings back then unlike the flimsy ones they now produce.

[MF-ROB]

Ah I see Bill looks a neat job really need to get myself a tractor next year I want a MF but not sure what to get would like a good head turner but not sure ?

[BC]

I remember my grandad steering this tractor at harvest time and then after he died in 1969 I got his job so this tractor has a lot of sentimental value for me.

[BC]

Yesterday and today I was pricing up and size..ing ..up two replacement 12 volt batteries for my most cherished tractor since it was new to my late grandfather William Jenkins on the 30th October 1957 and after he died in 1969 I became the driver of it at harvest time. The tractor was bought by my late dad before my uncles( on my mums side) farm sale in November 1978 and I became the proud owner.It was 10 years ago when I bought 2 x 6 volt batteries for her and that was around £ 139 after trade discount. The last time she was out and started via a pull start was August 2008 so I think 6 years on it's time to get her on the road again with 2 x 12 volt modified batteries and the old casings to hide the modern ones  

[BC]

Today my Nuffield saw the light of day after being covered up for nearly four years to keep the dust off her in the back corner of my garage. I went and got 2 new Bosch 12 volt  750A / 74A. I then went in past my auto electrician Harvey Sutherland  and took him up on his offer to wire them up (instead of 2 x 6 volt as they were originally) just in case there were other electrical issues. I have taken a lot of photos of Harvey at the ploughing matches over the past couple of years and printed and laminated for him. He was always offering to pay me for them which I declined so I suppose he is doing something back for me....I like the barter system...cuts out the dreaded paperwork  

 

 

 

[BC]

Last night Harvey came over and wired up the two new 12 volt batteries and after a little click clicking of the solenoid she burst into life. We shut her off to save being gassed by the reek with no exhaust on her but we tried her for a second time and again she fired up no problem, Today I measured and cut the ends of my old 1978 casings and pieced out with pieces of weatherboarding left over from my last tractor shed so it looks like the old style of batteries. I'm now away to look out containers and source some red diesel for her.

 

 

 

 

[super6]

Why two 12 volt batteries, when you only had two 6 Volt ones before?

[BC]

Good question Paul...but too good a one for me to wire up since its a long time ago since I studied Physics at school..anyway dependant on the way you wire them you can get 12 volt from the two or 24 volt from them which may roast the starter...anyway the main choice was cost to buy less than £ 160 for two 12 volts and 10 years ago I paid £ 170 after trade discount for 2 x 6 volts which only lasted 4 years. In addition I had to pay £130 for a much smaller 6 volt battery for my 1951 Farmall Cub but hey ho the last one lasted 7 rally seasons. The problem is they are not being used daily....only over the Summer month's. I really do need to consider investing in trickle chargers to preserve the life of my batteries  

[BC]

At last I have been able to get the water pump off my Nuffield. The old one did not want to part company with the engine block (its been on for 57 years) but after many weeks of socking it with WD-40 I managed to get it off. The only problem was the plate which went over the fan blades would not fit so yesterday I got my blacksmith to ream it out a little since I did not have a large enough drill. I now only need to get 4 new studs and shake proof washers to attach the fan blades to the pump and get the new pump back on the tractor.

 

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[BC]

Thanks Mark...it was new to my late grandfather on 31st October 1957 and I remember it from an early age and probably first drove it ( well steered it in low gear) when I was around 7 to 8 years old. I then acquired it in 1978 when my late dad bought it for me prior to the farm sale instead of a 50 cc Yamaha moped which was costing around £230 back then and that was without the insurance. The Nuffield was bought for less than that and I'm sure is worth a lot more than the said new moped had I got it and kept it.

 

Painting well may I'll just undercoat it in primer excluding the bit on the pulley where the belt runs. I may still have a tin of Poppy orange gloss paint from when it was restored in 1982 but depending on how well that tin was sealed the paint may have hardened up    

[BC]

Yesterday a retired mechanic friend was out by and we tried to fit the new replacement water pump but it just would not slide in with a gap of a 1/4 inch between it and the engine block. After taking various measurements to ensure the new pump was the same as the old one we chalked the new pump to see what was causing the pump not to mesh. In addition with the use of a mirror we were able to see there was corrosion on top of the flange in the engine block but there was no way we could get access to clean it. A drill with a flexible drive and a wire brush or a flap disc was suggested but since two of my drills have been out on loan for months and not yet returned and not having a flexible drive I said that I would remove the bonnet, front cowling with light and the radiator since I thought this was be the easiest option in the long run. I wish now I had done this before the old one was removed but it is very true one does learn by ones mistakes  

 

Today I started on plan B

 

 

 

 

 

[BC]

 

 

 

[BC]

More cleaning with a needle gun, wire brush and round file and at last it slotted into place.

 

 

 

 

[MF-ROB]

Nice up date Bill glad to see the old girl out its always the way a small job turns into a bigger job we have a 10/60 at work really nice tractor I had a bit of time on it this year at Newdeer show

[BC]

In theory it should have been a quick and easy job but it does not always work out that way especially when the pump was the original one and has been on for around 57 years Robert.I think when I'm at it I will replace the thermostat and the fan belt. After that the fuel pump needs looking at since it has started to "hunt" so it may be the diaphragm. I must admit I haven't had to spend anything on the tractor since it was restored in 1982 apart from batteries so I'm not grudging some replacement parts after all this time.

 

Yes I recall seeing a few Nuffield's at New Deer when I was out on the Sunday with an old lawn mower for the no longer made in Scotland display.I must admit I do like to see Nuffield's at the shows since there are not so many of them around like the Ford Majors and the MF65's.

[Valley Axe Man]

Nice to see you're making progress Bill , I bet you'll be looking forward to giving her a good run in the spring and stretch those famous long Nuffield legs  

[BC]

It has been a slow process Paul mind you I haven't been in a hurry since I didn't want to break any studs or worse still any casings. I was initially told "aye that's an easy job you can easily replace the water pump without removing the radiator" ...well maybe so had the said pump not been on for as long as this one had been.

 

I had a laugh to myself when you said "those famous Nuffield long legs" since it reminded me of a farm sale I was at in the Cabrach area near Huntly before I probably even had my Nuffield. They had a couple of Nuffields 10/60's or 4/60's for sale and the farmers nickname for his Nuffy's were "LANG LEGS". Quite a good description really since they were some of the fastest road tractors in their day and could easily do 18 to 20 mph and probably even more if you pulled the throttle handle over and back     

[IAINH1973]

My father used to have a 4/65 which had a 6 cylinder Leyland lorry engine in it. 100 hp + and at least 40k on the road. Nothing funnier than catching and overtaking more modern tractors. It was sold locally and used to transport a ploughing tractor to competitions ( at speed!)

[Valley Axe Man]

That sounds like a bit of a beast, Iain  hope there wasn't too much free play in the steering

 

Aye Bill, There were a few  back in the day known round here for liking the road speed of the Nuffield ....  although quite a lot ended their working lives on shrimping and cockling duties in Morecambe Bay due to being that bit taller and being a bit wick across the sands.... there will have been quite a few that have rotted away to nothing due to the daily bathing in the salty water. Bit of a shame really that a few more aren't seen about on the rally fields  

 

..... But it good to see your's will be back in service for next years events