Lessons well learned
Peter Phillips reflects on how his tractor collection came together and the experience he has gained that will benefit new projects he still has in mind.
Without the lubrication qualities of engine oil the invention of internal combustion motors would have been a non-starter in the early days of development, which is something that Peter Phillips had cause to reflect upon after starting and running his newly acquired 1947 John Deere Model B for the very first time.
"This tractor had not been run since it was imported from America, where it had been part of a collection," said Peter. "It had been repainted, but I guess that's as far as it went for just display purposes. When I looked underneath the tractor where you couldn't normally see, the tractor was still all rusty. After repainting the tractor again, I ran it for an hour when it was taken to a show. I decided to put in a set of new piston rings, just as a matter of course really, which is when it was noticed the oil delivery pipe to the rockers on the two-cylinder engine was broken. So no top end lubrication, which was bad enough, but when I stripped the engine down to see what else could have gone wrong, the oil feed to the mains bearings was also broken!"
Lucky
Peter concluded he had been very lucky, as no major damage or seizure had occurred. The oil feed situation was immediately rectified, and Peter now makes sure any new arrivals to his collection, which is kept and maintained on his dad's farm on the outskirts of Bolton, receive a thorough check over and an examination of the oil delivery system before taking a grip of the starting handle.
"I'm halfway through doing up my second John Deere, a 1953 Model R, which has been imported from Saskatchewan," Peter said. "And I made sure the engine was in good condition with a full overhaul even though the tractor already came with a new set of pistons and rings fitted. It's had a new clutch, as this was almost non-existent due to wear, also new bushes, kingpins and steering joints."
As can be seen by the accompanying photos of the Model R that's now well in progress and some of Peter's other tractors, he's not one for stinting when it comes to rebuilding his tractors, as so easily appreciated by examining his McCormick Farmall MD that dates to 1949, a diesel model which is started on petrol, that he restored three years ago. Although this tractor didn't make it to the line up outside owing to a dud battery, and neither did his 1929 Case L that's about to receive the full rebuild treatment with the arrival of replacement parts from the USA.
The most modern tractor is an International 806 built in 1963, of which Peter commented: "This was just repainted when it first arrived, as nothing else seemed to be required at all. It was put to work with a Claas 250 mower, which it pulls along so strongly just as if nothing's there at all. It's also used with a Marshall side muck spreader and a trailer for hauling silage bales, but then the power steering system went and failed. But getting a replacement power steering pump from America was easy enough, also a new MCV -manual control valve; the pump operation also works the PTO drive as well as the brakes and power steering." 3
Minor restoration
This work-worn Ford 5000 is a more recent addition to the collection.
The robin's nest suggests this 1937 Farmall F12 with spade lug wheels is unused, but Peter still uses it around the farm and has plans for its restoration.
This very early Fordson E27N, Is one of the first to be built in 1945, says Peter.
Peter's 1929 Case L is about to receive the full rebuild treatment with the arrival of replacement parts from the USA.
Yourtractors
Minor restoration
The 1937 Farmall F12 with spade lug wheels standing in a corner of the tractor shed may suggest this now awaits long-term restoration, particularly as an abandoned robin's nest sits on the driver's seat. But not so, as Peter explained: "I use this tractor as it always comes in handy whenever any of the other tractors won't start, as the belt pulley works in the opposite direction on an F12, anticlockwise, a design fault that means there's no need for a cross-over of the belt when connecting this to both the pulley on the tractor that's to be started as well as this one - pulley to pulley; with the two tractors positioned nose to nose, at an offset."
The robin's nest suggests this 1937 Farmall F12 with spade lug wheels is unused, but Peter still uses it around the farm and has plans for its restoration.
This very early Fordson E27N, Is one of the first to be built in 1945, says Peter.
Leave as they are
Even though Peter may spend all the hours that he can find to accomplish restoring at least one tractor in every 12-month period, he also owns a pair of McCormick-Deering tractors that he intends to leave exactly as they are. "My 1925 McCormick-Deering 10/20 was supplied by Terry Dansen out of Ontario, who trades under the name Antrak," said Peter, "it was bought as found, and it has done well other than a lack of compression at first, which was then corrected by removing the rocker cover, which revealed that the exhaust valves were all stuck down. These were freed off by squirting kerosene and turning the valve stems with a pair of mole grips while also pushing the valves down and then up. Once they were moving again, a mate of mine towed the tractor round a field, and as soon as I slowly let out the 10/20's clutch, away it started."
Peter's McCormick-Deering 22/36 was bought from Jeff Goodfellow of Macclesfield, and no
Peter's 1929 Case L is about to receive the full rebuild treatment with the arrival of replacement parts from the USA.
AVVUUll
This work-worn Ford 5000 is a more recent addition to the collection.
This International W9 has received the full treatment in Peter's capable hands.
mechanical work has been required other than a conversion from purely petrol to petrol/kerosene operation, which involved fitting a replacement manifold that was tracked down in Minnesota, also a small 'start-up' petrol tank. As for the tinwork, Peter was very lucky in tracking down a set of engine side panels.
Rather confusingly, Peter's 19 industrial tractor arrived with a Farmall rather than a McCormick badge. He imported this one direct from Canada, and it is virtually identical to its W9 sister model but for the type of mudguards, back wheels and diff. This tractor will most likely remain in unrestored condition, making a great discussion piece compared to the fully restored International W9, which received the full treatment in Peter's capable hands.
"This Lease/Lend tractor was based in the Northallerton area originally, and in more recent times, it was bought by Jim Hacking, a friend who lives nearby in Horwich. I bought the tractor, still unrestored, about five years ago. It was in very poor, but untouched condition. There wasn't all that much of it left really but for the cast-iron items; the chassis, engine and gearbox. So all the tinwork was missing, also the radiator, and the clutch had to be replaced due to water getting into the bellhousing.
"The replacement tinwork came from the Steel Wheel Ranch in Everest, Kansas - International
Harvester specialists. And the mudguards and other items were supplied by Terry Dansen at Antrak in Ontario - also the clutch assembly, radiator and front cowling. The engine had completely seized, so I removed the pistons and then I fitted new rings, also new bottom end bearings. It made sense to go for a petrol/kerosene conversion with a replacement manifold, which also involved fitting a small petrol tank for the starting procedure. As always with an International, the quality of the engineering was first-class, although after I had fitted new tyres onto a set of second-hand rims, the restoration costs on this one were quite steep, somewhere between five and six thousand. It was an expensive tractor to restore, but I guess that I'll never learn my lesson!"
Perhaps recovering from the cost of the rebuild, Peter scaled down the extent of work on his next new project, a McCormick WD9 that has benefited from a new set of pistons and rings together with new shell bearings. "One of the plus points of buying a tractor that's been imported from North America is that the tinwork is so much better than on the same tractor that's been used in the UK," Peter remarked. "Not only less rusty, but also less damaged from when being used. So I decided to concentrate on imports when it comes to buying tractors from now on." Z)
"The International 806 was just repainted when it first arrived, as nothing else seemed to be required at all."
Yourtractors w
Freeing the exhaust valves on the 1925 McCormick-Deering 10/20.
Peter's 19 industrial tractor arrived with a Farmall rather than a McCormick badge.
Peter is halfway through restoring his second John Deere, a 1953 Model R, imported from Saskatchewan.
This McCormick Farmall MD dates to 1949, a diesel model which is started on petrol, that Peter restored three years ago.
" The 19 is virtually identical to its W9 sister model but for the type of mudguards, back wheels and diff. "
Freeing the exhaust valves on the 1925 McCormick-Deering 10/20.
Peter's 19 industrial tractor arrived with a Farmall rather than a McCormick badge.
Peter is halfway through restoring his second John Deere, a 1953 Model R, imported from Saskatchewan.
When Peter was a young lad working on the farm, he used an International 275 which set the scene for this choice of manufacturer all those years later. He also used a Grey Fergie that's still employed occasionally on the farm for powering a saw bench. Peter said: "My dad bought the Fergie in 1955 when it was just a year old, and it's performed so well, never needing any major repairs or attention. Although I most certainly did one day when I was cutting wood on the saw bench and the hand which was holding a piece of wood then slipped, so that the rotating blade then chopped one of my fingers off. Surprisingly, there was little blood flowing when I cleaned up the wound under the tap. Luckily, they managed to sew it back on down at the hospital!"
The farm's long serving Fordson Major is earning a well deserved rest in one of the barns together with a more recent addition, a work-worn Ford 5000. It was the farm's long-serving Standard Fordson which first set the ball rolling
This McCormick Farmall MD dates to 1949, a diesel model which is started on petrol, that Peter restored three years ago.
for Peter's restoration hobby. "I did up the orange Fordson Standard with a new piston and some tinwork in 1995. This is a 1939 model, and before and since then, this was always a great little ploughing tractor.
"I then bought a 1940 model Standard Fordson as a source of spares for the orange one, but this was too good, so this is also a runner now. I returned once more to a Ford tractor restoration with a very early Fordson E27N, one of the first to be built in 1945, when Standard Fordsons were also still being built and sold. This was unusual in that unlike other production models I've seen, this tractor has a straight axle, a Fordson Standard type air cleaner, and the support frames for the mudguards are different. What's more, there's no footbrake, as braking is by means of a lever operated transmission brake. I bought this tractor off the Morgan brothers of Chorley, and I've been told it was a War Ag tractor which was used in the
Garstang area before its was then bought by a farmer living nearby, and later on it was owned by the Leyland Paint factory."
In what by then was becoming a fairly familiar procedure, Peter got the E27N running once more with a new set of piston rings, and it looked a lot better after being kitted out with new mudguards (but retaining the original support brackets), a new fuel tank, foot plates and a new radiator core. Peter said: "This has been a very handy tractor which I still use on the farm for chain harrowing and rolling."
As for Peter's future plans, resting on his laurels with what he's already bought does seem out of character and most unlikely. "My next aim is to buy an International/McCormick-Deering WK40, the really big tractor that was only built between 1937 and 1940, which shares the same chassis and back end as their 22/36 model, but with a six-cylinder kerosene engine, so I'm on the look out for one of these next." ■
Tractor Data
^ Fordson Major ^
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