Ransomes MG5 Crawler

[Dieselman 63]

Primer on, it’s getting down to -1°c overnight so that’ll be a beautiful curing temperature!

Then, onto snapping metal with this old thing. It really did not want to come apart, even heat hasn’t really helped, but I’m confident I can remake a lot of this. The book is really amazing for this sort of work.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Now it’s orange.

I’m thinking of putting the wheels back on for ease of movement. The casting was heavy without any metal inside, now it’s very hard to move around. The next step is to refurbish the wheel hubs.

A suitably massive wire wheel may have to be located…

 

[Dieselman 63]

So I don’t have before pics of the hubs as I had to get them into a place where I didn’t really want to hang around! Anyway. Clean, and now back at home in primer. Slapped some primer on all the bolts on the box, then they’ll go into orange.

The hubs have a tapered spline, then a nut to secure them. Makes sense to get them painted and secure them to the gearbox.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Boring update.

Bag of rotary tine bolts all cleaned up and oiled, I store them like this til I need them.

Then, tidy up the threads on the wheel hubs with a whitworth tap. Paint them orange, paint the flanges that secure the wheels on, too. Lastly, paint went onto the casting that’ll be hidden behind the hub, and a few more bits before I got bored and went inside.

 

[Dieselman 63]

This has made it a lot easier to move around!

The gearbox really roars as I move it along by its wheels. I’ll need to get the tyres removed for cleaning the hubs.

 

[Dieselman 63]

VCC mid winter parts shed day. Found out a day before, turned up on the hour and pulled home some old rubbish.

A box of good quality spring washers, not like the modern rubbish, these are very hard. I had fun sorting them out, genuinely!

Then a few bottle jacks, Woden, Lake & Elliott and a cute little one by a brand called Eversure of Birmingham. It’s currently holding the gearbox upright.

 

[Robotstar5]

VCC mid winter parts shed day. Found out a day before, turned up on the hour and pulled home some old rubbish.

A box of good quality spring washers, not like the modern rubbish, these are very hard. I had fun sorting them out, genuinely!

Then a few bottle jacks, Woden, Lake & Elliott and a cute little one by a brand called Eversure of Birmingham. It’s currently holding the gearbox upright.

A bit of info on Eversure in Graces guide

 

[Dieselman 63]

Maybe you can see, maybe not. I find the rusted bits tend to blend in a bit to the background, but here’s some of the frame bolted onto the gearbox.

The gearbox really is the thing that ties this together; having it done means the rest can follow.

 

[Dieselman 63]

A bit of info on Eversure in Graces guide

Thank you for that. This site is pretty good too if you like delving into long-forgotten makers of equipment. Some nice things on there.

Lake & Elliot Jacks_1

 

[Turbo]

This has made it a lot easier to move around!

The gearbox really roars as I move it along by its wheels. I’ll need to get the tyres removed for cleaning the hubs.

What is this gearbox for?
(Sorry, I lost track on this thread)

Just saw part of an episode of Shed and Buried where they found a Ransomes mini crawler and got it running.
I have to say it looked like a fun machine to play with.

 

[Dieselman 63]

What is this gearbox for?
(Sorry, I lost track on this thread)

Just saw part of an episode of Shed and Buried where they found a Ransomes mini crawler and got it running.
I have to say it looked like a fun machine to play with.

It’s this Howard rotary hoe plus bits of this other Howard rotary hoe.

The thread has become a bit of a show and tell of my shed and all the small engine machines that live in it. The Ransomes crawlers are excellent.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Monster Millennium Jack cleaned and working again. This model was offered in 1925 can you believe! A cool double-lift action, intended for commercial vehicles but it’s doing good work supporting this gearbox

 

[Dieselman 63]

Another one done, big Woden Jack and another Woden next to it

 

[Dieselman 63]

Well, we had a development this week. I decided to ask my boss for the work requirements for the units I need to finish my apprenticeship. He said I don’t know what you need, so I was blunt, I said well if you came to the meetings you’re supposed to come to, you would know.

That didn’t go down well, but it’s true. I sent the email asking what I need, and only that. Nothing emotional, just the facts of the work I need.

The next day I’m pulled up for a disciplinary meeting with HR, for inappropriate language, I told someone to F off a month ago. I don’t know if any of you lot work in metal trades but that language is pretty much commonplace at my work and worse. My heart sunk. I felt I’d been fitted up to teach a lesson.

At the meeting I laid out the lack of training on dangerous equipment, the lack of adherence to job description, the lack of safety analysis, the lack of pre start safety evaluations and the fact that they’d thrown two apprentices onto a job and told us to just get on with it. That brought the meeting to a swift close whilst they went away to ‘evaluate’, which I was pleased about.

I’d resolved in my mind to just bide my time and get through the apprenticeship, get the ticket and leave, but I feel if they’re coming for my job, my means to provide for myself, then I’ll go down fighting.

I have some fantastic friends at work who gave me great pointers on what not and what to say, so I’m well supported in that aspect. I know it’ll ruin the relationship at work, but I don’t really care as I don’t like the place anyway.

 

[dobbslc]

********.
Stick up for yourself or you'll regret it for life!
I had something similar a few years ago with a "gross misconduct" case brought against me about me swearing to someone, (not at someone) this someone would have shamed a drunk fishwife I can tell ye!
I had some ACAS headed paperwork in my folder I made sure they could see sticking out before tucking it away, I meant business and wasn't fuzzing about. We had the meeting, they went off for a chat and came back saying we'll let it drop !
My advice is IF you think you can stick it out to get qualified then do it UNLESS you can find somewhere else to transfer to to complete your apprenticeship.
GOOD LUCK

 

[Robotstar5]

Just make sure you have everything documented, email it to yourself so it's time/date stamped.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Just make sure you have everything documented, email it to yourself so it's time/date stamped.

Yes, they asked for the documents I had and I said sure I’ll give you them and photocopied the lot and sent them those. I could see where that was going.

 

[Dieselman 63]

********.
Stick up for yourself or you'll regret it for life!
I had something similar a few years ago with a "gross misconduct" case brought against me about me swearing to someone, (not at someone) this someone would have shamed a drunk fishwife I can tell ye!
I had some ACAS headed paperwork in my folder I made sure they could see sticking out before tucking it away, I meant business and wasn't fuzzing about. We had the meeting, they went off for a chat and came back saying we'll let it drop !
My advice is IF you think you can stick it out to get qualified then do it UNLESS you can find somewhere else to transfer to to complete your apprenticeship.
GOOD LUCK

I had a previous bullying experience at another job and I was led to believe that the code of silence was the best way to resolve it, which I now wish I hadn’t done. I won’t let that happen again.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Back to business. Frame is blasted and ready to go on. Possibly the stupidest design here from Howard putting that bolt inside the angle like that. It achieves nothing and makes it ten times harder to fit together. The front two bolts go in first, then the back three.

I found this out after 30 mins of trying…

Then, a coat of primer.

I enjoy doing this work but I also do wonder if this is the industry for me. I don’t like bad times at work, the negativity filters into your out of work life. For now, enjoy a partially restored two wheel tractor.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Pto to the rotary assembly has been bent back into shape and now fits onto the machine without the 2mm gap that was there before.

I may have mucked up and forgotten to attach the drive lever, so I need to figure out a way to reattach this without removing the entire superstructure!