From Austin Seven to Farm Tractor
Page 35
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A Clever Conversion Carried Out with a Minimum of Expense
BEING in need of a small tractor that .would be suitable Dior employment in the cultivation, of raspberries, a Pratt, an engineer in Perth, and his friend, Mr. Menzies ofMorningside, near .8corie, Perth, set about a rather, ambitious conversion job. The .chassis .chosen, or, maybe, that happened to be available, was an Austin Seven, which, no doubt, had already earned the right to honourable retirement.
The first thing to do was so to reconstruct the transmission as to obtain the necessary lower gear ratios, and this was done by introducing a second gearbox, but we have no' details as to how this is, coupled up.
No doubt the problem of providing cleated rear wheels caused much thought, but the result would seem to be quite satisfactory. The cleats themselves are short lengths of angle iron, which appear to be welded direct-on to the wheel rims. The road springs -were removed, the chassis at the forward end being so mounted on the axle as to permit the wheels to follow the ground contour, . whilst the frame proper remains level.
As the engine has to run on paraffin, it was necessary to provide a vaporizer. This work has been neatly carried out, as will be appreciated fromone 'of -the accompanying illustrations. 'The engine is started up on petrol, which is carried in a small container Mounted:. in front Of the main fuel...tank.
We understand that this miniature tractor is so simple to
handle that Mr. Pratt's six-year-old son finds no difficulty in driving it Its approximate overall 'dimensions are 3 ft. by 6 ft., and at present it is employed M hauling a manually guided plough.