Another One Followed Me Home

JC · Post by JC » Sun Aug 01, 2010 8:39 am

I'm only 1/2 owner of this one, but it may be mine eventually. The loader frame and multiple coats of paint make it hard to read any numbers, but I found one casting code from Sept. 20, 1955. The serial number is on the flange behind the starter, but I can only see the last two numbers.

It starts and runs OK, but it smokes. It could just need a little hard work, but I think it may have had ether used on it. The transmission, clutch, and brakes seem to be in good shape, but the steering is terrible. Its almost impossible to turn the steering wheel. The bushings in the spindles are so bad that the nut on the front drag-link ball rubs the bolt that holds the wishbone on to the axle. Some new bushings and bearings should fix it.

All of the tin is in good shape, but several layers of paint need to come off.

The frame for the loader is pretty ugly. If I would take it off, it would be a decent looking Major. I want to keep it on, though. A loader is a handy thing to have, and there's a backhoe that comes with it, too. I guess I'll just have to do a little work on it and see if I can make it look better.

Post by **Brian** » Sun Aug 01, 2010 11:47 am

Another great find JC!

I am going to repeat my constant mantra "Keep her original if possible"

BearCreek Majors · Post by **BearCreek Majors** » Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:42 pm

Hey JC, looks like you got yourself a nice little toy there. As ugly as she is, it doesn’t look to be busted up and beat half to death. And having a tractor with a loader and a hoe can be handy, as long as you keep it hid behind buildings so that friends, family, and neighbors don’t know you have it.

Pat

Dandy Dave · Post by **Dandy Dave** » Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:27 pm

Cool!

You have the best of both worlds, a Fordson Major, and a grand piece of Historic Construction Equipment. I have a Backhoe Loader but I must confess, it is not a Fordson. But it is the handiest machine in the yard. If they only built Fordson BL's in 1982 it may have been one instead of an MF 30D.

still, that Perkins power is the best starting engine in the yard.

Dandy Dave!

JC · Post by JC » Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:27 am

Brian wrote: I am going to repeat my constant mantra "Keep her original if possible"

I'm going to keep the Major as original as I can. I'm not sure what I can do with the hoe and loader. I'm don't know who made it, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't originally on a Major. I'll make it look and work better, but that's about all I can do for it.

BearCreek Majors wrote: having a tractor with a loader and a hoe can be handy, as long as you keep it hid behind buildings so that friends, family, and neighbors don’t know you have it.

Boy, that's sure true. A friend of mine has an old Case backhoe. I'm sure that it spends more time at his friends and relatives places than it does at his ranch. If you look at some of my pictures on here, I'm sure that you can see it in the back ground

. He doesn't mind too much when I borrow it, because I always fix something on it whenever I have it. I even overhauled the engine once.

Dandy Dave wrote: If they only built Fordson BL's in 1982 it may have been one instead of an MF 30D.

I get to run an MF 50 hoe, once in a while. Its a pretty good machine, but I'm still partial to Case.

As far as the Major goes, I've got bushings and thrust bearings ordered for the spindles, so I'll see if I can get it to steer first and take it from there.