Fowler Steam Cultivator rebuild

[Swarfmonkey]

Yea a horizontal borer is a wonderful bit of kit., so versatile. I had a smaller 70's eraView attachment 882610
Kearns Richards then went for this bigger old Richards machine when it came up for sale in Derby. About 15 tons and pretty old but great for my sort of stuff. Here it is with a pal boring out the axle bushes in a Burrell showmman's rear wheel on it.

Cracking machines, sadly a lot of the were just scrapped. You’re making me wish I hadn’t sold my little Kearns Model S!

 

[tomlad]

Kernes as in k and t ???

 

[Swarfmonkey]

K&T is Kearney & Trecker Co.

 

[tomlad]

Kerns kerney that confuses me easy done.
I own a k+t 1h vertical mill

 

[Hawkes]

Bit more progress. Made the axle and finished bearing housings. Assembled with the 64 x 2" ball bearings , that was the trickiest bit, I must have picked them all up several times...... Top two angle rings on now ready for chain steerage.

The lightweight drawbar is just attached to move it around , not to use when cultivating. That is the next stage, making the heavy draft Y frame and the angle ring it rests on plus steering gear.

 

[forblue]

Good luck and thank's for preserving part of our history....

 

[tomlad]

Bloomin marvellous

 

[goodevans]

The first day I read this thread I was on my way to Brecon and saw this on side of road , I presume it is something similar

 

[Hawkes]

The first day I read this thread I was on my way to Brecon and saw this on side of road , I presume it is something similar

Yes it is the remains of. It has a bit left on it that I am missing too! The damper cylinder to slow the descent when you trip it to go back into work. Do you know the people by any chance?

 

[goodevans]

No I don't it is half way between leominster and Brecon at a place called brillie I think.probably an agricultural engineer by the looks.i had noticed it before so it has been there a while

 

[Hawkes]

No I don't it is half way between leominster and Brecon at a place called brillie I think.probably an agricultural engineer by the looks.i had noticed it before so it has been there a while

Thanks for the tip @goodevans

Tracked him down! He has a ploughing engine and is rebuilding the cultivator to go with it.
There must be a farmer on TFF who has some old steam plough gear hidden in the brambles, apart from me and him that is....

 

[Compshire Farmer]

Good work on front wheel and turntable etc, have a friend who is currently building single cylinder ploughing engine and has cultivator much the same as yours was minus front wheel etc so will show him your work.
My family has pair of single cylinder ploughing engines which I help with a lot for which we have ploughs and a cultivator. Also have Fowler road loco and another ploughing engine so big into steam here, always on look out for anything steam related lurking in a hedgerow or somewhere.
Same friend who is building ploughing engine was out walking a year or so ago and spotted something metal poking up out some brambles and turned out to be old steam engine water cart, so there’s still stuff out there, just need to spot it or get a lucky tip off like your cultivator in scrap yard.

 

[Hawkes]

Hi @ Compshire farmer, yes there is stuff about for sure. My Fowler water cart came out a field, next to 4 cultivators and several mole ploughs. All the implements had been seriously butchered though, front ends all cut right off for tractor work.
Is your pal Paul Ransley?
My great grandfather bought two new 8 hp sc ploughing engines in 1883, plough, cult, harrows, van and cart. We still have the invoice from Fowlers. Only thing left is two plough points we dug up last year close to the site of our old engine shed!
My current plougher we bought new in 1916 and sold it mid twenties to Bomford and Evershed. Bought it back at Keeley's sale 5 years ago. Do you get Steam Plough Times from the club, there is a pic this issue.

 

[Compshire Farmer]

Yes Paul Ransley, he’s doing something lovely work and he’s getting on well and I reckon in another year ish he will be getting close to near a finish and it’s going to be a fabulous thing to see out and in steam and working. Good friend of mine and see him most Saturday’s at the steam workshop on my uncles farm where we keep our other engines.
I will look out copy of steam plough times and have a look.
How great to buy back an engine you had from new, shame about other pair were they scraped?

 

[Gerbert]

Hi @ Compshire farmer, yes there is stuff about for sure. My Fowler water cart came out a field, next to 4 cultivators and several mole ploughs. All the implements had been seriously butchered though, front ends all cut right off for tractor work.
Is your pal Paul Ransley?
My great grandfather bought two new 8 hp sc ploughing engines in 1883, plough, cult, harrows, van and cart. We still have the invoice from Fowlers. Only thing left is two plough points we dug up last year close to the site of our old engine shed!
My current plougher we bought new in 1916 and sold it mid twenties to Bomford and Evershed. Bought it back at Keeley's sale 5 years ago. Do you get Steam Plough Times from the club, there is a pic this issue.

It would be awesome to see that invoice!

 

[Hawkes]

Yes Paul Ransley, he’s doing something lovely work and he’s getting on well and I reckon in another year ish he will be getting close to near a finish and it’s going to be a fabulous thing to see out and in steam and working. Good friend of mine and see him most Saturday’s at the steam workshop on my uncles farm where we keep our other engines.
I will look out copy of steam plough times and have a look.
How great to buy back an engine you had from new, shame about other pair were they scraped?

I have seen some of Paul’s work on a steam forum and it is very impressive. He really didn’t start out with much! I talked to him about implements last year I think. The old pair were sold to some farming relations around WW1 and then got scrapped later.

 

[glasshouse]

I have seen some of Paul’s work on a steam forum and it is very impressive. He really didn’t start out with much! I talked to him about implements last year I think. The old pair were sold to some farming relations around WW1 and then got scrapped later.

When are you demonstrating this gear?

 

[itsalwaysme]

Not a ploughing engine but might be of interest to some

Morris are celebrating their 150th Anniversary

Leading UK manufacturer of world-class lubricants and associated products. A Tradition in Excellence since 1869

www.morrislubricants.co.uk

 

[Compshire Farmer]

When are you demonstrating this gear?

Unfortunately probably not much happening this year, we are all pretty well confined to barracks at the moment for obvious reasons, most organised events have been cancelled.
in a normal year we attend 3 or 4 local ploughing matches and every few years the Steam Plough Club have run The Steam Ploughing Challenge where a good number of ploughing engines get together and have a ploughing competition, last time it was attached to the British National Ploughing Match and the time before that it was held alongside the World Championships near York.

 

[Hawkes]

When are you demonstrating this gear?

We hope to do some cultivating and maybe ploughing this autumn after harvest here in Devon on my farm, then up to Drayton back to cousin's home farms where the engine worked originally and then on up to Lincs to my other cousin's place. I will post some pictures of the efforts! It won't be going to any shows. I have friends bringing the second plougher to make up a set at each place. Load of work but should be fun.