Tractor help please (bit different to normal)

[HDAV]

The DB could have the axles rotated to give more clearance

Has this one had the axle rotated?

 

[joe soapy]

Has this one had the axle rotated?

Dont think so, Its not a big job i am told

 

[HDAV]

Dont think so, Its not a big job i am told

Do you know which models it can be done to? Current thinking is get a 2wd newer machine and keep it as dry as possible.....

 

[Cowabunga]

The condition of that ex-dumper looks to be excellent. Lots of attention to detail. For instant the axle breathers have extension tubes to keep water from contaminating the oil. It looks like its washed down after use to keep corrosion at bay and the paint is good too.
Personally I would insist on the driver locking the roll-bar in its working position, but I bet its kept in a shed without adequate headroom to keep it up permanently.

 

[HDAV]

The condition of that ex-dumper looks to be excellent. Lots of attention to detail. For instant the axle breathers have extension tubes to keep water from contaminating the oil. It looks like its washed down after use to keep corrosion at bay and the paint is good too.
Personally I would insist on the driver locking the roll-bar in its working position, but I bet its kept in a shed without adequate headroom to keep it up permanently.

It's a great bit of kit and ideal for the task of launching sea serpent, it also has a regular driver and doesn't get used on the highway. Great bit of kit but no good for us unfortunately. Shame.....

 

[joe soapy]

There used to be a david brown expert on here, i am not but here goes.
you need to look at the rear axel, they have the final reduction at the ends which can be rotated, unlike most tractors which have straight rear axles.
The tractors are named by numbers, so look for one with David Brown ??90 in the name , most of those below will be suitable


36 hp 1965 - 1970
780 46 hp 1967 - 1971
850 35 hp 1960 - 1965
880 Implematic 44 hp 1961 - 1971
885 47 hp 1971 - 1980
895 unknown unknown
900 40 hp 1956 - 1958
950 42 hp 1958 - 1959
990 Implematic 52 hp 1961 - 1965
990 Selectamatic 55 hp 1965 - 1980
995 64 hp 1971 - 1980
996 64 hp 1971 - 1980
1200 72 hp 1967 - 1971
1210 73 hp 1971 - 1976
1212 71 hp 1971 - 1976
1290 58 hp 1980 - 1983
1390 66 hp 1980 - 1984
1410 91 hp 1974 - 1979
1412 91 hp 1974 - 1979
1490 83 hp 1980 - 1983
1690 100 hp 1980 - 1984

Then there was a County high clearance, plus some foreigners were similar

 

[HDAV]

@joe soapy thanks I'll look into it are the case badged ones the same? How can I tell?

 

[Cowabunga]

There used to be a david brown expert on here, i am not but here goes.
you need to look at the rear axel, they have the final reduction at the ends which can be rotated, unlike most tractors which have straight rear axles.
The tractors are named by numbers, so look for one with David Brown ??90 in the name , most of those below will be suitable

Two wheel drive ones can indeed have their rear hubs turned to increase ground clearance, but the front axle then needs extended kingpins, which will be difficult to source.
Also DB tractors are plastered with bowden cables for all kinds of things, including the handbrake cables, PTO clutch cables, top link sensing and so on, which don't sound well suited to salt water. On the other hand the tractors are plentiful and cheap as chips and only the handbrake is critical. Other brands use cables for handbrake as well, so DB is not alone.
You will not find a DB much younger than 20 years old of course, and many are now as rough as a badger's arse and some will be nearly as bad as the MF590 featured.

 

[Cowabunga]

@joe soapy thanks I'll look into it are the case badged ones the same? How can I tell?

Case red ones [and a few white ones] are just very slightly updated later ones. Case International bought DB and soon put their name on the hood. Within a year or so they consolidated the two model ranges and deleted some models from each range. If its red with a black chassis with a 94 model suffix, it will be a late model, the last of the breed before they shut the Meltham factory down for good. They were models that were well beyond a reasonable sell-by date by then and the Maxxum range took over for a while, until Fiat took over the whole shebang and consolidated the lot into Case/New Holland or CNH as its now known. The old Maxxum was rebranded as a McCormick until lately. Now that heritage has gone and McC are Landini which are mostly ZF with CNH engines. The French StDizier factory that built Maxxum transmissions was sold to YTO which may still make the transmissions for somebody somewhere.

That's just a potted history from memory without checking precise details.

 

[HDAV]

Thanks cowabunga struggling to find anything in budget that isn't early 80's vintage..... 2wd might be the answer if we can increase the clearance and keep it greased, a 20 year old machine would be 10 years younger than anything else I have found so far apart from another case.......

So the C in CNH is case, which includes DB and international now too? as well as Ford and Fiat from the new holland side?


The cables aren't an issue apart from handbrake which if not to fiddle and expensive could be replaced annually as a precaution, if the rest of the machine is sound. the ford 5610 has a cable handbrake I think?

The 590 was an expensive mistake which we will not repeat but now means we have less budget to play with and the replacement cycle has been shortened......

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Kirovets look pretty handy in the water. Not bad pullers either. Plenty of beach cred!!

 

[HDAV]

Kirovets look pretty handy in the water. Not bad pullers either. Plenty of beach cred!!

Looks ideal!

 

[joe soapy]

Thanks cowabunga struggling to find anything in budget that isn't early 80's vintage..... 2wd might be the answer if we can increase the clearance and keep it greased, a 20 year old machine would be 10 years younger than anything else I have found so far apart from another case.......

So the C in CNH is case, which includes DB and international now too? as well as Ford and Fiat from the new holland side?


The cables aren't an issue apart from handbrake which if not to fiddle and expensive could be replaced annually as a precaution, if the rest of the machine is sound. the ford 5610 has a cable handbrake I think?

The 590 was an expensive mistake which we will not repeat but now means we have less budget to play with and the replacement cycle has been shortened......

You will do much better with an older tractor in good order, or look at something like the sea tractors on the South Devon coast built using parts from bedford 3 tonner army lorries.
The main thing when doing it on the cheap is to have a spare on hand ready to go

 

[HDAV]

You will do much better with an older tractor in good order, or look at something like the sea tractors on the South Devon coast built using parts from bedford 3 tonner army lorries.
The main thing when doing it on the cheap is to have a spare on hand ready to go

It's hard to know what will work, the situation is unusual if it were my own machine I would do it differently but as a club machine it needs to work differently. not sure if 2 of the same machine is a better idea or not!

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

The 590 was an expensive mistake which we will not repeat but now means we have less budget to play with and the replacement cycle has been shortened......

All joking aside, what sort of life expectancy / replacement cycle do you have in mind? Saltwater = to most man made things, unless your maintenance is scrupulous and things are washed off immediately.

 

[ollandroverman]

It's a great bit of kit and ideal for the task of launching sea serpent, it also has a regular driver and doesn't get used on the highway. Great bit of kit but no good for us unfortunately. Shame.....

Why are converted dumper trucks not suitable?
I think they are as simple and idiot proof as is possible to get. As for the multiple drivers not being used to the idea of towing facing the trailer and having pivot steering, it really is very easy, mostly because the visibility is unbeatable and it is very obvious which direction you are going to push the boat trailer towards because the pivoting half of the dumper and tow hitch are right in front of you.
I use my telehandler in just this way to maneuver machines and trailers into very tight spaces.

 

[HDAV]

4 years is the plan, the ford did 7, some have done far less......

When a half tidy tractor was £3-4k it was less of an issue, now they are £8-10k it's a problem

 

[Cowabunga]

Thanks cowabunga struggling to find anything in budget that isn't early 80's vintage..... 2wd might be the answer if we can increase the clearance and keep it greased, a 20 year old machine would be 10 years younger than anything else I have found so far apart from another case.......

So the C in CNH is case, which includes DB and international now too? as well as Ford and Fiat from the new holland side?


The cables aren't an issue apart from handbrake which if not to fiddle and expensive could be replaced annually as a precaution, if the rest of the machine is sound. the ford 5610 has a cable handbrake I think?

The 590 was an expensive mistake which we will not repeat but now means we have less budget to play with and the replacement cycle has been shortened......

Case was an American company that was bought out by the Tenneco oil company in the early 1960 I believe and bought David Brown from, well, David Brown the industrialist and gearbox manufacturer, around 1969. Case then changed both range's colours to white [from DB] and orange [from J I Case], dumping the chocolate brown DB chassis colour that had been established since the while bonnets.

Tenneco remain a major force in automotive component supplies, especially exhausts [which have declined as aftermarket parts substantially as original equipment quality and service life has improved] and air scrubbing exhaust technology like catalytic convertors and soot filters. They also own the Monroe suspension component businesses worldwide. I can't for the life of me remember what their exhaust brand is. Its on the tip of my tongue but won't shift from there. I can see one of their exhausts now in my mind's eye and the stamp on the back of the silencer, but it just won't register. Bang!! It's Walker.

Boy, that was frustrating. But ultimately satisfying too.

 

[HDAV]

Why are converted dumper trucks not suitable?
I think they are as simple and idiot proof as is possible to get. As for the multiple drivers not being used to the idea of towing facing the trailer and having pivot steering, it really is very easy, mostly because the visibility is unbeatable and it is very obvious which direction you are going to push the boat trailer towards because the pivoting half of the dumper and tow hitch are right in front of you.
I use my telehandler in just this way to maneuver machines and trailers into very tight spaces.

Post 97 liscences, gvw and trailers, tractors are less hassle than plant, the dumper question has been raised and stopped many times, if it didn't need to go on the road (less than 50 yards) it may be a better idea, there are concerns over the articulation (my opinion no worse than a tractor) and crushing.

It wa decided to stick to tractors.......

Oh well keeps me busy when the weathers cold and wet.....

 

[ollandroverman]

Post 97 liscences, gvw and trailers, tractors are less hassle than plant, the dumper question has been raised and stopped many times, if it didn't need to go on the road (less than 50 yards) it may be a better idea, there are concerns over the articulation (my opinion no worse than a tractor) and crushing.

It wa decided to stick to tractors.......

Oh well keeps me busy when the weathers cold and wet.....

Ah, i missed the road part. I agree this could be an issue.
Crushing is not a risk. You would have a job to get crushed on a standard site dumper. They are designed for brain dead idiots to drive. With the tipping skip removed there is absolutely nothing to get trapped between.