So here is my first big restoration project...... Little bit of work needed in some areas . I know its not strictly garden machinery but it is a ransomes mg6. What you all reckon? Am I mad???

Unfortunatly the engine is missing off it. However Neil off this forum has one I just need to get over to Wales to pick it up. Going to get it going as it is first then strip it down completly and re build from scratch. Anyone ever came across one of these before or own one? I believe they were popular with waterboards in England in conjunction with the sand skimmer(note to self... must get a skimmer to complete the pair!!...) Mine was originally with a water company here in Ireland. Anyone know how many of them were ever made? Can I trace the year it was made from the serial number? 

What a great find. It was built in 1956 from the serial number pictured. What water company used these in Ireland?

Loads of potential there!!

A great find find, look forward to seeing the finished restoration.

Hey lads, doing a bit of stripping down on the dumper. My problem is getting the rubber swamp blocks off. The nuts are so rusted that they have lost some of their faces and as a result sockets and spanners wont catch on them. There a few pics of them above in the earlier photos. Cant burn them out as they are in the middle of the rubber pads. A conventional nut splitter wont get down to where they are. Any ideas? I really dont want to damage the pads in any way.

Yes was thinking that. Hoping for a handier way though!! There is alot of them...

Air chisel is a bit fierce - when you chisel a nut off, you hold the chisel with the blade parallel to the bolt, and at a slight angle to the flat of the nut. This will split the body of the nut away from the bolt, though more often than not, the nut will begin to turn after a few blows, and can then be rmoved with Mole grips or similar.

Jim.

Hi Alastair, when you say remove the rubbers do you mean to just rip them off ? I want to re fit them. almost all of the u shaped metal pieces under them are corroded betond salvage. Are there blocks of asbestos under these metal pieces? I though if I could get the track off I might be able to remove the rubber pads by cutting off the head of the bolt from below and just knocking the nut and bolt out with a punch through the pad side if you know what I mean ? 

Hi Alastair. I feel my rubbers are glued onto the plates as well. I have now got the nuts off one of the pads but am still unable to get the asbestos block , if thats what it is, or the metal plate , which I am now calling a shoe ...! !!... off. According to Neils cattalogue of spares it seems as if the connnecting part for the track is different when putting on the swamp pads? I am afraid to do to much beating on it in case I do more harm than good?!? Any pictures of your machines progress?

Hi Neil,

Hi Neil,

Hi Al