VHGMC Forums: Ransomes MG40

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crawler
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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Posts: 404

Topic: Ransomes MG40
Posted: 02 Jun 2013 at 11:51pm

After all but giving up hope of ever getting a MG40 we went last weekend and collected this. It had been brought in from France by the man who was selling it.

Getting lined up ready for loading on to trailer.

Once home and unloaded I refitted the implement lifting frame, though not until after the obligatory test drive round the garden.

The hydraulic cylinder is single acting and relies on the weight of the implement to help lower the frame.

From what I can gather the engine is a Sachs 600L. It starts easy enough without the need for any igniters.

Looking up the serial number in Brian Bells book on Ransomes I believe it was made in 1963.

The hydraulic controls look like they have been modified to be foot operated. The pedal rocks from side to side to raise and lower the tool frame.

My intentions at the moment are just to give it a really good clean and see how it comes up. As there is so much of the original paint left I think it would be a shame to fully repaint it.

Rob

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RansomesMG
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010
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Posts: 97

Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:15am

Oooo, now you've spurred me on to get some pictures of my one of here. It's very much the same model as yours! Interesting the small differences between our spec and the French ones I think - hydraulics etc.
Well done on the find.
Kind regards,
Nat.

Ransomes MG Crawlers...... YES PLEASE!!

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lauber1
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Joined: 06 Nov 2011
Location: United States
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Posts: 236

Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:29am

Very nice looking crawler. Like to see some action shots after you get it all sorted out and going.

restoring history, one bolt at a time.

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Franktonpaget
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Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: United Kingdom
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Posts: 139

Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:53am

These French sourced Ransome MG's seem to be appearing in some volume now , was France a big market for MG's ?

It is a interesting point you make on why they did not use Ransome mounted implements, was it to meet some particular local requirement ? was it because of import levies it was advantageous to add locally produced attachments or was it just a cost thing there were a couple of similar size crawlers in the Saviac museum and a lot of small wheeled tractors which must have made it a competitive sector of the industry.

regards FP

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crawler
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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Posts: 404

Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 5:47pm

Hi Nat, I would love to see some photos of your MG40. Could you take a few shots showing what way the hydraulics are controlled on your machine?
Thanks for the comments Lauber1.
FP, France must have been an important enough market as Ransomes produced brochures in French. As for the way in which the implements are mounted, I recall seeing on the internet some other small ride on machines with a similar looking lifting frame. I wonder if Ransomes used this type of lifting frame to take advantage of readily available implements already used by various other machines in France?

Rob

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Rusty Nuts
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Joined: 27 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
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Posts: 44

Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 7:28am

Hello Rob
Clean looking MG.40 typical French spec. Looks like the engine may have come off a later tractor, hence the different colour. I do not know when the first Sachs engines were fitted to MGs, but in 1963 Drayton diesels were still being fitted. The air cleaner is the original Sachs type, this may mean that this engine was an early Ransomes fitting.
France was a major market and thousands of MGs exported there. I am told that the importers Perrier put the linkage on the tractors so that they could use the local implements.
Alastair

Ransomes MG tractors, implements & literature.

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stimpy
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Joined: 03 Aug 2010
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Posts: 81

Posted: 12 Jun 2013 at 4:31pm

Originally posted by Franktonpaget

These French sourced Ransome MG's seem to be appearing in some volume now , was France a big market for MG's ?

I'd heard they were popular in France as they were ideal for vineyard work

Ransomes MG6 1954

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crawler
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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Posts: 404

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 at 12:07am

Hi Alastair, thanks for the info. I had wondered about the engine being a different colour. Going by the French transfers on the main body the red and blue colours look to be original. The engine definitely has been green, did Perrier perhaps fit diesel engines as an option? The Sachs engine seems to have been quite popular on a lot of smaller machines on the Continent.

Rob

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crawler
Forum Member

Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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Posts: 404

Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 12:51am

I had the MG40 at a show last weekend and on the final day it began to feel like the clutch was slipping. Nothing drastic but I was definitely having to give it more revs than I had needed to before, particularly when turning. I had given the whole machine a quick degrease and wash down the week previous to the show so was possible that some oil /grease had got washed in round the clutch assembly.

Only way to find out was to pull the engine.
Thankfully it's a straight forward process, first removed bumper, 4 bolts on the base plate and then disconnected the flexible coupling from the gearbox.
Add a couple of straps and bring in the engine crane.

Out it comes.

After a bit of frantic bech clearing, touchdown.

Inside of clutch and the shoes themselves seemed pretty clean, no sign of any oil or grease. That's leading me to believe that the pads on the shoes need replacing.

I will post some more pics in a new post in the general section regarding the clutch itself.

Rob

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Burnsy
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Joined: 20 Apr 2013
Location: Australia
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Posts: 74

Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 1:08am

These are such cool little machines, does anyone know if many were exported to Australia? I have not seen any around but we do have an implement bar sitting in the scrap yard at work so there must have been some.

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Ransomes256
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Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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Posts: 71

Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 7:32am

Burnsey,

Yes these were exported to Australia and I have a number of customers down under. I am aware that they were used in opal mining and other unique areas apart from agriculture. Melbourne Museum has one and some replies from Australian owners. (see their web site)

http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/407363/crawler-tractor-ransomes-mg6-circa-1958

Regards

Neil

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Franktonpaget
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Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: United Kingdom
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Posts: 139

Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 8:02am

I saw a Ransome MG in a private collection on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia

As the chap collected otherwise nothing else than Twin City /Minneapolis Moline tractors, it looked sort of funny amongst these other very large tractors

regards FP

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crawler
Forum Member

Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 404

Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 11:23am

I think its amazing how far and wide these little tractors got exported. I have a fold out brochure titled 'Ransomes 170 years service to world progress', in it it pictures 2 MGs. One is shown with a ramdozer in Antarctica and the other being used in Uganda.

Rob

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Author	Message
crawler Forum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 404	Topic: Ransomes MG40 Posted: 02 Jun 2013 at 11:51pm
	After all but giving up hope of ever getting a MG40 we went last weekend and collected this. It had been brought in from France by the man who was selling it. Getting lined up ready for loading on to trailer. Once home and unloaded I refitted the implement lifting frame, though not until after the obligatory test drive round the garden. The hydraulic cylinder is single acting and relies on the weight of the implement to help lower the frame. From what I can gather the engine is a Sachs 600L. It starts easy enough without the need for any igniters. Looking up the serial number in Brian Bells book on Ransomes I believe it was made in 1963. The hydraulic controls look like they have been modified to be foot operated. The pedal rocks from side to side to raise and lower the tool frame. My intentions at the moment are just to give it a really good clean and see how it comes up. As there is so much of the original paint left I think it would be a shame to fully repaint it.
	Rob
	IP Logged

RansomesMG Forum Member Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 97	Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:15am
	Oooo, now you've spurred me on to get some pictures of my one of here. It's very much the same model as yours! Interesting the small differences between our spec and the French ones I think - hydraulics etc. Well done on the find. Kind regards, Nat.
	Ransomes MG Crawlers...... YES PLEASE!!
	IP Logged

lauber1 Forum Member Joined: 06 Nov 2011 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 236	Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:29am
	Very nice looking crawler. Like to see some action shots after you get it all sorted out and going.
	restoring history, one bolt at a time.
	IP Logged

Franktonpaget Forum Member Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 139	Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:53am
	These French sourced Ransome MG's seem to be appearing in some volume now , was France a big market for MG's ? It is a interesting point you make on why they did not use Ransome mounted implements, was it to meet some particular local requirement ? was it because of import levies it was advantageous to add locally produced attachments or was it just a cost thing there were a couple of similar size crawlers in the Saviac museum and a lot of small wheeled tractors which must have made it a competitive sector of the industry. regards FP
	IP Logged

crawler Forum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 404	Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 5:47pm
	Hi Nat, I would love to see some photos of your MG40. Could you take a few shots showing what way the hydraulics are controlled on your machine? Thanks for the comments Lauber1. FP, France must have been an important enough market as Ransomes produced brochures in French. As for the way in which the implements are mounted, I recall seeing on the internet some other small ride on machines with a similar looking lifting frame. I wonder if Ransomes used this type of lifting frame to take advantage of readily available implements already used by various other machines in France?
	Rob
	IP Logged

Rusty Nuts Forum Member Joined: 27 Nov 2009 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 44	Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 7:28am
	Hello Rob Clean looking MG.40 typical French spec. Looks like the engine may have come off a later tractor, hence the different colour. I do not know when the first Sachs engines were fitted to MGs, but in 1963 Drayton diesels were still being fitted. The air cleaner is the original Sachs type, this may mean that this engine was an early Ransomes fitting. France was a major market and thousands of MGs exported there. I am told that the importers Perrier put the linkage on the tractors so that they could use the local implements. Alastair
	Ransomes MG tractors, implements & literature.
	IP Logged

stimpy Forum Member Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 81	Posted: 12 Jun 2013 at 4:31pm
	*Originally posted by Franktonpaget* These French sourced Ransome MG's seem to be appearing in some volume now , was France a big market for MG's ? I'd heard they were popular in France as they were ideal for vineyard work
	Ransomes MG6 1954
	IP Logged

crawler Forum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 404	Posted: 14 Jun 2013 at 12:07am
	Hi Alastair, thanks for the info. I had wondered about the engine being a different colour. Going by the French transfers on the main body the red and blue colours look to be original. The engine definitely has been green, did Perrier perhaps fit diesel engines as an option? The Sachs engine seems to have been quite popular on a lot of smaller machines on the Continent.
	Rob
	IP Logged

crawler Forum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 404	Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 12:51am
	I had the MG40 at a show last weekend and on the final day it began to feel like the clutch was slipping. Nothing drastic but I was definitely having to give it more revs than I had needed to before, particularly when turning. I had given the whole machine a quick degrease and wash down the week previous to the show so was possible that some oil /grease had got washed in round the clutch assembly. Only way to find out was to pull the engine. Thankfully it's a straight forward process, first removed bumper, 4 bolts on the base plate and then disconnected the flexible coupling from the gearbox. Add a couple of straps and bring in the engine crane. Out it comes. After a bit of frantic bech clearing, touchdown. Inside of clutch and the shoes themselves seemed pretty clean, no sign of any oil or grease. That's leading me to believe that the pads on the shoes need replacing. I will post some more pics in a new post in the general section regarding the clutch itself.
	Rob
	IP Logged

Burnsy Forum Member Joined: 20 Apr 2013 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 74	Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 1:08am
	These are such cool little machines, does anyone know if many were exported to Australia? I have not seen any around but we do have an implement bar sitting in the scrap yard at work so there must have been some.
	IP Logged

Ransomes256 Forum Member Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 7:32am
	Burnsey, Yes these were exported to Australia and I have a number of customers down under. I am aware that they were used in opal mining and other unique areas apart from agriculture. Melbourne Museum has one and some replies from Australian owners. (see their web site) http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/407363/crawler-tractor-ransomes-mg6-circa-1958 Regards Neil
	IP Logged

Franktonpaget Forum Member Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 139	Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 8:02am
	I saw a Ransome MG in a private collection on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia As the chap collected otherwise nothing else than Twin City /Minneapolis Moline tractors, it looked sort of funny amongst these other very large tractors regards FP
	IP Logged

crawler Forum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 404	Posted: 28 Jul 2013 at 11:23am
	I think its amazing how far and wide these little tractors got exported. I have a fold out brochure titled 'Ransomes 170 years service to world progress', in it it pictures 2 MGs. One is shown with a ramdozer in Antarctica and the other being used in Uganda.
	Rob
	IP Logged