Grandfather's F12 Notes - found more

SadFarmall · Jun 4, 2018

We found the remaining diaries my grandfather kept in the 1930s and 1940s, so have all from 1933 to 1946. I already knew he kept very detailed records of the tractor, but was missing some years. Now have the complete record of use for his 1934 F12. The tractor was delivered on 7th September 1934 and started its first work the following day.
Saturday 8th September 1934: "Tested out tractor with disc and peg tooth harrows - also tested on steep slopes. Very satisfactory." In the back of the diary is the hours worked for 1934:
September 8th 1 hour - Total 1 hour
September 19th 1 hour - Total 2 hours
September 21st 1 hour - Total 3 hours
…
November 27th 1 hour - Total 81½ hours. Note: All ploughing etc. to date, consumption average approx. 1 gallon per hour.
Decemeber 20th 7 hours - Total 97½ hours. Note Two days with Reaper & Binder. Consumption rate approx. ½ gallon per hour.
Other notes include each oil drain to lower petcock, oil top ups, oil changes, spark plug cleaning and gapping, tappet adjustments.
It's a lovely time capsule. If only he had written down the tractor's serial number in his diaries!
SadFarmall

DanMD · Jun 4, 2018

That is really cool. I was surprised with the minimal fuel consumption. What type of fuel did this burn?

Phil Tibbetts · Jun 4, 2018

Probably REAL gasoline not the junk you get now. When they came out with the ethanol additive my mileage on all my cars and trucks dropped around 10% and so did almost everyone that kept accurate tracking of it.

1946 BN IHC · Jun 4, 2018

Has any one changed over to none ethinol high test and made logs of doing so. It is my understanding from a fellow who used to sell me fuel, he has recently closed his station due to health reasons, that high test didn't contain ethinol.
Wm.

rustyfarmall · Jun 4, 2018

(quoted from post at 04:47:15 06/04/18) Probably REAL gasoline not the junk you get now. When they came out with the ethanol additive my mileage on all my cars and trucks dropped around 10% and so did almost everyone that kept accurate tracking of it.

It was probably distillate in the main tank, and gasoline for starting in a much smaller tank.

SadFarmall · Jun 4, 2018

The tractor operated on kerosene for work. The Reaper & Binder was a Sunshine 5B, later replaced with a 6B, which was converted from ground drive to power take off. I am going through the diaries to see how the F12 was used in the 1930s. I wish I could track it down. All I have left of it are the diaries, two mudguards/fenders, the original bottom water elbow, a set of tired cast iron lugs and two spanners.
SadFarmall

John M · Jun 5, 2018

That kind of stuff is so cool, and valueable. I have my great grandfathers diarys of farm stuff. It inclused notes about his F14,
chickens, all kind of stuff.

SadFarmall · Jun 7, 2018

Very true! I never met my grandfather; he died before I was born. I heard many things about him from my Dad. The diaries are fascinating. There are entries about pasture improvement, the implements used with the tractor, getting the tractor severely bogged, which resulted in special steel widening tyres being fitted. I found the original water inlet elbow from his F12 and then found the entry in his diary about changing it over so he could fit a temperature gauge. There are no photographs of the tractor, so the diary and his account books have provided nearly all the knowledge I have of it.
SadFarmall

Grandfather's F12 Notes - found more

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1946 BN IHC

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