TEA 20 tachometer suggestions

motorv8N

Member
Now that our rather feeble winter is pretty much behind us, it's almost time to wake the old girl from her winter slumbers. One of the things I've been wanted to do is add a tachometer but I'm pretty sure a tach was ever offered on my 52 TEA 20 as an option from the factory. Correct?

Given this, I assume I'm going to have to go the electric route vs drive gear.

Do any of you know of a nice classic looking electric tach with just a 3 or 4,000 rpm max sweep so I can actually see the needle move a bit?

Recommendations welcome!

EDIT - I should add that it's still an old points style ignition but someone gave her a 12 volt alternator somewhere along the line.

Fergiemotor.jpg
 
The Smiths Tractor meter was supplied as a dealer
accessory for the TEA , TED and TEF models. They are
very hard to find especially with the drive
mechanism intact .I have one fitted to my 1952 TED,
it does require the original generator to be fitted
though.I believe Steiner supplies a meter in the U.
S. perhaps this may suit.
a69474.jpg

a69475.jpg
 
Charles.

Amazing! That is the first time I've seen the complete TEA20 Tractormeter, installed:

Tractormeter_0002.jpg


Anymore complete Tractormeter units where you found that one? :D

Bob in Oz
 
The belt and suspenders ! that is funny Jeff, it
really is the collar from my dear old German Short
haired Pointer 'Ned', he went to God years ago so
I keep the collar there so that he can run with
the tractor; at least in Spirit. Bob I have two
Smiths meters, they do turn up on E bay , one sold
in Tasmania a few days ago for $ 57. , it did
however look really rough and did not have the
drive assembly .That said there is nothing overly
complicated about it, a simple bracket around the
Generator,a sprung bearing head and a light
pulley,a talented handyman or machine shop could
conceivably make one .
 
That's fascinating, Charles - thanks for posting. Assuming I managed to find one of those I'm trying to work out if would matter what size pulley the drive gear was resting against. The belt speed wouldn't regardless, right?

(This is making my head hurt... :shock: :wink: )
 
That's fascinating, Charles - thanks for posting. Assuming I managed to find one of those I'm trying to work out if would matter what size pulley the drive gear was resting against. The belt speed wouldn't change regardless, right?

(This is making my head hurt... :shock: :wink: )
 
Charles in Aus, I know how you feel about "Ned". My old bird dog "Katie", a Pointer, went six months ago. She loved to go down in the pasture when I would brush hog. God has a special field for old bird dogs where the birds are plentiful and there are no stickers.

Bob Mc
 
The drive wheel at the generator rests on a small
auxiliary wheel bolted onto the face of the
generator pulley by the center bolt. this is a very
simple pressed steel wheel exactly half the diameter
of the gen pulley. Gearing is thus very simple, the
ratio after all is taken into consideration is 2:1.
The small wheel travels round twice the number of
times the larger cable drive wheel does
a69627.jpg
 
Bob Mc, my favorite quote in matters to do with old
dogs is by Martin Luther[the German} who once said,
"Rejoice little dog and know that in Heaven you too
shall have a golden tail " Lets hope Katie and Ned
meet each other.
 
Hi Charles I had a Ferguson Tractor meter many years ago similar to the pulley set up as per your photo - After many years of searching I managed to buy one complete with the original Generator which has the drive on the inside of the pulley which seems to correspond to the ones on the ploughmy field English site .It is amazing to see something like this survive intact after 60 years .The original hour meter was still in reasonable condition but was fortunate enough to then find an Original old Stock hour meter that had never been fitted so will use this one to complement my tractor when restored
36965.jpg
36966.jpg
36969.jpg
 

Well I really don't know where my original photo ended up , so I will post it again .
36977.jpg
36978.jpg
36979.jpg


The drive on diesel engines is different , however according to the factory installation instruction sheet I have the petrol engine drive should be as shown on the front of the belt pulley rather than behind .
 

What I forgot to add Morrie , was that I think you found an absolute Unicorn in that unused Smiths meter . They are so hard to find even in poor condition , I have never seen one so new looking . Well done !
 
(quoted from post at 21:30:06 06/17/16)
What I forgot to add Morrie , was that I think you found an absolute Unicorn in that unused Smiths meter . They are so hard to find even in poor condition , I have never seen one so new looking . Well done !
Thanks for that Charles...it is amazing what still comes out of people's sheds at times ! Wonderful that at least stuff like this isn't just thrown out...Bought it off a bloke that was cleaning out all his Dad's old stuff but didn't have any more bits & pieces -The Assembly I was able to get came off a Diesel Ferguson -I do remember the one that we had many years ago was similar to yours ( Pulley on the outside )
It is good to see your Meter set up on your restored tractor..looks great ! Will be ages before I reach that stage & can enjoy it !! ..I bought a Petrol ferguson that was partially dismantled but had a Howard Reduction Gearbox which is in remarkable condition if you have a look at the pics - After a lot of hours work rebuilding the engine & chasing up missing bits& pieces I Was able to drive the tractor out of the shed for the first time today !Such a relief to see Hydraulics -Howard Gearbox etc all working again after many years Also tracked down a Ferguson Earthmover Front Blade to fit as a feature when I get a bit more further with the restoration Cheers Morrie
36998.jpg
36999.jpg
37000.jpg
37000.jpg
 

Blimey !
Tractor meter , Howard reduction box [u:dc4aa6e9a2] and [/u:dc4aa6e9a2] an earth mover , make that three Unicorns :)

The Howard really is in remarkable condition , hardly a chip on the teeth , most I have seen look like gap toothed old derrohs .
 
I do like your sense of Humor Charles re the missing teeth ! The beauty of the Fergusons is the huge range of accessories you can find for them ..obviously some are more desirable & half the fun is looking for them ! One Old Bloke I know who has owned a huge range of tractors told me it took him 40 years to find a Howard Gearbox -I still think the real Unicorn is the genuine Ferguson Reduction Gearbox ...I have never seen one come up or seen One- I ran across a bloke who has a Rare Ferguson Service Van ( Tragically just left out in the weather ) & unlikely to sell or restore it The Vanguard Engine looked good & very complete but lots of $$$ to restore
I have enclosed another image of another Front mounted Ferguson Blade ( still available on E-BAy ) & was keen on it until this other one came up closer to me -Not sure if all the linkage is there though - The Ferguson curved spanner is also one to get if possible ..were very hard to find & people asked lots of $$$ but have noticed they are more reasonable now Also were made by Dufor & Britool
Gave the tractor another run & the reduction gearbox turns 1 st into a creeper gear.. quite unique Have to replace the Gearbox input shaft seal but Hydraulics are excellent Still making mistakes with the uploads Cheers Morrie
37053.jpg
37054.jpg
37055.jpg
37056.jpg
 

This reduction gearbox was for sale at the Korumburra tractor show last year . Try as I did I just couldn't find the owner to negotiate a price :(

37057.jpg
 
Wow Charles so close to the Real Deal ! that must have been so frustrating not finding the owner ..I bet plenty of people were looking for him all day that's for sure ! I doubt I'll ever see one as apparently they were more commonly used in Victoria where more were utilized for market gardens etc - I used to go to a lot of clearing sales but have given up on Auctions as anything with Ferguson on it can go for silly $$$
Did you know there is an overseas company that makes Replica Ferguson Hour Meters & some of the drive gear ? Last time I looked there were none available so perhaps it was just a once of run - Nobody makes the complete kit but I guess it does help with some of the pieces that you could be missing- Can't beat the Original Quality though !
Cheers Morrie
 

The tractor meter was reproduced by Sparex , it seems that production problems put a halt to them , though I have seen photos of one reproduction fitted .
Victoria and Tasmania are where most of the reduction boxes were used , potato farms in the main . I have a farm in S.E. Gippsland , I constantly hear rumours of ' someone' who has an old one ' somewhere', I am getting sick of following up false leads .
 

Brilliant Morrie , did you have all the brackets or did you need to fabricate some ?
The rear link brackets are often left with the tractor .
 
I bought the blade complete still attached to the tractor Charles so was fortunate to get everything in the one go. The guy wanted to sell it as a complete unit but persuaded him to separate it as I already had the Ferguson ...Some bits are in need of straightening but otherwise very little missing -There is a clever adjusting nut on the top to help position the brackets ..I don't think they had ever been taken off so appreciated the originality of it all
The tractor was also in pretty good order so had been looked after for most of it's life luckily
My linkage is not the best so need to iron out all the play & slack to get it adjusted properly so the blade will raise fully -Was very rewarding to see it work though !
Am very fortunate to have a second chance of finding one of these again & am happy to supply measurements or detailed photos for anyone missing parts off their units -I kicked myself as I had an almost complete one many years ago & let it go
Cheers Morrie
37803.jpg
37804.jpg
 

Looks good Morrie :)
That righthand side spidle looks like it might need some work . The clearance between it and the steering arm is a little large .
 
Sorry Charles that photo is showing it attached to the tractor I bought it off - Yes fair bit of play there by the look of it !! The weight of the blade would have played a part in that as well -Also the other problem is that so many people seem to treat grease guns like they are dangerous snakes they seem to be so reluctant to go near them !
Both photos are off the Donor Tractor so I had some reference to go by when fitting to mine
How are your projects going ? Cheers Morrie
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top