2019.05.22 "Extra" Pic

1948 Newman

My first employer had an agency for those tractors but did not sell many. We had one as
a yard tractor but the single cylinder diesel engine was a poor starter so it was taken
out and an engine from a Ford Popular 10hp put in its place along with the Ford gearbox.
This gave the tractor a three range plus reverse in front of the three range and reverse
of the original gearbox. The tractor was a three wheeled version and we boys were
instructed on pain of having our driving permits revoked, never to drive the tractor in
"Double Top", both gearboxes in top gear. The tractor would do around 40 mph with those
gears selected. In "Double Reverse" however, you could put it in gear, get off the
tractor and go and have a cup of tea and when you got back the tractor would only have
moved a few yards.

She was permanently attached to a wood saw and our job as boys was to cut up wood for the
central heating boiler that heated the four bay workshop, stores area and showroom. The
pulley that drove the circular saw also drove through the three speed plus reverse Ford
box so some pretty high speeds could be achieved at the saw blade end.

This is over 50 years ago and the tractor and saw bench are still owned locally. I saw
her on the back of a truck only a few weeks ago.

Hi Majorman and thanks for the story would that be at Wrights at Dereham. A friend of mine owned one of these tractors and he had trouble starting the diesel engine os he sold it. Am I right in thinking they were made in Grantham then production moved away and they were known as the Kendal tractor. MJ

A very nice and shiny butt ugly tractor!

Hi MJ, No that was at Lenwoods Garage, North Pickenham Road, Swaffham. Yes you are right they morphed into the Kendal and I believe they made a car too. Lenwoods were a company that were agents for the obscure and also rans. They were agents for Lloyd Dragon Crawlers which had a beautiful Dorman Diesel which, when ticking over, allowed you to count the fan blades. Turner Yeoman of England and Fisher Humphries ploughs and sugar beet harvesters. Our main tractor and the best seller was the Nuffield range.

Back then, you got a very varied apprenticeship, mine covered engine work and service work, blacksmithing, cars and Commer trucks, woodworking building trailer and truck bodies, paint spraying and tyre fitting and repair both in the workshop, out on the road and on the farm.