Tuesday 26 June 2012

Using a Grey Fergie T20 For Grass Cutting

Masterco UK Ltd is a specialist in the Compact Tractor and Machinery market. With many customers in the Equestrian , small holder , large garden with paddock and commercial sectors we are often asked “Can you supply a mower for use with my Grey Fergie?”

Well the answer is Yes, but there are some important safety issues to consider along with the fact that T20 Grey Fergie tractors are usually well over 50 years old!

Which type of mower?
There are a number of different type of mowers around. The most common types are Topper mower, Finishing mower and Flail mower. All will work with the T20, however the type of mower is linked to the grass that’s being cut. Paddocks are usually dealt with using a Topper mower. Lawns, parkland and sports fields are suited to a Finishing mower. Verges, footpath clearance such as around fishing lakes or banks are more suited to a Flail mower.

Preparing the tractor
The variety of T20’s built means that there are a number of variants in use today. The simplest division is diesel power or petrol  (TVO). The diesel provides a bit more power and is usually the more suitable for mowing. Petrol is fine, but is less powerful and sometime not too happy if the engine is working hard.
I have used petrol /TVO tractors with 4ft toppers, 4ft and 5ft finishing mowers but never with a flail mower. The T20 was fine with the mowers and coped quite easily. We cut some quite long grass with very good results. I have used a 4 Cylinder Diesel with a 5ft Topper and it worked very well. The tractor was happy to drive the machine and was capable of lifting it on the rear hydraulics. I feel that a Flail mower is not really suitable for a T20 as these mowers require very high revs to work effectively plus a slow forward speed.
If you are going to run a T20 with a mower,  you need to ensure the tractor is running well.  Check the cooling is OK and that the engine, either Petrol or Diesel, is running well and is happy to rev and a maintain an even  RPM  when under load. The first issue to deal with is the PTO. A Grey Fergie as standard has a 1 1/8 inch shaft. All current equipment has a 1 3/8 inch shaft. This means that some form of an adapter is needed.

PTO adapter & Overrun Clutch.
There are 3 basic adapters available.
1 Sleeve type
2 Male and female adapter
3 Over run clutch with adapter
By far the best and safest is the Overrun clutch adapter. They cost usually less than £100 and are quite easy to fit. The reason they are the best is that the provide protection for the transmission  and allow the operator greater control particularly when using a Topper, as they prevent the tractor being driven forward by the inertia from the spinning blades. Masterco has a stock of overrun clutches for T20’s
Safe use of a topper.

This is where the age of the T20 comes into play and also the way the PTO and Hydraulics operate. The Hydraulic pump is in the back axle and only pumps when the PTO is engaged and spinning. This means very simply that you can only raise or lower the rear arms when the PTO and any connected drive shaft is rotating under power. It’s obviously not safe to raise a spinning blade and drive off down the road! If you raise the machine and disengage the PTO then the arms will lower down.
There are only two methods to deal with this. Either disconnect the PTO drive shaft with the engine stopped. Then restart, engage the PTO and use the Hydraulics as normal. The alternative is to raise the mower with PTO engaged then , using a chain or stay bar to take the weight, lower the mower and disengage the PTO. This means that the mower is supported for transport use and does not require the PTO to be engaged. Never touch the PTO with the engine running. Always stop the engine before touching the PTO.

With care your Grey Fergie will happily run a modern topper. The machines that Masterco supply are CE tested and come with an operators manual.

Masterco are always happy to offer any advice and supply the PTO overrun clutch. Call us on 01278 686352 or 07590 443499.


Wednesday 20 June 2012

Back breaking manure mucking out - no more.

Masterco UK Ltd supply compact tractors and machinery for farm, paddock and field. Whether you have an equestrian yard, small holding, nursery, parkland, sports club or simply a large area of land to maintain, our compact tractors and machinery could make your life easier and take the strain out of all those ‘back breaking’ jobs!

To help the Equestrian World, we've come up with this......a MINI TRANSPORT LINK BOX.

This amazing compact link box is ideal for all those small jobs where it is better to have a compact machine. We have designed a strong and sturdy Transport Tipping Box to link on to your compact tractor, but we have thought carefully about how you need to use it in your yard and stable.

Most stable doors are just over a metre wide and so we have fixed the width of our box to 1m so that it fits through your stable door. Use your tractor to reverse the Transport Box through the doorway and ‘muck out’ without the hassle and strain of a wheel barrel to push and pull your muck around. Simply fill the transport box up, hop on your tractor seat and drive off to the manure pile! At the pile reverse up, open the back gate and tip the box to unload.

This is the perfect ‘stable aid’ to help you in your yard. It makes those back breaking jobs of mucking out that much easier and quicker. It’s a job you have to do every day so why not purchase something that will really help make your equestrian life easier.

Not only will the link box help with mucking out, but it can do a number of other lifting, carrying and moving jobs for you.
Carrying heavy feed bags or leaves of hay from feedstore to stable or field
Moving weeds, nettles, thistles or stones from the field
Fencing – load up with posts, clips, wire & nails to build or repair fencing
Setting up jumps, schooling ring or gymkhana games using your Transport Box to cart everything around.
Digging or scraping to clear the manure heap, hay or yard scrapings – your Transport Box can be used like a small digger to dig, lift and remove a heap.
And of course, amongst all the other jobs it can transport your faithful friends back home from the field after a hard days’ work … Our Jack Russells love a ride !

Masterco UK Ltd supply these newly designed Transport Link Boxes at an
amazing introductory price of only £300 (incl VAT)

See them on our website, email us or phone us to find out how you can get one of these brilliant Mini Link Boxes  01278 868352 or 07590 443499.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Compact Tractors

tractor yanmartractor kubotatractor isekitractor grey fergietractor & flail backviewTractor & Flail
tractor & boxtractor - hinomotoloader tractorcab tractor

Compact Tractors, a set on Flickr.

Some of Masterco's beautiful Compact Tractors we have for sale.

Via Flickr:
A selection of Masterco Compact Tractors.