Summary

The Ransomes MG series single-cylinder four-stroke engine crawler tractors were designed to operate on small orchards, vineyards and market gardens. They were often fitted with power take-off drive and hydraulic three-point linkage. The first Model MG2 was released in 1936, and featuring rubber-jointed tracks patented by Roadless Traction Limited, of Britain, in 1926, 1929 & 1932.

This small crawler tractor design was popular throughout Britain, and overseas, with similar designs being developed by other manufacturers such as the Bristol Tractor Co. A total of about 15,000 Ransomes MG series tractors were built including about 1,370 of the later MG40s. In Victoria the local importer for Ransomes crawler tractors was Ruston & Hornsby Ltd. In NSW they were imported by the Demco Machinery Co. Ltd in Redfern.

The Museum's example is a Model MG6, (Serial No.9544), built around 1958, which included a PTO-drive and hydraulic three-point linkage, similar in design to the Ferguson System. Manufactured by Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd., Ipswich, Suffolk, England, with a single-cylinder vertical air-cooled side-valve petrol engine. This tractor was donated to the Museum in 1995 and is currently operated at Scienceworks as part of the activated exhibits program. The engine bore is 3.420-inch (86.8 mm) x stroke: 3.976-inch (101 mm), with a capacity of 600 cc.

Physical Description

Engine bore: 3.420-inch (86.8 mm) x stroke: 3.976-inch (101 mm), capacity: 600 cc. Centrifugal clutch release at 600 r.p.m. Working Speeds: 1.1/8 m.p.h., 2.1/4 m.p.h. & 4 m.p.h. forwards & reverse.

More Information