NEW ENGLISH CRAWLER TRACTOR PERFORMS WELL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 55, 26 October 1949, Page 7

NEW ENGLISH CRAWLER TRACTOR PERFORMS WELL

Under ideal weather conditions, on heavy undulating grassland with gradients as steep as Ift in lift the latest example of British engineering achievements in tractors- —the “Trackmaster” —was put through its paces recently at Tokorangi, near Halcombe, and proved once again that “Britain can make it.” A product of the Huddersfield firm of David Brown and Son, who, during the war made many of the components of Spitfire engines and Churchill tanks, and now supply the famous firm of Rolls Royce with gears and transmissions, this crawler tractor was one of the first six to come off the assembly line and its demonstration the first to be publicly given in the southern hemisphere. It is 4 expected that the “Trackmaster” will soon be giving' a demonstration in this district.

That the “Trackmaster” .proved all that its makers claimed of it was evident in the number of inquiries for the earliest possible delivery dates from prospective buyers, one of whom glowingly described the tractor as “the answer to the New Zealand farmer’s prayer.” Its fuel consumption, the distributors say, is astoundingly low, averaging nine pints of petrol for every hour’s- operation. A 30 b.h.p. engine has been modified to meet the heavier demands that ' tracks impose. The maximum draw-bar h.p. 21.5 in low 2 gear. A high top gear enables the tractor to be used on roads with street plates. A unique steering mechanism ensures a power-controlled turn under all conditions of operation. Tension of the tracks can be adjusted by the turn of a screw. In its first test, with Mr F. B. Prior, of Halcombe, at the controls, the tractor romped up al in 4 slope with a mole-draining plough having a 2|in plug down to a depth of 25| inches. Then, by way of showing its agility, the tractor turned a complete circle in a 9ft radius. In a test to demonstrate its remarkable stability on the steepest slopes, the “Trackmaster” cavorted around a hillock with a gradient of 1 in Is, proving its superlative steering and gravity qualities. As further evidence of the powerful engine potential the tractor pulled a standard 4-share plough turning over 12in furrows to a depth of 9 inches and followed this up with an 8-aside tandem disc harrow.