Thread: MF165 Project

Isn't a steam roller a kind of tractor?
Maybe you'd prefer this one, also from the Herberton Historic Village collection.

Originally Posted by 350RRC

You want tractors, that is actually a steamroller.

cheers, DL

If you really want to be pedantic, no it is not a steamroller, it is an oil engined road roller - no steam involved.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Isn't a steam roller a kind of tractor?
Maybe you'd prefer this one, also from the Herberton Historic Village collection.

That is not a tractor - it is a stationary steam engine, with wheels to allow it to be towed, either by a horse team or a traction engine or tractor. Some of these did have provision for running a belt to the wheels to sllow it to be self propelled, but I don't think that one does. ANd even if it did, it still is not a tractor.

Thanks guys.

I only pointed out the difference because my grandfather had a real catalogue of steam engines and quite a few traction engines had 'twins' that had a roller in front instead of two wheels and they were called steamrollers.

I have no idea where this catalogue is now.

cheers, DL

Yes, steamrollers were a thing, but by the time I was old enough to take notice of this sort of thing in the mid-forties, they were all oil engined - and these generally had the same option - tractor or roller, although there were makers who sold mostly rollers and others who sold mostly tractors.

And, we always called them steamrollers, even though they were oil engined!

Is the fergy postive earth? I was thinking about this today. I reckon it would be an enormous job to change them to negative earth so you could fit an alternator. Let see, glow plugs are heaters will work any way ..... lights ... anyway, starter either way ... the generator (if it worked) would work either way. As far as I can figure out, the only thing that needs to be done is simply turn the battery around and hook the terminals back on..................

seeya,
Shane l.

You know I haven’t checked but the generator works fine so I’ll leave it as it is for now - will check on Sunday though when I’m working on it again. 👍

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Is the fergy postive earth? I was thinking about this today. I reckon it would be an enormous job to change them to negative earth so you could fit an alternator. Let see, glow plugs are heaters will work any way ..... lights ... anyway, starter either way ... the generator (if it worked) would work either way. As far as I can figure out, the only thing that needs to be done is simply turn the battery around and hook the terminals back on..................

seeya,
Shane l.

From what I recall UK built tractors changed to negative earth with MF135 on. To change the old type dynamos from positive to negative earth you will have to "flash" the field coils and reverse the connections on the ammeter for it to read correctly. This for a diesel engine, some other changes if coil ignition petrol engine.