Saturday, 10 May 2025

A tractor

My friend and neighbour Bryan has got himself a new* tractor.   Not brand new, in fact it could be described as ancient.   He swapped it for an old miltary-style digger that he had. 

This tractor looks like it's bomb-proof.  A noisy, single-cylinder diesel, not especially powerful but perfectly adequate for its intended use.  All the controls are cable-operated; there's no electronics anywere.   It could probably survive an EMP attack.  Here it is pulling a trailer with my rotovator on it that Bry is borrowing.

*(In french, there is no confusion in the meaning of new.  Neuf/neuve means brand new, nouveau/nouvelle means new to me.)

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8 comments:

  1. microdave12 May 2025 at 03:37

    "It could probably survive an EMP attack"
    Assuming it has old style mechanical injection, most certainly. Some injection pumps have a solenoid operated fuel cut off, and won't start without a DC supply, but even that (and a lead-acid battery) would still work...

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  2. Mark In Mayenne12 May 2025 at 07:54

    Hi Microdave, I will ask Bry

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  3. James Higham12 May 2025 at 08:07

    Well that’s certainly new to me, Mark.

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  4. Mark In Mayenne12 May 2025 at 22:25

    Hi again Microdave, Bry tells me that the injectors are mechanical.

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  5. Mark In Mayenne14 May 2025 at 02:00

    Bry tells me that there is knob to pull to stop the engine. He thinks it starves it of air but he's not sure.

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    1. microdave14 May 2025 at 03:56

      That's the fuel cut off I described above. The tractor should be EMP proof!

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  6. Mark In Mayenne14 May 2025 at 12:04

    Hi Microdave, Bry tells me that it's a Motostandard 1800D (1950s?) and if you have any info on it, he'd be interested.

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    1. microdave15 May 2025 at 12:06


      After a few minutes searching on Google this is what I've found:
      Gutbrod was a post WW2 German company that made small but very capable tractors from leftover vehicle parts and steel from the war. Later sold under the name Allen Motostandard in the UK. Yours appears to have an Italian Lombardini type 720 single cylinder engine of (depending on which rating is used) 15-17 hp. Lombardini was taken over by Kohler in 2007, but there are lots of them still about, so spares should be available. Here are some links I found:

      https://www.facebook.com/groups/1008498769988234

      https://fans-de-motostandard.forumgratuit.org/t1019-motostandard-type-1800d

      https://lesmotostandards.forumpro.fr/t7044-motostandard-type-1800d

      Hope that helps.

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