county tractor ( I want one)

[Joy Yeomans]

Our two plus a friends old tw have done better than newer tractors would ever do in wet woods this week

[codlasher]

Too many nails in the yard!

 

I have had this County 1124 and trailer for some years now and it did a fair bit of work. But now I find that I do most of the wood collecting with the Matbro teleporter which presents the timber ready to be processed on the Palax on a modified muck grab which makes unloading easy. The Matbro is far stronger and can lift large logs.

 

The County is very tired, still runs, breathes a bit hard (like me) the Wartsila crane still works from the pump on the front of the crank, but there are no tractor hydraulics or linkage.

 

I used to drive County tractors on the land and loved them all. 1124s, 1164s, 1174s, 1184s and 1454. So I quite fancy taking the crane off this one and restoring the 1124 to its original specification. I could use it for rolling and harrowing.

I could then put the crane on the trailer and was thinking maybe making a large log splitter to cope with very large logs to go on the deck of the trailer. The crane could load it. Anyone done this?

 

I would actually use both the County and the trailer if they were restored like this, but I do not think I would use the setup as it is again for Matbro reasons.

 

What should I do?

 

Is this a sacrilegious thing to do and should I restore it as it is?

 

Well I can tell you that this is an original early 'Chieftain Forge' cab and it is fitted with the original Wartsila ships crane. C 1970's and they were very well built and incredibly reliable.

If I had the £'s I'd restore the tractor first then the crane......I rebuilt the Wartsila and it is a simple item, just heavy. If it is off the machine and on the ground doing this would be relatively easy. The seals are still readily available and just need strength to do. Bronze bushes can be turned along with replacement pins.

 

Like!

codlasher

[Billhook]

Logbaron I would have thought that the TW would be a handful in the woods with long wheelbase, poor turning circle and weighing a couple of tons more than the County, but perhaps good for hauling a big load on the track.

What model and year is your County? Mine is 1968.

 

Hand cutter, I assume I would have to take a larger pipe direct from the Matbro spool block and a separate return to the tank, but I probably would only use the crane trailer with the 8210, which will have enough hydraulic power.

I could load the trailer more easily with the Matbro than the crane, it would just make a mess if the ground is wet or if it is a tight spot, so I could use the 8210 plus crane trailer in that case.

 

No one has answered my question about is it an undesirable proposition from the classic tractor angle to split the tractor and crane and restore the crane trailer and 1124 separately

[Joy Yeomans]

No the weight of the tw was needed to pull out up the slopes with a silage trailers full of chip in deep mud.

[Wood wasp]

Fiskars 5000 is big old crane for roof of a county. We had one like that for a while, it could lift but nerve wracking on side slopes

[handcutter]

Id use both as you said but fabricate a hydraulic ram/leg so your able to load trailer with matbro then re attach when full as i guess it doesnt have a drop hitch.

 

Its big crane but cab is inch thick on top and 3/4 all round so very solid and yes twitch on slopes!!

[openspaceman]

Well I can tell you that this is an original early 'Chieftain Forge' cab and it is fitted with the original Wartsila ships crane. C 1970's and they were very well built and incredibly reliable.

 

My 1004 with the wartsila crane the roof was more conical and the slew rams went round with the crane, I didn't keep it long as the 1124 with cranab 4510 is better, I've owned that for 37 years now although it hasn't been used much for the last seven.

[Billhook]

Id use both as you said but fabricate a hydraulic ram/leg so your able to load trailer with matbro then re attach when full as i guess it doesnt have a drop hitch.

 

Its big crane but cab is inch thick on top and 3/4 all round so very solid and yes twitch on slopes!!

 

Matbro has a good pick up hitch so I would not need a hydraulic leg just a skid under the drawbar. Would only need a stabiliser leg for the crane.

[Steelback]

Have one for sale shortly just waiting for boss to say when! See earlier post for pics!! Stand by........lol

[Mark Groes]

Hi Steelback,

I'm after history on your old County.

Can you remember when it sold and how much for ?

Snaffle Wood Guy