Rare English Tractor Restored
Yorkshire-born and raised Malcolm Norris has a rare tractor, and he knows it. Reportedly, less than 200 David Brown VTK 143, 4-cylinder, industrial tractors were built. They feature a rear-mounted winch and a front-mounted pulley. A shaft from the winch runs alongside the frame to power the large pulley between the hood and the left front fender.
The heavy-duty tractors, which were built in Yorkshire in the late 1940’s, were popular as a power source for threshing machines, thanks to their pulley. They earned the nickname Thresherman tractors.
Norris’ father, Geoff, worked on the tractors as a mechanic before buying one built in 1946 for his sawmill business. Norris shared the detailed story of his dad’s use of the tractor, as well as his own restoration of it decades later, in an issue of Farm Collector magazine.
The tractor was an all-around power source for his dad, whether in the sawmill, winching logs out of timber, or towing equipment out of bogs. When he retired in 1986, the tractor was left in a corner of the yard. After his father died, Norris decided to try to get it running, something he did over more than 6 years.
Unable to start it, he removed the engine, took it apart, rebuilt it, and sandblasted the rest of the tractor. Where he could, he restored, rather than replaced, as he had to do with the fenders.
“It has been surprising how many parts were salvageable,” says Norris. “Just by cleaning parts and spending a bit of time on them, I’ve been able to save a lot of the original tractor.”
While headlamps were restorable, rear light brackets were not. Norris had exact copies made, even though they differed from standard David Brown light brackets. Norris chose to restore the tractor as his father had used it.
Throughout the process, Norris felt his dad’s presence. “My father’s words would enter my mind several times a day,” he says, “as if he was commenting on the job, saying things like, ‘That needs a spring washer on it’ and ‘You’d better put a spot of grease on that so the next man can get it off’ and questions like, ‘Why have you left that bolt on so long?’ or ‘Can you do that a better way?’ All of which made me feel like he was there with me.”
In the end, Norris had a tractor that looked almost new and handles like it. He reports the two low gears were suitable for towing, while the top gear has a maximum speed of 12 mph.
“It really is lovely to drive,” he says.
There are a few things that were left untouched, such as the steering wheel, which is a direct connection to his father’s hands. A bent piece of steel at the base of the winch was also left untouched, and there are grooves in the side rollers.
As he relates in the article, “…these things are part of the tractor’s character and story, and I knew the man who made those marks.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Malcolm Norris, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, or Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, Kan. 66609 (ph toll-free 800-682-4704; www.farmcollector.com).
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Rare English Tractor Restored TRACTORS Antiques Yorkshire-born and raised Malcolm Norris has a rare tractor and he knows it Reportedly less than 200 David Brown VTK 143 4-cylinder industrial tractors were built They feature a rear-mounted winch and a front-mounted pulley A shaft from the winch runs alongside the frame to power the large pulley between the hood and the left front fender The heavy-duty tractors which were built in Yorkshire in the late 1940’s were popular as a power source for threshing machines thanks to their pulley They earned the nickname Thresherman tractors Norris’ father Geoff worked on the tractors as a mechanic before buying one built in 1946 for his sawmill business Norris shared the detailed story of his dad’s use of the tractor as well as his own restoration of it decades later in an issue of Farm Collector magazine The tractor was an all-around power source for his dad whether in the sawmill winching logs out of timber or towing equipment out of bogs When he retired in 1986 the tractor was left in a corner of the yard After his father died Norris decided to try to get it running something he did over more than 6 years Unable to start it he removed the engine took it apart rebuilt it and sandblasted the rest of the tractor Where he could he restored rather than replaced as he had to do with the fenders “It has been surprising how many parts were salvageable ” says Norris “Just by cleaning parts and spending a bit of time on them I’ve been able to save a lot of the original tractor ” While headlamps were restorable rear light brackets were not Norris had exact copies made even though they differed from standard David Brown light brackets Norris chose to restore the tractor as his father had used it Throughout the process Norris felt his dad’s presence “My father’s words would enter my mind several times a day ” he says “as if he was commenting on the job saying things like ‘That needs a spring washer on it’ and ‘You’d better put a spot of grease on that so the next man can get it off’ and questions like ‘Why have you left that bolt on so long?’ or ‘Can you do that a better way?’ All of which made me feel like he was there with me ” In the end Norris had a tractor that looked almost new and handles like it He reports the two low gears were suitable for towing while the top gear has a maximum speed of 12 mph “It really is lovely to drive ” he says There are a few things that were left untouched such as the steering wheel which is a direct connection to his father’s hands A bent piece of steel at the base of the winch was also left untouched and there are grooves in the side rollers As he relates in the article “…these things are part of the tractor’s character and story and I knew the man who made those marks ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Malcolm Norris Harrogate North Yorkshire or Farm Collector 1503 SW 42nd St Topeka Kan 66609 ph toll-free 800-682-4704; www farmcollector com
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