TracMach and the Tractor Museum

On Saturday 30th October 2021 I drove the Tatra up to the Motor Museum at Whiteman Park. I am putting the Tatra on temporary display there for a couple of months. After dropping her off I wandered over to check out the Tractor Museum. I haven't visited there for many years. https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2020/05/tractor-museum-whiteman-park.html

It takes a special kind of dedication to restore and preserve Australia's agricultural and industrial heritage. Tractors can't be driven on the road, you can't take them on a coffee run, they take up space and time and money. In Europe, tractors and farm heritage is a big thing. In Ireland and the UK there are more than twenty specialist magazines dedicated to vintage tractors. In Germany there are industrial fairs and 'tractor-treffen' which draw tens of thousands of attendees. But in Australia - nothing. My European friends find it hard to believe there is no interest in tractors. It's a very niche interest.

No less on my visit. I arrived at 12 and I was the first visitor of the day. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant visit as I had a good chat with the extremely helpful volunteers.

American McCormick-Deering

Caterpillar today still make tractors, mining and agricultural machinery. They were famous for the 'caterpillar' track.

Allis-Chalmers, another 1930s tracked tractor.

McCormick and Massey-Harris tractors from the 1950s in traditional red. Massey-Harris are now Massey-Ferguson.

1940s Fordson Major. Fordson were a subsidiary of Ford (obviously). Industrialization of farming in the US helped make that country the powerhouse that it became.

What I really came to see though was the museum's collection of Lanz Bulldog tractors from the 1930s.

Heinrich Lanz of Mannheim in Germany began manufacturing a simple and robust tractor in the 1920s. These became something of a tractor legend in Germany and in other places around the world where they were exported. Australia was a good market for the Bulldog and there are a large number here.

As I have mentioned, there is a wideranging enthusiasm for tractors and agricultural heritage in Germany and many a classic car enthusiast may also have a tractor in his back shed. A few years ago one of my DKW contacts reached out to me to ask if I knew of any Lanz Bulldogs in Australia. I said, I did, and this led to a long running search for documentation in Australia.

The Bulldog was powered by a single cylinder two-stroke diesel motor. This is the enormous piston - note the deflector top. The Bulldog would run on really low quality oil, in fact, almost any combustible liquid. Ignition was performed by a hot-bulb device that was heated up by a blow torch before starting the motor. Once the bulb ignition was red hot, the oil would ignite automatically on compression. This meant that the Bulldog did not require a battery, electrics, or spark plug.

Why were my German friends hunting for documentation about a German tractor in Australia? Apparently, Lanz did not provide a detailed workshop manual for the Bulldog. This was not unusual at the time as repair instructions were only issued occasionally to service offices. Lanz' Australian distributors were disatisfied with the lack of documentation and so customised and drafted their own guidance. It was definitely a long shot, but worth exploring.

The guys at the museum very kindly searched their library and found three manuals, which they leant to me for scanning. Extremely generous. https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2021/10/lanz-bulldog-hr-5-operating-manual.html

Of course, it isn't just tractors. There are commercial vehicles on display. This is a Graham truck of 1924.

Two post-war Chamberlains. These are road driveable vehicles.

1939 Minneapolis Moline Standard Model

A hopper truck

Rotary plows

Sunshine Harvester farm machinery was a US company, but they had an assembly plant in Fremantle, Western Australia. The building today is a very cool food hall.

1950s row

Steam traction engine

The Tractor Museum doesn't have patrons with deep pockets like the nearby Motor Museum, but it does deserve your support. The preservation of our agricultural heritage and it is interesting if you spare the time. The Tractor Museum is only a few metres away from the Motor Museum. It's only $5 and children are free. Why not walk over and have a look. If you're in a motoring club and you're looking for somewhere to go - check it out. It's only through community support that the museum will survive for future generations. 

Visit their Facebook page here: www.facebook.com./TMofWA