bill van snorkle Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I just read on another forum about a firm called County Tractors, that converted Transits to 4x4 drive. In the deep, dark recesses of my memory I recall that this firm may have been the successor to Roadless Traction Ltd, the company that did the Forest Rover conversions. Any old timers know if this is correct and do County Tractors still exist ? Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Bill I thought Roadless and County did 4x4 conversions for Ford tractors at the same time, with Roadless disappearing some years ago. However they may have been swallowed by County. A friend has a County transit and it very much like a tractor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 firm still exists although under a different name- my uncle (who has a couple of trees in his backyard) has an old county which just soldiers on forever- nothing seems to kill it! (along with the old david browns which are older than me, but still running) anyway have a look Here (MJ Allen) under automotive for a look see. therea are a couple of websites that show the transit conversion (which i beleive they are still working on), haev a look Here for more info. with an exploded diagram here, is it just me or does that look suspicously like a salisbury? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 firm still exists although under a different name- my uncle (who has a couple of trees in his backyard) has an old county which just soldiers on forever- nothing seems to kill it! (along with the old david browns which are older than me, but still running) anyway have a look Here (MJ Allen) under automotive for a look see. therea are a couple of websites that show the transit conversion (which i beleive they are still working on), haev a look Here for more info. with an exploded diagram here, is it just me or does that look suspicously like a salisbury? IIRC there really is only two types of diffs in the car/van market removable diff (weak) fixed diff (strong). interestingly what we call Rover & Salisbury the Ford cars people from the 70's 60's call Salisbury/English & Atlas why interesting? because the Ford Salisbury has a removable diff the same as the Rover diff and the Rover Salisbury has a fixed diff like an Atlas! This has puzzled me but it may just be a mistake by Classic Ford Magazine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 We have one of the old county transit vans at work. I'd often wondered about the thing. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I have rebuilt a County 4600 and a 9600 - great tractors, bad turning circle. We had the 46 in the vinyard The Vans are pretty good, in all there guises and the company is still hanging on The Sherpa 4x4 was better though - salisbury's and a 3.5V8, all on 7.50's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Top tractor conversion must be the Doe Neighbouring farm has one and a half of these ......... there were three but two brothers couldn't agree a split when their father died so one got split I have a Fordson with a 6 cylinder cargo engine, good fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesm Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 so one got split I hope that wasn't recent - do they realise how much Triple Ds are worth now? Cheffins auctioned one for 66k last year, and istr reading about a scruffy one (painted white, iirc) that made 80k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 It wasn't a triple Doe, they had two Major based ones and one based on 4000s', or similar. When the farm was split they had a Major Doe each and half a 4000 each. Not sure it was 4000 based but it was that series of Ford, it's 5 years ago since I saw it. This farm has virtually every machine and car they have bought in the last 100 years in sheds. There is a barn with old cars I have never heard of, running board era, but they don't sell anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Spot Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I just read on another forum about a firm called County Tractors, that converted Transits to 4x4 drive. In the deep, dark recesses of my memory I recall that this firm may have been the successor to Roadless Traction Ltd, the company that did the Forest Rover conversions. Any old timers know if this is correct and do County Tractors still exist ?Bill. Roadless Traction LTD went to D&G Pantry of Haxley, Doncaster (01427 752234) who still had all of the Roadless spares and records when I last needed parts (2000). County Tractors has been brought by Osbournes (02380 814340) in Hampshire who are making loads of new parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirstybeast Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I have rebuilt a County 4600 and a 9600 - great tractors, bad turning circle. We had the 46 in the vinyard The Vans are pretty good, in all there guises and the company is still hanging on The Sherpa 4x4 was better though - salisbury's and a 3.5V8, all on 7.50's The LDV 4x4 vans we ran at work were so bad we converted them back to 2 wheel drive! brakes pulled and bolts were always beaking on the steering. The minibus had a high low leaver that could easily be opperated by passengers in the rear! still have all the bits so could make up a nice 4 wheel steer truck. The transfere box looks like a G wagon type and is made by styr. We also run a few countys including one of the last built an 1184-40. I think we got it in 1995. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Very interesting, I didn't realize County 4x4 conversions would be so prolific. In the late 1930's to 1940's there was a company named County Commercial Cars that converted Fordson Sussex trucks to tandem rear axle drive by making up the forward rear axle with 2 crownwheels and 2 pinions, the second set drove the rearmost axle via a second propshaft. I wonder if it is the same company as County Tractors? The name Salisbury has been used as a generic term to describe a differential with a rigid cast centre section with pressed in and welded axle tubes that was manufactured by the Salisbury Axle Company, the British arm of Dana Corp, but they have also made differentials with pressed steel banjo housings and removable centres. I believe the Volvo Laplander 4x4 conventional axles were just a Dana44 built by Salisbury in UK, and the portal axles on the C303'/306's were also built in the UK by Salisbury. A friend has a newish duall wheel Transit truck that he says came fitted with a Dana 60 diff so perhaps the Salisbury name is being phased out as well. I also believe that Dana took over the famous British heavy axle maker Kirkstall some time ago? Talk about selling the farm! If the Americans now own most of the established British firms, and the Americans are so heavily in debt to the Chinese,Britain will probably end up being owned by China once the Americans are forced to liquidate their assets. It's a scary scenario. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 and the portal axles on the C303'/306's were also built in the UK by Salisbury.Bill. I was under the impression that the C303 axles (or maybe just diffs) were built by the same company that made the axles for series11b forward control's. IIRC it was UNV or something like that Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selectcase Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 At one time in the 80's and early 90's an agricultural company called LF Jewell ltd had the roadless franchise and exported spares abroad mostly they had the the County franchise and they also produced tractors with compressors called jewellair, they were a ford main dealer with about 10 outlets around the westcountry. They folded around 1995. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Can anyone confirm a rumour I've heard that twin-wheel Sherpa rear axles have a limited-slip Salisbury-type diff in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Very interesting, I didn't realize County 4x4 conversions would be so prolific. In the late 1930's to 1940's there was a company named County Commercial Cars that converted Fordson Sussex trucks to tandem rear axle drive by making up the forward rear axle with 2 crownwheels and 2 pinions, the second set drove the rearmost axle via a second propshaft. I wonder if it is the same company as County Tractors?The name Salisbury has been used as a generic term to describe a differential with a rigid cast centre section with pressed in and welded axle tubes that was manufactured by the Salisbury Axle Company, the British arm of Dana Corp, but they have also made differentials with pressed steel banjo housings and removable centres. I believe the Volvo Laplander 4x4 conventional axles were just a Dana44 built by Salisbury in UK, and the portal axles on the C303'/306's were also built in the UK by Salisbury. A friend has a newish duall wheel Transit truck that he says came fitted with a Dana 60 diff so perhaps the Salisbury name is being phased out as well. I also believe that Dana took over the famous British heavy axle maker Kirkstall some time ago? Talk about selling the farm! If the Americans now own most of the established British firms, and the Americans are so heavily in debt to the Chinese,Britain will probably end up being owned by China once the Americans are forced to liquidate their assets. It's a scary scenario. Bill. Thanks for that info. I knew about China owning the US but strangely did not think about the knock on effect of the US owning us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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