Sandstone Heritage Trust – News
“Interesting dialogue regarding an old plough lying at Sandstone Estates. Herewith the full story.”
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Some time ago, a request was sent out from Sandstone Heritage Trust to Peter Love, Editor of Tractor & Machinery Magazine:
From: Joanne West Sent: 28 February 2006 15:59 To: Peter Love Subject: 2-FURROW OLIVER PLOUGH Dear Peter, Your knowledge knows no bounds in the vintage agricultural field. However, here is a puzzle for you. Attached is a 2-furrow plough manufactured by Oliver. The reference in the picture Tugela is obviously South African because we have a Tugela River in Natal. GA Fichardt & Co. is obviously somebody who manufactured under licence. Anyway, the question here is what is the contraption on the top of the 2-furrow Oliver plough? There is a motion that when you turn the wheel lifts a bar in front with the same type of motion as a steam engine. This is not for publication, I just wondered if it rang a bell with you? Best regards, Wilfred E. Mole |
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| I then wrote in and said:
Hello Wilf, Did Peter Love ever come back to you about the contraption on the Oliver Plough? Here is a pic of my (almost unused) Malcomess kragkop: |
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| You unfortunately can’t see but this can be set to 4 (3?) different strokes, as the contemporary advertisement says: | |
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| I’ve seen all kinds of scrap used here in our gravelly soils (?) OK, ground (!), to help penetration. In fact my restored Deming Oil-Rite kragkop was found wired onto a Ghrop (cultivator) on a farm near here. I gave the farmer some tractor wheel weights in exchange! Regards This pump (right) features the patented “Oil-Rite” system of lubrication, where oil is trapped between the teeth of the pinion and main gear, and is forced up to the top of the |
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| Then I noticed something else: The picture isn’t clear as to what the con-rods are doing towards the front of the plough. But as I said it was that extra hole in the bullgear that did it. Now looking a bit closer that angled-up bar below Arno’s left hand clinches it. That is the bracket that the diagonal stay-rod passes through. |
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| The angled-up bracket on my Malcomess Kragkop, which in this case is cast, the one on the Oliver plough is a bent-up steel plate. I have turned the bullgear so that the holes are visible for alternate pump strokes: | |
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| Now the fun will be to identify the kragkop on the Oliver plough, for instance Dusty Erickson found this one in Old Mexico recently (minus conrods), and it is of a different make:
In this case, the angled-up bracket is part of the casting. Clearly visible are three holes for different strokes. |
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