H.S.C.S.

HSCS (Hofherr Schrantz Clayton Shuttleworth) (Hungary). Company Info
The company was a large company already in 1891, manufacturing threshing machines, portable steam engines, a.s.o.
The "Clayton Shuttleworth" in the company name stands for the famous English steam tractor manufacturer, who had a large share in the Hungarian company. In 1924 the first lamp start tractor was built.
All HSCS products are very desirable collectors items.
This is even more true for the HSCS ("Le Robuste") K50, since only about 5 are known to exist. This is nr 6788, built in the 30's. The tractor has three speeds, maximum speed is approx 5 km/hr. The engine is more or less a stationary crude oil lamp start engine, bolted to a separate cast iron frame, coupled to the gearbox by a thin transmission bolted to the side of the engine. The later HSCS tractors, from about 1940, did no longer have a separate frame, the engine serving as part of the frame, as was also usual with Lanz and the later Field Marshall. The K50 is the biggest (considering the cylinder size) crude oil lamp start tractor ever built. The sound of a running crude oil lamp start engine with a swept volume of 15 liters is something you never forget. And due to the sheer size of the engine, inspection of the cylinder is a very straightforward job, as you will see below :

My son Piet looking around inside the cylinder ...

The tractor usually was on iron wheels, as you can see from the Original Info below.
My tractor is shown here on rubber tires, but has the iron wheels to be fitted when required.

Original Info

Please also see the website of Club Trattori d'Epoca Piemonte (the epoch tractors Piedmont club)
There a later version of this tractor is shown, where the engine has become an integral part of the frame.

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Le Percheron

Tractor Le Percheron (Frankrijk), 1939
Lanz gave the French company SCNAC located in Colombes a licence to build this tractor, as they lacked production capacity to satisfy the French demand for the Lanz 25HP. A "Percheron" is an agricultural horse, the logo on the tractor front shows this (vaguely).
The later logo, common to almost all Le Percheron’s, is a big rampant horse, and does not mention "Système Lanz" as shown on this tractor. This older logo shows that this is one of the very few (200?) pre-war Le Percheron’s built (This one is Nr 160). This tractor is still fully identical to the Lanz 25HP.
Although ... Le Percheron did not care too much, one millimeter more or less, so identical is not necessarily identical, not even interchangeable in one tractor ... We surely found that out during mechanical restoration of the tractor.

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Lanz Bulldog

Lanz 60 HP D6006, built in 1957 or 1958, sold in 1962.
At that time combine harvesting was in full swing, so not many of these tractors have been sold.
It was bought at the end of the 1970's from the original owner.
Who at that time had started collecting tractors or engines ?

Original Info
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Ransomes

Ransomes Sims & Jefferies was a very well known manufacturer of steam tractors.
Later the company continued to be well known, everyone has at least once seen a Ransomes lawnmower.
But they also built tractors with an IC engine, albeit very little ones : small crawler tractors for vegetable farming. Company Info
On the continent you rarely see one (in the UK they are a more common sight), and when you see one, it always is an MG 5 (Mark 5) or younger.
My MG 2 (1940's period) looks much more "ancient" than the later models : it is hardly anything more than 2 side plates with tracks on the outside, and on the inside a big ancient lawnmower engine coupled to a box with gears in it. And a seat for the driver.
A very enjoyable toy, with a tremendous traction power.

Original Info
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