‘UNBELIEVABLE’

By Staff
Published on March 1, 1972
1 / 4
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
2 / 4
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
3 / 4
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
4 / 4
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.
Courtesy of Berton Blazek, Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.

Innisfree, Alberta, Canada.

The young man visiting us stood shaking his head and repeating
the word, ‘unbelievable’. Before him our Field Marshall
tractor stood, shaking gently with the easy regular puffing exhaust
and its loud annoying diesel knock. If tractors came be some
genetic process, this might be a throwback, or some mutation, but
rather it is a unique design in a day when tractor designers were
not too adventurous.

Our large gasoline expense with a conventional tractor and the
fun promised from operating a single cylinder diesel tractor, plus
doing our work at one third the cost, well, we decided,
‘We’ll go and get it’.

We knew of this engine for several years, but till now had no
need of one. Our trip wasn’t very eventful, except on
returning, the truck developed a bad knock which proved to be a
loose connecting rod; we despaired of even getting home with it and
our 7500 pound prize. We arrived at the farm at Innis free at seven
a.m., but before break fast we unloaded the Field Marshall. No
children could have been more anxious on Christmas morning than we
were to make our first start.

We took all the steps before starting, namely, set speed
control, position fly wheel, and starting crank, roll and light the
ignition paper, set compression relief, and then crank. The
compression relief allows you 4 turns before it drops off flywheel
and you have full compression and a quick sure start every time. I
must admit that the first time on the fourth turn, my knees
weakened a little; ‘Suppose I can’t turn it on over that
last time’. A person is sure set up for a defenseless backfire,
but it goes every time, as it is designed to start easily and it
does so.

We have serviced it and used it some already, but haven’t
finished mounting the hydraulic pump yet, so we have yet to see how
it will perform on the cultivator, etc. It has a very distinct
diesel knock, much louder than the exhaust, and for all its single
cylinder, it is two cycle and the explosions are very even.

One manufacturer some years ago in summing up the few parts in
his engine said, ‘Frankly, could anything be simpler?’ We
have since learned that some-thing could be simpler, the Field
Marsh-all. It must be the simplest tractor ever built; the only
valves are reed valves on top of the crankcase, not a single
electrical device, and of course, only one injector and one nozzle.
In fact, one of most everything on the motor.

Verl and myself with ‘old Rattler’ on our way to get the
Field Marshall.

Many miles later and with such anxiety over loose connecting
rods we nursed the old Chev. home with our treasure. I am pointing
to breech block for power start cartridge.

Verl is positioning flywheel with long hand’ crank

That is ignition paper holder in my hand, about to screw it into
cylinder head, preparatory to starting.

Oh, I suppose it has some disadvantages, such as the chores
before starting, different than a self starter, only 40 horse power
for its 3? ton and it shakes a little at slow idle, not notice-able
at any working speed. Also, it doesn’t recover all its
lubricating oil; uses about 1 quart per shift and a little of this
will be on your shirt at night.

Anyhow, we think it is the greatest invention since the wheel,
and can’t understand why many more of them weren’t sold. My
son, Verl, age 14, hand starts it all the time and we plan to do
all our work with it. It would be too bad if these were to find
their way to the threshing shows as they would steal a great part
of any show you can be sure.

It still seems a little ‘unbelievable’.

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