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Old 10-08-10, 03:31
Carroll Porter Carroll Porter is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Corinth, Vermont USA
Posts: 7
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Alex, the tiller steering is connected to the master cylinders. It's the same configuration as I got it, but the wood that the hydraulics and the levers was mounted to rotted out, and I replaced the wood with a scrap of angle iron, and replaced the master cylinders with current parts readily available. I mentioned before that I got this when I was 17. I fitted working brakes to it in my early 20's, and used it around the farm here enough to know that it was a lot of fun to play with. I didn't have much in resources for flat head Ford parts at the time, had a couple different engines in it, really didn't have any luck keeping it going so I sort of put it on the back burner hoping that someday that I'd run across information on the origin and use of this orphaned "tank". It was so exciting to run across this forum a couple weeks ago, brought a whole new spectrum to light and a rekindled interest to continue this project and bring it back to life in a near to original condition, which it rightly deserves. I'm 58 now, be 59 if I make it half way through September which I plan on doing, at least that's the plan.

Looking at some of the pics posted, I was intrigued with the steering wheel. On the other hand, the levers don't seem to be backyard built, and they both have a grease fitting on them common to the rest of vehicle. The lever to the left of the shifter, the one that looks like the angle set lever on a horse drawn harrow, is connected to the track warp cam. This also has always appeared to be factory equipment. The one that has had me baffled is the idler wheels, or track adjusting wheels, are cast iron spoke with steel clad wood filler where the rubber is on the road wheels. It didn't dawn on me until I came upon this forum, that they undoubtedly used to be rubber, were chewed off while beating the crap out of it logging, and some clever entrepeneur replaced the rubber with oak, put a steel tire on it , and it was off to the races.

Lynn, I'll post pics of every square inch of this if it were any help to anyone, or will help someone with a clue to it's positive identification.

Thanks in advance for the valuable information, and thanks for all the reading I stole while waiting to get approval to become a member.



Carroll
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