Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Penman]

Hi
I have been watching Wartime Farm and they have a cartridge start Field Marshal tractor and it set me wondering.
If you have one of those now do you have to have a firearms licence to buy the blank cartridges?
_________________
Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[ukdave2002]

This is a clip showing how to start one

Bit of a bugger if you stall at the lights

Dave

[Roger-hatchy]

If you stop the engine do you have to wait for things to cool down before restart.

[Churchill Johnson]

As far as i know one would not need a licence to buy or use a starter cartridge, these tractor's do not need a cartridge to start them anyway, a t shaped long metal plug is removed from the front of the cyl head and a saltpetre impregnated wick is inserted into the end and lit then put back into the head then a starting handle is fitted to the flywheel which has a spiral groove cut into it into which is placed the decompresser mechanism the flywheel is then turned until the decompresser drop's off causing it to start.

[Bitumen Boy]

I bet if you tried starting it on the handle you'd soon enough be ringing round for cartridges...

I'm no expert but I don't think cartridges come under firearms laws anyway, after all they're not a lot of good on their own and, at a guess, considerably less dangerous than fireworks that any muppet can buy anywhere with no questions asked

Wartime Farm's been very good so far, about the best thing that's been on all year. No doubt we'll be back to the usual dross in another couple of weeks

[Greg]

I've seen one of the old Jet engines started this way....I think a De Havilland Vampire?

[buzzy bee]

Hi

Starting one on the handle is not a big deal, quite simple, decompression is a wonderful thing, Combined with some papers it's easy enough, similar to a spit bang engine.

Cartridge starting has it's own issues, not least the cost of Cartridges being £1 a go.....

Some similar engines had air start, but I am unsure Marshals ever did, sure someone on this forum will know if he looks.. I was driving a Diesel Road roller recently to an event, with a single cylinder 8 litre -ish Ruston engine, that was handle start with a paper, and air start was an option. Air Tanks would be recharged whilst running apparently, by switching some valves on the exhaust/intake, blowing the tanks up, before closing the tank, and the engine valves to catch the engine, before it stalled, let it pick up again, and then redo the process untill you have sufficient air to start the engine the next time...

I am sure no licence is needed as they are no more than a blank, and you can have such things like that for replica weapons with no licence.. If you want one, I may know of a box, but they are £1 a pop....

Cheers

Dave

[buzzy bee]

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

I certainly take Buzzy's point about the cost of cartridges. The farm where I spent a lot of my time in the mid 1960's had a Track Marshall for mole draining. It was always started then by decompressing and swinging it because of the cost of cartridges. I very much doubt if cartridges were actually used on a real War-time farm.
As to stalling at traffic lights these things are single cylinder diesels with a piston about the size of a bucket. They do not stall!

[RUSTON]

The Field Marshall wasn't introduced until after the war anyway so cartridges wouldn't have been an issue!
A mate of mine started one on the handle when he was about 11 years old, the handle stuck in and he ran for cover. When it freed itself the handle took three sheets off of the roof of his father's barn, and a couple more on its way back to earth again, a box of cartridges was soon obtained to save further mishaps ha ha!

Pete.
_________________
Measure twice...cut once!

[Churchill Johnson]