Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society to make noise at Seymour Alternative Farm Expo

THE distinctive sounds of vintage machinery will pop and hiss at the Seymour Alternative Farm Expo next week.

Dorothy & Ron Bradshaw

THE distinctive sounds of vintage machinery will pop and hiss at the Seymour Alternative Farm Expo next week.

The three-day expo, which runs from February 14-16 at Seymour's Kings Park, will feature a display by the Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society, which has exhibited at the expo for more than 20 years.

A cluster of society members lives along the Hume Freeway corridor at Broadford, Wallan, Kilmore and Seymour.

Dorothy and Ron Bradshaw, of Broadford, have restored several engines including some Ronaldson Tippett machines.

At Seymour this year, they plan to show their 1917 Rosebery drag saw, which was used in the bush to cut timber before chainsaws.

Mrs Bradshaw said she bought the timber-framed drag saw from a seller at Avenel several years ago.

Last year, the Bradshaws bought another drag saw, dating from the 1940s or 1950s, this time designed and mounted on a metal frame.

Mrs Bradshaw said it was difficult to cart suitable timber around to demonstrate the cutting action of the saw, but the machine would be ready for work on the three days at Seymour.

She said many visitors to field days and rallies often had engines in sheds and it was a good opportunity to identify engines and other machinery suitable for restoration, as well as to find sources of spare parts.

Another Broadford member of the society, Gary Gladigau, will display his single-cylinder 1939 Lanz Bulldog tractor.

He said he would demonstrate the unusual starting procedure of the German tractor, which involves heating up the engine to start.

"You start them with a blowtorch," Mr Gladigau said.

"You take off the steering wheel, put it in the flywheel and rock the motor back and forth, then it springs to life.

"Filthy black smoke and oil pours out."

He said the sound of the Lanz Bulldog engine was a major drawcard for old-timers who knew of the Bulldog in the field.

The Gisborne Vintage Machinery Society leases a 3ha steam park at Gisborne, off Webb Crescent, where its annual rally is held in May.

• For details about the Seymour Alternative Farm Expo visit www.seymour-expo.com