Well, I was chatting to an 87 year old 3rd generation landowner and farmer here in NZ on Saturday about D2's and he said, 'I've got one'! Turns out that it is a 1940 5J purchased new by his father during WW2 and used for breaking in virgin hill country here right adjacent to where I live. It's not for sale but I thought it would be interesting to show, and also be added to Chrisco's serial number list as it's a matching number machine, very well used (nearly 12,000hrs) but very original.
         

Neil wrote:

What a beauty Mark. Doesn't look like he uses it much. The paint on it is superb - aged but not overly rusty. That radiator shroud is just about the best non-restored one I've ever seen, including unrestored ones that have unfortunately been polished. I like the Series I LandRover in front of it too. That's a bit older than Dad's, based on the number plate. Dad's is a '58 I believe with a number plate starting with ESnnnn. I'd like to buy it off his estate but I"m not sure if I can afford it, given the price of old clunkers these days. Maybe I'll just have to take out a mortgage! Is this down by the one in Gore?

Thanks Neil!
No this is one I found quite by chance here in Nelson, not 2 kms from where I live in Stoke. My family have done business with the owner for many years (my father and his son have had business dealings going back to the 1970's), and I've been cutting wood on his farm for the past 3 years and helping him clear up windblown trees and branches etc. I just never knew he had a D2 tucked away in his shed! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it) he wants all the old equipment (Landrover included) that he used to develop the farm to stay with the estate, so it's not for sale, at least at the moment. Track gear looks in awesome shape too! He said it hasn't been running for at least 8 years, it was parked in the shed when the shed was built and hasn't been moved since. Everything seems free including the main and steering clutches so I don't think it would be difficult to get going. BTW I'm looking at the one in Gore (which is a 1950 5U) later this week.
 
 

That's a nice looking D2, I bet if Neil's Mum went round there with a plate of freshly baked scones with jam and cream the old fella might reconsider selling it, looks like he has a shed full of old gear quietly resting waiting for the next generation to start looking after them.

I bet that D2 could tell some interesting stories of breaking open hill country during the war years, being close to the ocean there would have been the ongoing threat of Japanese invasion.

Just out of curiosity, how did the Kiwi's get on for petrol, Power Kerosene and diesel during the war, I assume it was all rationed, I was told by my old farming mate Gwyn that petrol was rationed heavily here in Oz, but farmers could get all the Power Kero they needed, I never asked about diesel, I know a lot of vehicles including cars, trucks and tractors got converted to run with gas producers during that time.

My old mate Gwyn had a Series 1 Landrover on his farm when I was a kid 60 years ago that had done a million hours, the brakes were shot, the clutch didn't work, nor did the lights, it did have a Holden engine conversion though, a tired old 129 cubic inch motor that burnt about a litre of oil per 10 hours of driving out in the bush, the speedo didn't work either. As a 10 year old kid, I learnt some great skills driving that ute between farms in sandhill country.
Thanks for sharing the photo's
All the best
Mike

I'm not sure about the fuel availability during WW2 Mike, but I'll certainly ask him when I next see him. The estate he lives on is absolutely stunning, the house was built in the 1840's as a kitset brought out from England by his great-great grandfather and it is surrounded by huge mature English Oaks and similar trees all planted at a similar time. You wouldn't know it's there, all tucked away in the lee of a hill right near a residential built-up area. There's acres of ponds, lawns, gardens and parkland all beautifully kept including a obligatory male peacock!

Mike wrote:

That's a nice looking D2, I bet if Neil's Mum went round there with a plate of freshly baked scones with jam and cream the old fella might reconsider selling it, looks like he has a shed full of old gear quietly resting waiting for the next generation to start looking after them.

I bet that D2 could tell some interesting stories of breaking open hill country during the war years, being close to the ocean there would have been the ongoing threat of Japanese invasion.

Just out of curiosity, how did the Kiwi's get on for petrol, Power Kerosene and diesel during the war, I assume it was all rationed, I was told by my old farming mate Gwyn that petrol was rationed heavily here in Oz, but farmers could get all the Power Kero they needed, I never asked about diesel, I know a lot of vehicles including cars, trucks and tractors got converted to run with gas producers during that time.

My old mate Gwyn had a Series 1 Landrover on his farm when I was a kid 60 years ago that had done a million hours, the brakes were shot, the clutch didn't work, nor did the lights, it did have a Holden engine conversion though, a tired old 129 cubic inch motor that burnt about a litre of oil per 10 hours of driving out in the bush, the speedo didn't work either. As a 10 year old kid, I learnt some great skills driving that ute between farms in sandhill country.
Thanks for sharing the photo's
All the best
Mike

Mike, I spoke to the old man on Saturday and asked him for some more detail as to fuel rationing in WW2, he was a very little chap of 5 or so when the tractor was brought so he doesn't really remember many specifics, although he said his father (who purchased the tractor) was in charge for rationing for the district, so I can't imagine they had much difficulty with fuel! He did tell me a funny story about an old chap that farmed pigs who went to his father and asked if he could have some more fuel as he had nearly run out, his father said no, sorry, you have used your allocation. So the old chap went away, put some of his pigs in his truck, and promptly parked it in front of the rationing office which was at the post office. People raised a hue and cry due to the stink emanating from the truck and he was asked to shift his truck, he said, sorry but I've run out of fuel! Needlesss to say he got his fuel!

That is a great story about the pigs, thanks for asking the question.
All the best
Mike

What little time I have had over the past couple of weekends has been spent working on getting this old 5J running and on Saturday I had success! I have rebuilt the old Eisemann RC-2 Mag (new condenser - adapted from an Iron Horse lawnmower! And cleaned and set the points) and I also removed and cleaned out the carby on the pony. I had to adjust the pinion clutch and still need to adjust the pinion catches as it won't stay engaged without holding up on the engagement lever. Otherwise, the pony starts and runs amazingly well (first pull) and the diesel runs beautifully with great oil pressure. The main clutch, steering clutches and brakes work perfectly too which is a bonus! I took some videos, which I will try and upload, but for a start, a couple of stills from the said videos will have to do.