The Chaseside Engineering Company Ltd company was based at Blackburn in Lancashire England and they built some of the earliest loaders and cranes all based on Fordson farm tractors. The company was founded in Middlsex in 1937. The firm also made the Northrop tractor an early UK built high horsepower Four-wheel drive tractor which effectivly became the Muir-Hill range when its inventor/designer moved companies.

Chaseside was sold out to JCB in 1968, and the brand name was soon dropped.

HistoryEdit

The company was founded in 1937 from a small factory at Enfield in Middlesex making several tractor parts for domestic loader and tractor manufacturers. They introduced a earl cable operated loader anda crane based on the Fordson Major tractor. By 19? Chaseside needed to find another new factory to accommodate the expanding business and some production moved north to the Station Road site in Hertford where they operated from a much larger premises. This allowed Chaseside to expand their model range and launched a new batch of loaders, new cranes and for the first time dumptrucks a new concept Chaseside were developing on. The MD was a Gordon Jackson in the late 1950s / early 1960s.

They merged with British Northrop in 195? a cotton mill loom manufacture who had spare foundry capacity as the UK mill industry declined and looked to diversify. Chaseside needed investment to fund new model production and relocated manufacturing to the Northrop factory in Blackburn Lancashire. Most of the workforce stayed in the south and found new jobs.

They introduced the 4-wd Northrop tractor under design engineer David J. B.Brown who latter went on to work for Muir-Hill and then founded ADT maker Artix, which sold out to Caterpillar Inc.

They were taken over by JCB in 1968 for their seven model loading shovel range. JCB paid a reputed fee of £100,000 for the woorkin progress, intellectual property, stock, tooling and order book etc. The production of Northrop tractors stopped, with JCB putting the last 2 to work on their farm estate.

Loading Shovel Production transferred to Rocester, Staffordshire in 1969, with production of other machines all being dropped.

JCB went onto develop a new range of Loading shovels in 1971 with the 400 series of 413, 415 & 418 models (see JCB for details and more information after this period).

Model RangeEdit

• Chaseside Loader
• Chaseside Shunter
• Chaseside Hi-Lift Loader
• Chaseside 1 ton Crane
• Chaseside 2 ton Crane
• Chaseside 30cwt Dumper
• Chaseside Loading Shovel range;
  • Chaseside SL 1000 loader
  • add more models here

JCB re-badged the machines in 1969 following transfer of production to JCB at Rocester.

• JCB 900
• JCB 1250
• JCB 1750

Preserved MachinesEdit

There are a few of the early fordson based machines restored and on the Rally circuit.

PatentsEdit

The company obtained a number of patents related to the design of wheeled loaders and other plant designed by David J. B.Brown as cheif engineer.

• Z-bar loader linkage - http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3224607.html

See alsoEdit

• JCB
• Northrop tractors
• Fordson
• Fordson E27N Major

Scale modelsEdit

• Several scale model versions available from: Langley Models

ReferencesEdit

• Ford Tractor Conversions By Stuart Gibbard
• Tractor & Machinery Magazine
• Classic Tractor Magazine
• 50 Golden years By JCB
• The first 50 years, a history of JCB
• Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine

External LinksEdit

Add any external links that directly relate to this articles subject and have more info or have related images. Other general external links can be added to the web Site Links list.

• Memories of Chaseside - has old factory photos - Hertford Council history web site