Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i Tractor & Machinery

Hello, and welcome to the August issue of T&M. I’ll kick off by admitting that I looked back through rose-tinted spectacles when including a guide to the Massey Ferguson 575 in this issue! I appreciate that the 500 Series doesn’t enjoy the plaudits that other MF ranges do, but I like it! I guess that’s because it brings back so many memories of my younger years – with a couple of 550s and the 575 pictured lodged firmly in my mind. As fate would have it, this very tractor passed by the window earlier – which is bizarre, given that I hadn’t seen it for at least 15 years before then! It was owned by a local farmer and was very distinctive due to its PAVT rear wheels with red…

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the introduction of the Land Rover. The first Series I models rolled off the production line in 1948. The Land Rover soon became the vehicle of choice for use in the British countryside and the furthest most remote reaches of the world. The Land Rover dominated the market until the late 1970s/early 1980s and was used by the military all over the world, but predominantly in Commonwealth countries. The original design was so good it remained in production until 1983, albeit constantly evolving from Series I to II and onto Series III. The boxier 90 and 110 were introduced in 1983. The Land Rover Defender, as it eventually became known, ceased production on 29 January 2016. To celebrate Land Rover, the County of Salop…

Like many of the manufacturers building machinery in the 1960s, the International Harvester Company of Great Britain enjoyed tremendous success with its products. The B-275 and B-414 are obvious examples of its achievements, but its B-12 and B-13 ploughs, B-23 mower, and B-46 and B-47 balers also aided IHGB’s popularity. Due to the market share enjoyed by the B-275 and B-414, as well as the dominance of the BTD-6 crawler, IH decided to introduce a smaller tracklayer built around the underpinnings of the wheeled machines produced at Bradford. Development work purportedly began in the late 1950s, with a small crawler based on the B-250/B-275, but it got no further than the prototype stage – leaving the BTD-6 to lead the charge for the company’s crawler range. At the end of…

PICK OF THE CROP CUTTING CREW I don’t get many pictures of Claas machines. Thank you! Dear Junior, This is my picture of a Claas out in the field working hard. It’s Granda Thomas driving. Arthur Dodsworth (aged 5) FINE FORD Now that’s a tidy tractor! Dear Junior, I hope you like my drawing of a Ford with a trailer. Tom Gleave (aged 7), Cheshire SHOW OFF YOUR SKILLS Send your drawings to: ‘Junior’, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL or, if you’re a whizz-kid, scan them and e-mail them to: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk PLOUGHING POWER I love the coloured paper – it makes the drawing really stand out! Dear Junior, My daddy let me use his Internet letterbox to send you this. This my…

Newby Hall was the place to be on 10-11 June, as Tractor Fest was staged at the eighteenth-century country house and estate, says David Reed. Billed as the biggest tractor event in the north, almost 2,000 exhibits were on display for visitors to enjoy, including cars, lorries, and motorbikes, as well as stationary engines and other working machinery, with many club stands in attendance. There was also the opportunity to take a tour of the impressive building itself, or wander round the beautiful gardens. It was, as you might expect, the tractors on show that were the main attraction, with the blue of Ford the largest contingent present. The Ford & Fordson Association had a strong presence, with tractors of all ages to excite the crowds. Two that stood out…

When I left off last time, I was just getting the crank out of the Perkins A3.152 engine in John Speller’s MF 35. I now had the block ready to go to Bromsgrove Engine Services, as it would remove the old liners and fit the new ones. I have done this myself in the past, but it can be very tricky removing the old ones. They must be tight when they’re new, and they only get tighter over time. This three-cylinder block always looks so neat and compact when stripped down, and it’s light enough to manoeuvre – two can lift it with relative ease. Along with the block, the crankshaft was ready to go to be measured and machined, and now it was out of the engine the darker…

Perkins P6 E27N stars On Saturday 13 May, Southern Counties Auctioneers held a dispersal sale near Sherborne, Dorset, for the late Alec Maurice and Les Evans. A good crowd was present, and the top tractor lot was a grade 4 Fordson E27N with factory-fitted Perkins P6. The tractor had been on the farm all its life and was classed as an older restoration. It was running and sold for £12,200. The Fordson Standard N Allcrop was a bargain at £6,300, compared to the similar example that Cheffins sold on 17 June for £14,800. Results (abridged) 1940 Fordson Standard Allcrop N, restored, 4, £6,300 1942 Fordson Standard N, older rest, good, 4, £2,100 1949 Fordson E27N Major, Perkins P6, older rest, 4, £12,200 Avery Minneapolis-Moline BG, Hercules IXB, restored 2006, 57900394,…

JULY 28th July Kidderminster Machinery Sale. The Gallops, Stanklyn Lane, Stone, Kidderminster DY10 4AR. Halls. hallsgb.com 28th July Welland Steam Rally Vintage Auction. Welland, Worcestershire. H J Pugh & Co. Tel: 01531 631122 28th July Online Auction of the Lloyd Baker Estate Antique Tractor Collection. Ashton, IA, USA. Aumann Auctions. aumannvintagepower.com 28th July-4 August Online Contractors Plant Auction. Reading. Thimbleby & Shorland. tsauction.co.uk 30th July Summer Online Tractor & Equipment Auction. Nokomis, Il, USA. Aumann Auctions. aumannvintagepower.com 30th July Online Auction of the Lee Sorbel Toy & Truck Construction Collection. Nokomis, IL, USA. Aumann Auctions. aumannauctions.com AUGUST 1st August Farm Machinery Sale. Nr Yeovil. Cooper & Tanner. Tel: 01373 811010. 1st-2nd August Auction of Lloyd Westerlind Tractor Collection. 704 10th St NW Mercer, ND, USA. Online Bidding. Aumann Auctions. aumannvintagepower.com…

GOT A STORY? THEN WRITE TO THE EDITOR: Scott Lambert, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL EMAIL: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk IN BRIEF The LTX tractor Engineers have always striven to design and make new and improved products, and in many cases success has been achieved, but along the way there have also been designs that have never quite made that final move of finding their way into the marketplace. The subject of this new softback book, the Ferguson LTX (Large Tractor Experimental), is an example of one of those heroic failures, but also one demanding an explanation as to how this failure to clear that final hurdle came about. Over the years the Ferguson LTX has commanded almost legendary status among vintage agricultural enthusiasts, along…

The latest tractor to emerge from Ashely Kidd’s workshop is a 1943 industrial Fordson N Land Utility industrial, which debuted at his local Stradsett Park Vintage Rally in May. Working on his extensive Fordson fleet is certainly relaxing for Ashley, who is helped by his retired father, Peter, when needed, as he is kept busy working for R B Trucks Ltd. at Stow Bridge, near Kings Lynn. He has been an HGV technician at the company for 13 years, since leaving school, and is renowned for building heavy recovery vehicles – like the DAF XF six-wheeler that he has just completed (see overleaf). Although they are not exactly in fashion these days, at one time every major collection had at least one Fordson Standard N in it, but that’s not…

Launched in 1976, the Massey Ferguson 550, 565, 575, and 590 replaced the brilliant 100 Series models, ushering in the era of ‘Q’ cabs for tractors built at Banner Lane. The 148, 165, 168, and 188 were just what MF needed to be competitive, but a change in UK noise legislation meant that from 1 June 1976 all new tractors had to be fitted with a safety cab that did not exceed 90dB(A) at the driver’s ear. Massey Ferguson’s existing cab, available with flexible or rigid cladding, met rollover requirements, but there was no way that it could meet the noise legislation that was coming into force. The solution was the Supercab – designed, the company said, to “provide the operator with the best possible working conditions – the best…

The power output of tractors has been on the rise almost since the first internal combustion engine-powered machines appeared. Once farmers realised the benefits of the farm tractor, it was inevitable that soon they would require larger and more powerful examples, and the manufacturers were only happy to oblige. Daimler-Benz was amongst those that took the requirement for more powerful tractors seriously and even though its machine, the MB-trac, was something of a niche product – due to its non-standard design – the company was wise enough to keep up with what the tractor market demanded. The original MB-trac of 1972 was a modest-sized machine, but even as this tractor was being launched much larger designs were on the drawing board, and soon farmers could buy the much larger MB-trac…

HYDRAULIC PRESSES CSA10BB: £346.80 inc. VAT CSA20F: £898.80 inc. VAT CSA50 FPB: £2,158.80 inc. VAT Machine Mart Tel: 0115 956 5555 machinemart.co.uk Machine Mart’s range of Clarke hydraulic presses is ideal for garage and engineering workshops and can be used for a variety of tasks, including replacing/removing bearings, pressing ball joints, pulleys, pins, plates, or straightening metal work. There are eight different models available, with pressing capacity ranging from just 4 tonnes up to 50 tonnes. The best-selling CSA10BB 10-tonne hydraulic bench press is perfect for when you just need to tackle smaller pressing jobs, such as removing and installing gears or bearings. The press is simple to use and very effective, requiring minimum effort from the user to produce fast, accurate presses. It is supplied with a hydraulic pump,…

A friend in a nearby village has owned an industrial Dexta for several years and used it to keep the grass down in his paddocks. The tractor is fully equipped with PTO and threepoint linkage, and features the full width mudguards associated with the variant. As you may know, these tractors also feature a double set of brakes, the main set being hydraulic, whilst the second set is used for parking purposes and operated by a car-type handbrake lever. The tractor has spent a lot of time idle, and in the fullness of time the hydraulic brakes have ceased to function as they should. Just like cars with hydraulic brakes, they need to be in regular use to survive! As a result, the owner laid the tractor up with a…

PART F-J The prices are based on tractors sold at sales, on the Internet, privately and in some overseas markets too. Naturally, prices change as time progresses and it’s not always an upward trend, but you will get a good indication of what’s going on with the current market by referring to our guide. Here are a few pointers on buying a tractor to help you. If you are looking for a tractor to buy for restoration, or work, there’s a vast choice. However, if you are looking for something specific, do weigh up your options first, particularly if you have a limited budget. If it’s a popular model, then it’s not always to your advantage to go for the first one you see. Whatever is wrong with the tractor,…

The great weather we have been experiencing has certainly been good for bringing out the crowds to our rallies, which can only be a bonus. Many of these events are put together by groups of volunteers, and it is one of these dedicated individuals that I am sad to report passed away on 6 June, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Stephen Proctor, from Woolpit in Suffolk, was just 62 when he died – a family man through and through, and part of the tractor preservation movement for many decades. He loved Case, Ferguson, and Massey Ferguson tractors, in particular, and was an excellent restorer of machinery, as well as a great ploughman. He was always willing to help other people and did many good deeds that went unrecorded. It…

The Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with many traditional attractions and some new ones, including a new vintage plant class featuring diggers, bulldozers, and more. Taking place from 4-5 November, the event has already opened competition entries, which close on 13 September. Attracting more than 1,000 vintage tractors, implements, and commercial vehicles from across the UK, the event is the climax of the show season. The organisers are particularly targeting exhibitors that attended the first Newark Vintage & Heritage Show 20 years ago. “It is an opportunity to gather, reminisce about previous shows, and celebrate the show’s success over the years,” said events and development manager Elizabeth Halsall. The event is also celebrating the centenary of the row-crop tractor, including the iconic…

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It’s an obsession that Martyn Nicholls’ wife, Rachel, and his daughters, Mia, and Amy, tolerate, although they do occasionally help him move the tractors around the yard. The Radnorshire man’s fascination with the marque began in his 20s, working in the forestry industry, wielding a chainsaw as part of a felling crew. Martyn would look on in awe at the power and traction displayed by the Countys, which were then the machines of choice for timber extraction. He would jump at the chance to put the chainsaw down and take to the driving seat of one of them. This kick-started his desire to own a County and this eventually came to fruition in 2006, when he purchased his first 974. This was the start of his five-County collection, which comes…

Well, we are at half-way through the year, and it’s been difficult to keep up with the sales that have been going on. The market is very buoyant indeed, with good prices all-round. The highlight for me so far is Mike Mitchell’s Roadless 9804, which set a record for one of these tractors at H J Pugh & Co.’s auction on Saturday 24 June, reaching £92,000! The late Brian Lock’s Ferguson collection also set a very high average price for restored examples of these tractors. People are certainly willing to pay more for original-style tractors than restored examples, as was illustrated at the Boundary Farm sale in Ingham, Norfolk, on Thursday 8 June, when a rather rusty Sirocco-cabbed 1975 Massey Ferguson 135 sold for £5,400 +VAT. It had 5,813 hours…