Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Tractor & Farming Heritage

I often tend to favour restorations where the tractor is kept in as original condition as possible. This frequently means the finish on the machine is normally done with an oily rag to preserve the metalwork and the few flakes of the original paint from many years ago. No doubt there will be plenty of tractors in this type of condition at the Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show (NVT&HS) on November 5-6, and we are pleased to include the first preview of the end-of-season highlight to the event year in this issue. I am also incredibly pleased that the preview highlights the younger generations who are being attracted to the hobby. It is something that we all want to see. There will also be many restorations at the NVT&HS…

The Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire will host the British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival at Glapwell, North East Derbyshire on October 8-9, with the kind permission of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Over 240 ploughmen and women will take part in the Championships, vying for the titles in their respective disciplines. The top ten reversible and conventional ploughers from the first day will compete in a ‘Plough-Off’ Final on the second day. The winner will take the title and a place to represent England in next year’s World or European Championships. The top ten competitors in the vintage trailed, hydraulic, classic, and classic reversible classes will again win a place in their respective ‘Plough-Off’ Final to win the title and hopefully compete in the 2023 European Vintage Ploughing…

To celebrate the DPJ Foundation turning six this July, they are running a special raffle that you won’t want to miss. For just £5 a ticket, you can win yourself your very own vintage Fordson tractor worth over £5800 and know that you are supporting the vital work of the DPJ Foundation. Following the success of the 2019 raffle, which saw a vintage Massey Ferguson being raffled, the agricultural mental health charity marked the first summer back at shows with another tractor raffle. However, this raffle not only generates essential funds for the DPJ Foundation to provide much-needed mental health support for the agricultural community in Wales but also raises awareness of what they do. The DPJ Foundation was set up in Pembrokeshire in July 2016 following the death by…

Vintage tractors aren’t just for the older gentleman, say two young enthusiasts who plan to show their tractors at the Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show this year. Alex Kettlewell and his girlfriend Jennie Whittingham, both 24 years old, own four tractors between them and even met through vintage tractors, with Alex converting Jennie to the hobby. Both recently took part in the world’s largest vintage tractor road run. Meanwhile, Katie Birch, 21, took on her grandfather’s 1953 Fergie and says the history of vintage tractors is what she loves most. She also got her boyfriend into the passion, and he now owns a Fergie, too. Alex and Jennie Alex Kettlewell, from Davenham in Cheshire, has been into vintage tractors since childhood and says it’s a great hobby, with a…

Wilkins brothers saved many tractors from scrap and collected many implements that were often the first to be lost. Some of these items ended up in the very disappointing Science Museum at Wroughton, Swindon, Wiltshire. However, the majority were passed on to later enthusiasts, including John Moffitt MBE, Arthur Hinch, John Bownes, and Brian Smith, to name but a few. Charles Wilkins’ father was Charles Herbert Wilkins, known as Bert and ran the business with his brother Ted. Today, Charles lives in Burnside, South Australia and had to disperse the family’s tractor collection decades back. Charles has come up with this fascinating article it shows the connection the family had with Ford-powered machines. We start with these words that were published by Ford as promotional material for their stand at…

Sometimes this business of writing magazine articles doesn’t feel like work at all, and this particular Saturday in the spring of 2022 was one of those days where the task at hand felt more like a day out than a job. Driving down through Wales, the roads were still relatively free from the tourist traffic and the scenery was splendid. Arriving at Peter and Bethan’s farm I was faced with the ‘arduous’ task of looking at a load of stunningly beautiful vehicles and machines. This included photographing a Field Marshall tractor, having some lunch, and then riding around a field on a Field Marshall, surrounded by spectacular views. It really is a hard life sometimes! Early start Peter Watkin’s love affair with Field Marshalls tractors began at an early age.…

Ed: Thank you Steve, we are always on the lookout for vintage photos of farm machinery and implements for the Memory Lane department of TFH for future issues. So, please email your photos to tony.hoyland@kelsey.co.uk, along with information about them. Alternatively, you can mail them to the usual address on these pages. Please also include your full name and mailing address. We look forward to hearing from you. Every month, TFH selects the writer of the letter of the month to receive a prize; this month the lucky winner will receive this powerful Clarke COB15CR 15W Rechargeable LED Work Light/Powerbank. It is an extremely lightweight work light, and its 1200 lumen output certainly packs a punch. Practical features include a USB charging point on the rear and a compact design…

There aren’t too many tractors that can claim to be iconic, but the two-cylinder Model A is up there with the best. The tractor’s distinctive styling has certainly stood the test of time. John Deere’s Model A was conceived during the Great Depression when tractor manufacturers were struggling to survive. The board at John Deere took a calculated risk to invest in new models, the gamble paid off, and the resulting A and B Models went a long way to cementing the company’s future. Stellar career Introduced in 1934, the Model A enjoyed a stellar career, before it was withdrawn in 1952. The new machine replaced the model GP and was the company’s first true row-crop tractor. No detail was overlooked, and early machines were emblazoned with a General Purpose…

Several years ago, I started researching the oil tractors manufactured by Marshalls between 1906 and 1914. I was recently given access to an engineer’s notebook, held in the Gainsborough Heritage Archives, containing development notes and tests carried out on the first of these oil tractors, the Class A. With help from the late Peter Anderson and period articles from the Commercial Motor magazines, I have written a 64-page booklet. Addressing decline Britain was relatively slow in accepting the change from steam to the internal combustion engine. But by late 1904, Marshall’s joint managing directors, Herman and Herbert Marshall, had recognised the steady decline in sales of their steam traction engines in Canada and Australia. Herman Marshall asked his friend Herbert Bamber, chief engineer at Vauxhall Motor Company, to design an…

A few miles up the road from Gacé in France, I spotted the familiar shape of a Porsche, but this was no ordinary one. It was badged as an Allgaier, the firm that made Dr Porsche’s tractors for him up to the mid-Fifties when Porsche Diesel Motorenbau GmbH was formed. Allgaier started with hopper-cooled primitives in 1947 and made about 10,000 System Porsche tractors, though very few of them were big like this with 3.3-litre, four-cylinder 44bhp air-cooled diesel. Mule Sometime in the Eighties, I saw a half-track Bates Steel Mule on a British collector’s lorry, and I guess it was around that time that the rich pickings were made. I seldom saw anything very old, though was told about a First World War era Pavesi 4x4 on Corsica. I…

Machinery companies have experimented with producing self-propelled balers over the years. Although successful machines have been made, they have generally failed to gain popularity because of their cost. Investment For most farmers and contractors, a self-propelled baler is just too much of an investment. These machines are used for just a brief part of the farming calendar. The rest of the time, they are standing idle. Not generally something that anyone wants to invest a substantial amount of money in. Jones Balers of Rhosesmor, North Wales, was a company with small beginnings which achieved worldwide success. Two brothers, David and Glynne Jones, founded Jones Balers. As the sons of dispossessed tenant farmers, the brothers were no strangers to poverty. However, they were extremely enterprising and aware that mechanisation was the…

HARVEST TIME IS HERE On Friday, July 15 at the Weeting Steam Rally & Country Fair in Norfolk, it was all action on the Richard Parrott farm when the Maycocks took to the fields with their 1941 Allis-Chalmers bow axle B with rare front axle weights. Also in action was their fully restored Totton, Hampshire assembled 1947 Allis-Chalmers All-Crop 60 with Allis-Chalmers 125B power unit. The outfit was supplied by Ratford & Brown from Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, and was a picture of pure nostalgia. Congratulations to all involved.…

The Wilts Vehicle and Machinery Enthusiasts welcomed people to their first ever annual show, named the Rainscombe Country Show, writes Aaron Vallis. The show supported several local charities, including the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, Great Bustard Group, and the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Set within the stunning Pewsey vale, the showground hosted a wide range of interesting exhibits, from local craft to classic cars. By far the most well attended was the static and working tractors, of which there were over 100. Given the 190th anniversary celebration of TH-WHITE at the show, there was a strong attendance of unique and interesting Ford, County and Roadless tractors. A particular eye-catching tractor was a Roadless 105, owned by Garry Rutter. There was the opportunity for the exhibitors to work their tractors in the…

CLARKE PETROL GENERATORS Machine Mart stock a wide range of Clarke Generators. Part of the range includes the Clarke PG2500A and PG3800A (pictured) generators, which provide a reliable source of power for leisure, DIY, or light trade use. Encased in a protective steel frame, both machines have fourstroke 5.6hp engines and 15 litre fuel tank capacity, as well as featuring 2 x 230V 13Amp domestic sockets and a 12V DC output facility for battery charging. Automatic voltage regulation (AVR) enables sensitive electrical equipment, such as laptops, televisions, tablet computers, etc., to be used with both models. Machine Mart also stock a range of Honda powered, open frame petrol generators that provide power wherever you need it, making them ideal for builders and contractors. For more information, visit www.machinemart.co.uk NEW TOOLS…

Sarah’s big birthday (aren’t they all over a certain age) was looming fast in early 2022 and celebrations were planned to coincide with Christmas 2021. Luke Homer, her husband who owns several classic tractors and a variety of compatible agricultural machinery, and is a member of SEVAC, had the perfect solution for a present. Secretly buy a tractor, restore it, wrap it up and give it to her as a joint birthday and Christmas present! A brave decision which may not have appealed to every lady, but Sarah is as enthusiastic about the hobby as he is, so no fears in that quarter. Old friend Scanning online advertisements, it wasn’t long before a familiar tractor caught his eye, a 1955 TE-F20 that he bought in 2013 from Aveley Football Club,…

The third Old Timers Tractor Rally took place over the weekend of August 6-7 at The Parks, Woofferton, near Ludlow in Shropshire, writes Bob Weir. Organised by Edward Price and Chris Tranter, the show is aimed mainly at pre-1945 tractors. The event is supported by The Ford and Fordson Association and International Harvester Heritage Association tractor clubs, who provide help and advice. The site near Ludlow is proving popular, and camping and accommodation are available. There were regular displays in the show ring accompanied by a knowledgeable commentary. Other exhibits included cars, commercials, and stationary engines. There were also plenty of refreshments for exhibitors and visitors in need of a pit stop. The organisers would like to thank the Hyde Family for the use of The Parks and all the…

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Shawn first heard about the Farmall Super A from his son-in-law. He knew about the 1952 Case VAC that Shawn had restored and asked if he wanted to fix up another tractor. Good trade “With being so busy with work and funds a little tough, I said I’m not sure, unfortunately,” explained Shawn. “Well, he knew how much I love tractors, so long story short; he made a deal; we made a trade, and the 1949 Farmall Super A was mine! “He told me it was his uncle’s tractor, and through the years, it’s seen its fair share of hard work and some serious wear and tear, spending its days in West Virginia working on their farm for 42 years cutting six acres of grass, gardening, and ploughing. “Unfortunately, it…

I know it’s sad, but I’m getting excited about trying out my recently restored potato hoover. Despite the drought we are in, the tatie rows look very good. Excitement One of the rows is my favourite, Charlotte, and I have started digging a few up with a tatie fork for our own use, but the ground is rock hard, and the rows have cracked and opened up on the top and quite a few have turned green. My excitement keeps getting whetted by snippets of information I receive. I have got a good one this month from Vaughan Leggett that relates to the Johnson I have. He writes: “I have a Johnson hoover which I use to lift my spuds with. I cut the second (back) trace off to make…

After an imposed break of three years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was great to see the annual Teifi Valley Vintage Show back with gusto, writes Lyn Jones. It was a great feeling to be back and to meet up with so many of the regular exhibitors but also with some sadness due to the passing of some of the commentary team, club members and numerous exhibitors since the last event. At the far end of the field, there was a wonderful selection of stationary engines chugging away, driving various items of machinery. The craft and model marquee was full, with every table taken and there were also many external displays. The motorcycle, commercial vehicle and car sections are always very well supported, with about 40 motorcycles, 25 commercial…