Indholdsfortegnelse for WINTER 2022 i Tractor & Farming Heritage

One of the wonderful things about being the editor of this magazine is receiving people’s stories about the machines they have had or restored. Not to mention the memories they have also had - good, bad, or sometimes scary - working with those machines in the past. These recollections often trigger our own experiences, and hopefully, bring a smile to our faces of good times passed. What is even better than that though is when one of your stories comes to the attention of someone who can perhaps fill in the blanks about a machine’s provenance or help identify it. This was the case with Eurwyn Morgan’s stationary baler featured back in the September issue of TFH. And we are grateful for the miracle of the world wide web, which…

Heritage tractors are ever popular and the annual County of Salop Steam Engine Society’s Rally that took place at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury on August 28-29 featured a host of various historic and classic tractors on the Working Field. This year the theme was the famous Nuffield marque. Working field secretary, Martin Lane said: “This year we celebrated a theme based on Nuffield marque tractors (the earliest model dating from 1949), then Seventies Leyland tractors. Then some very rare Marshall tractors that date into the Eighties. One exhibitor, Ernie Carter, brought a special Nuffield 1969 4/65, and I am pleased with the support we received from tractor owners and enthusiasts. “Many tractors took part in active work on the working field to delight visitors and enthusiasts alike. It was a highly…

The Marshall Club - once known as the Field Marshall Club - only exists today because of a very special tractor, bought by a mother for her two boys. Brothers Ross and Peter Anderson sadly lost their father, Fred, in May 1960 when Ross was 14 months old, and Peter was still two months off from being born. Stepping in for support, their uncle Ted Pullen became a big part of their lives when he moved next door with his wife Hilda. and would eventually lead them to their infamous Field Marshall. With no children of his own, and as the boys became older, Ted began developing their interest in tractors and steam engines so that they had a hobby and would stay out of mischief. “We’d all go on…

The process everyone involved followed for identifying the baler was pretty tight. It’s not surprising they eventually decided it was an Australian, H V McKay ‘Sunshine’ Massey-Harris machine. It may well be an example of their No. 2 model (Massey loved the small single digits for identifying their balers). They used 1, 2, 3 and 4 for their early trussers, 1 and 3 for their first pick-up balers, 1, 2 and 3 for the stationary series mentioned here and relatively recently, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for their Rivierre-Casalis sourced pick-up baler range. image #1 H V McKay ‘Sunshine’ Massey-Harris No.1 Stationary Baler (no flywheel). Detail Is Eurwyn’s baler really an H V McKay though? It could be. With its red body and yellow wheels, it is the right…

It is 22 years since Peter D Simpson produced Ultimate Tractor Power volumes 1 and 2, a definitive work on 4wd articulated tractors of the world. Volume 3 continues the story by looking at the high horsepower 4wd articulated machines currently produced around the world and adds a unique section on rubber track machines both articulated and rigid framed. The North American giants, Case IH, Challenger, John Deere, New Holland and Versatile have maintained their presence on the global market. A major newcomer to the market is Rostselmash based in Rostov-on-Don, Russia with its wheeled and four-track articulated tractors. As more manufacturers in the high horsepower market introduced machines fitted on four rubber tracks, the development of the rubber two-track rigid frame tractor has also grown, this chapter features such…

It’s turning out to be a productive summer on the unexpected bargain front for me. I wrote a couple of articles back about the free Westwood mower I had gained. Well, the good karma continues. Good fortune We were up in North Yorkshire last week doing some sheep judging at the Ripley show and stayed overnight with a “sheepy” friend who lives at Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. He does a bit of tinkering and engineering in his garage, so after tea in the evening we had a poke around his small workshop (well, it would be rude not to). He showed me the fresh lathe he had bought and said he wanted to be rid of his old one as it was taking up space. Knowing I did a…

Previously, tractor transmissions had been fairly simple, with usually less than ten speeds to choose from. These were selected by one or two gear sticks, and the process of changing up or down involved dipping the clutch and coming off the power to initiate the change. This worked well enough but could be a less than easy operation when the tractor was working under load. Massey Ferguson had been working on this problem, and that is how the Multi-Power transmission came about and was ready to be launched in 1962. Now, not only was the number of gears doubled but a high and low ratio in each could be chosen by the flick of a switch and all without stopping. It was a revolution for the tractor driver. Looking back,…

A new free-to-attend farming and machinery show, based in the South West of England, has been launched - the West Country Farming & Machinery Show. This one-day new event will take place at the Exeter Westpoint Arena on February 22, 2023. It is created by Kelsey Media, publishers of the UK’s top agriculture brands, Agricultural Trader, Profi, Farm Machinery, Vineyard, and Crop Production Magazine. It will be an unmissable event for all farmers and people involved in farming and farming-related activities across the South West and beyond. Show Publisher, Rhiane Easton. “We know how important farming and the farming community are to the South West of England and wanted to combine the knowledge and authority of our brands with our marketing reach and expertise to put together this event.” Agricultural…

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During the Fifties, there was a small, but growing, demand in Britain for large and powerful crawler tractors. Mostly, this came from the construction industry which was booming at the time thanks to the rebuilding of the country following the Second World War, but agriculture also needed tracked machines, especially as farm sizes began their unstoppable increase and bigger machines were needed to cope. Crawlers were perfect for working on heavier land in less-than-ideal conditions, with the steel tracks not only having superb tractive abilities but also the benefit of an increased soil contact area that helped prevent soil compaction, making these machines equally at home on top work, such as drilling and rolling, as well as primary cultivations in even atrocious weather conditions. It was in 1952, though, that…

Mixed farms of the past were often remarkably self-sufficient, and almost everything that the farm’s livestock required in the way of fodder was grown onsite. This level of self-sufficiency was extremely labour intensive, and many people were required to run these farms, and much time was spent dealing with simple tasks like preparing animal fodder, for instance. Labour saving Crops such as swedes, mangolds and turnips were grown to feed cattle, pigs, and sheep. These had to be sliced before feeding and was a slow process, so during the Victorian period, root chopping machines appeared on the market. These machines sped up the job of slicing the roots, freeing up labourers to do other work such as cultivating and harvesting. Though physically demanding, these labour-saving devices required no training. It…

The forecasted hot weather didn’t deter the participants of this tractor run organised by the Tractor Enthusiasts of Nantmel, writes Anne Bates. This charity run was fundraising for Cancer Research UK, starting from Maesygelli Farm with the kind permission of Brian Pugh. The tractors toured the communities of Nantmel, Nantglas, before making their first crossing of the River Wye into Llanwrthwl and navigating their way over the Cefn hill track, then dropping through the wooded valley side to the Elan Village. Here, the convoy took in the reservoirs of the Elan Valley complex. Climbing up Penrhiw-wen the tractors paused for refreshments before descending into Cwmdauddwr and over the Wye into Rhayader. Heading for home, the tractors took the Abbey Cwm-Hir road out of the town before picking up the Llwyn’s…

The Major range of tractors was an important milestone for Ford and was part of an era of post-war prosperity. From temporary stopgap to diesel powerhouse, the Major was one of the last tractors to wear the Fordson badge. Big fan Mike Richards from Shropshire is a big fan of late production Fordsons and apart from 2691 NT owns a New Performance Super Dexta. He has lived in Shropshire all his life and was brought up on a farm. “My grandfather ran a mixed holding in the south of the county, and I still remember learning to drive on one of the family’s tractors,” he recalls. “Things were very different back in the Sixties, and farms were a lot smaller. When it came to tractors, Fordson and Massey Ferguson ruled…

The 20th Trimpley Vintage Rally on Sunday, August 6, was the biggest and best it had ever been, says organiser David Spruce. Hundreds of vintage vehicles arrived. A record number of traders attended, and the Urban Auction House of Kidderminster held its first auction on the site on Sunday morning with over 300 lots sold. The team is now busy organising the 21st Trimpley Vintage Rally, which will be held on Sunday, August 6, 2023. “The most important thing about our annual vintage rally,” says David Spruce, “is that we give every penny raised to local charities. Over £5500 was made, which will now be given away in the near future. Thank you to everybody who came and made our day such a great one.”…

Anyone entering the building which housed the bulk of the Wilkins Brothers collection could be forgiven for thinking that tractors were the sole focus. This main building had been erected shortly after the purchase of Coalpit Farm in 1947. Originally a hay barn with a cattle yard along the southern wall, it was extended to a bay later, which at one time was host by approximately 5000 laying hens. To one end of this was a breeze block low wall, which delineated the area where the eggs were washed and packed. Known as the pig pen this remained long after the hens left. Space Apart from one bay holding new spare parts, the rest of the building was filled with about 100 tractors. In the early Eighties, a separate workshop…

Ireland’s William O Sullivan was born into the world of horses, and horses have featured in William’s life from day one. “Apparently, when we were on the way back from the hospital where I was born, my father took a little detour. We went via a horse fair and bought a horse there on the way home,” laughs the 42-year-old horseman from County Kerry, who is also a singer and multi-instrumentalist in the traditional Irish band The Killarneys. Central theme Horses continued to play a fundamental role throughout William’s upbringing. The family runs the Killarney Riding Stables, known locally as O’Sullivan’s, an enterprise established by William’s parents Donie and Noreen O’Sullivan in 1968. The riding centre remains a thriving family business based just outside the picturesque town of Killarney. There…

I have a sales brochure for the Teagle matchless mower in my collection and thought are there any matchless mowers about after all these years as they were made in the Sixties. In May 2018, I went to Teagle’s open day. Mr Fred Teagle showed our group around the factory. I said to Mr Teagle I was going to see if I could find a matchless mower and he told me they still had the build plans for the mower. So, at vintage rallies in 2018 I put a sign on my exhibits asking if anyone had a matchless mower, and at the Kernow rally I met someone who had a mower at St Erth, near Penzance, West Cornwall. The following week I went to look at the mower, which…

It was great to be back at Tarrant Hinton, Dorset for The Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2022. The working field was its usual best. Seen working hard early on the morning of Saturday, August 27 before the crowds streamed in is Tony Donovan from Heathfield, East Sussex with his so original 1937 Weeks of Maidstone Fordson Standard N waterwasher orchard conversion, which sadly became rather temperamental a few seconds after this picture was taken.…