Innehållsförteckning för August 2021 från Tractor & Farming Heritage

Our latest issue could be honestly said to cover the world of farming heritage. From the stunning backdrops in South Africa for the Sandstone Estates (see page 20) where we see classic tractors at work, to the other side of the world in Australia where we visit an amazing collection of pretty much every kind of memorabilia you can think of at the Rupanyup Museum (see page 32) including plenty of Fordson tractors among the agricultural equipment. On top of that, we have an intriguing feature on the world of Massey family prototypes by well-known author and writer John Farnworth including not only the forerunners of the popular tractors we know today but also some that didn’t even make it to the production line. In each case, and perhaps in…

After the successful running of the inaugural rally back in 2019, and the postponement of the rally last year because of Covid-19, plans are now well underway for the second gathering from July 31 to August 1, 2021. Organisers are appealing for exhibitors to attend the rally which highlights veteran and vintage tractors, stationary engines, cars, commercials, period implements and collections. The idea came to fruition by the late Ken Crowther, Edward Price and Chris Tranter (who are owners of many veteran and early vintage tractors) who had cajoled many friends and fellow owners to exhibit at the inaugural event. The feature of a break-out tractor playpen which saw plenty of activity with the exhibitors will again feature this year. It is again at the idyllic venue of The Parks,…

In the late 1800s, County Wexford, Ireland was a hotbed of agricultural engineering. The fertile land and the relatively warm climate well suited the area to farming, so there was a large local demand for agricultural equipment. The county was well connected. There was a nearby port where raw materials like coal, essential to the running of an iron foundry, could be brought in, and from which machinery could be shipped to the wider world. Ambitious The most famous of Wexford’s manufacturers was Pierce & Co, founded in 1839 by James Pierce, who was born the son of a blacksmith in the little coastal village of Kilmore. The story goes that James, who had learned his ironworking skills from his father, was planning to sail to Argentina to make his…

The Old English Goat is believed to be descended from goats brought across the land bridge from Europe by the first farmers. So, no wonder then they are admirably adapted to the English climate. In fact, their constitution and hardiness are two of the breed’s outstanding characteristics. This goat was the native breed of the UK before major imports of foreign goats to the UK began in the late 19th century. Before this time having a couple of goats would have been common practice for every smallholder and small farm. The breed eats a wide range of food and well used to foraging. The goats would have been a useful addition for these lifestyles as they are specialists in converting rough scrub into milk and meat for the household, needing…

I have always had an interest in the BMC Mini 9/16, Nuffield 4/25 and Leyland 154. In fact, I obtained brochures and prices in the Sixties intending to save to purchase one - it never happened, when they were new anyway! They were not very popular here in the Republic of Ireland when new, but a few examples have found their way here over the years and could be seen at shows (before the restrictions), in original and restored condition. I finally located a 154 for sale with Cabcraft cab in good original condition, in 2019. The owner lived near Towcester, Northants, and had used it to maintain his small paddock. The tractor had originally worked on a golf course and it had never been registered for road use. Worth…

Looking at the history of Allis-Chalmers, you find that a man by the name of Edward P Allis started the company way back in 1860. This entrepreneur ran a successful factory in Milwaukee in Wisconsin. Development Allis soon decided steam power was the way forward, a move which would prove a good one for many years in which the company employed many people, including his two sons. It wasn’t until the company hit trouble financially in 1912 that Otto Falk came on board and advised the company to consider agricultural machinery. Starting in 1914. Allis-Chalmers started to produce tractors, and things went well until the early to mid-Twenties. In 1926 Harry Merritt joined the company to help boost Allis-Chalmers fortunes which were waning again. It was also Merritt that is…

The purpose of prototypes was to develop the designers’ ideas from a concept to an actuality and allow some field testing and evaluation by marketing and sales teams. This would inevitably lead to ideas and suggestions for improvements before final production versions were to be “mass” manufactured. If the prototype proved to be inadequate for purpose or market, then they would generally be scrapped with only a few examples surviving this fate. Assessment Certainly, Massey Ferguson UK Engineering would have been given model numbers for prototypes, marketing would then assess if there was a market and possible pricing. Although sometimes sales, marketing and product planning would draw up a base specification for engineering to develop a prototype for testing. Of course, the demand, particularly for a contract in a particular…

Aled Jones’s little grey Fergie has never travelled far from the dealership where it was bought new in 1950. It has also remained in the ownership of the same family, and the current custodian, Aled, is now the fourth generation of his family to have owned the petrol/TVO tractor. First tractor A farmer known locally as Gwilym Moelogan Bach bought the Fergie new in the little North Wales market town of Llanrwst. It was his first-ever tractor, so imagine the excitement it caused when it arrived on the farm. Before the grey Fergie, all work on the farm was done by a pair of working horses, and though many of Gwylim’s neighbours were still using horses for farm work, there had been increasing numbers of tractors appearing in the fields…

HAYCOMBE LADY Seen basking in the sunshine in-between the showers at the Cheffins Cambridge Machinery Sales site on Monday, May 17, when the public was allowed back in for the first time in 2021 for the sales here is 1941 Oliver 90 no. 510842. The tractor had been part of the April 24 Vintage Collective but didn’t sell on the day and is still available. Fitted with a handy winch that would have been used to pull your thrashing box in position when the ground was muddy underfoot and with its original manifold still fitted, the tractor would clean up well and has a great “original” feel to it. The 90 was made from 1937 to 53 and was basically a continuation of the earlier 28-44. In 1941 the Oliver…

With regards to the item on Reg Short’s miniature plough in June TFH page 40. I think it is a marvellous thing, but to be a travelling salesman’s prop to be taken on trains or horse and float would have been difficult at that time around 150 years ago. In Gloucester where I live there is a folk museum which was sadly closed to the public long before the present Covid-19 restrictions, Gloucester City Council unwilling to spend money to keep it open for the many visitors to our ancient city. In this museum is a similar plough, I think an exact replica of a popular full-size plough made by local, and now long gone Gloucester foundry ‘Kells’. This plough is about the same size as Reg’s but folds in…

After what seemed like continuous rain in January and February when the fields at the back of us were waterlogged, we have now not had a drop of rain throughout March and April. What little grass we had was soon eaten off when we turned the ewes and their lambs on it. They are out all day, but there is no grass left at all. Luckily, the farmer who had a store nearly full of white cabbage because of the Covid-19 is happy for me to fetch a trailer load away when I need it. After I have peeled the snotty outer leaves off, I put them through our root chopper, and it comes out the bottom like coleslaw. We give them a few bucketfuls morning and night to keep…

For four decades, from 1918 until 1960, John Deere became famous not only for its ubiquitous green and yellow livery which still exists today but also for its tractors powered by two-cylinder horizontal engines. Popping Jonnies So successful were these “Popping Jonnies” during these years that when their reign was over and they were to be replaced by the “New Generation of Power” range in 1960, they received “rivers of tearful mail” from the public. Some even thought that the change would mean the end of the company. What then was the secret to the success of these two-cylinder tractors, remembering that it was this breed of tractor (from the Waterloo Boy to the end of the Letter Series) that saw the eventual transition from horse power to horsepower. There…

The Tractor Enthusiasts of Nantmel (TEN) Club has announced the date for their traditional Nantmel Tractor Run which will take place on Sunday, July 18. It will start from Nantmel and will be held in aid of Cancer Research UK. With the covid regulations (that will be adhered to) easing in Wales, the entry, as things stand will be limited to 50 participants, pre-booking at least three days before is essential and if oversubscribed the club will consider running the same route on the Saturday prior. Also, if conditions allow there may be a third run later in the year, date permitting. For more information and entries, please contact John on 07721 910 405 or email anne.trials@btinternet.com…

The Woods’ Farming and Heritage Museum is situated at Rupanyup in Victoria, Australia sprawling out over a nine-acre property with two huge sheds and many, many outbuildings. Foundations Two brothers, John and Michael Woods, established this enormous collection at their farm at Rupanyup South back in the Eighties. They had a head start in the collection stakes as their parents and grandparents were also collectors, so they soon outgrew all the sheds at the farm. In 2001, they purchased nine acres of land and a house on the outskirts of Rupanyup where they built a big shed to house it all. However, the collection soon outgrew the shed, and another one had to be built, then an extension, then another extension, and on it goes! Eventually, Woods’ Farming and Heritage…

Enclosed are some photos that might interest readers of TFH. I photographed the small homemade tractor at the Honiton Hill Rally in the mid-Eighties. The chassis was bolted and riveted together I couldn’t see any sign of welding. I think the engine was from an Austin 7 driving through two close-coupled gearboxes. The diff/rear axle appears to be from a larger vehicle. The wheels could be a later addition, perhaps the original wheels had rusted away. I’m not sure what period in time this was from, but I think in the mid-Thirties to Forties things like this were made for use on farms. You don’t see these around at shows anymore; I wonder if it’s because of insurance issues. I took the other pictures of the machine with a finger…

Barry Morley of Biddenden, Kent featured in TFH earlier this year showing us his scratch-built vintage model tractors and Ford Model T and has sent us an update about his latest model. He explains: “In March 2021 and still in lockdown with the weather getting warmer I thought it was time to go out to the shed and make another model tractor. Having read the article Tale of Two Cities about the Minneapolis-Moline KTA by Jo Roberts (TFH February 2021), I decided to make a model based on the one in the article. I made it in the same scale and in the same way (in mild steel and welded) as the other 49 models in my collection. “All went well with the metalwork in the build until it came…