Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Tractor & Machinery

The cover may say January 2022, but this is the final issue of 2021, and what a year it’s been! Things may not have been quite as tough as 2020, as far as the Covid-19 pandemic is concerned, but we haven’t had the normality that we’ve all craved. Having said that, the return of some events was more than welcome – with the chance to exhibit or operate machines, as well as meet up with old friends, proving invaluable. We must take these positives and look forward to what the future has in store as, all things said and done, the hobby of collecting and preserving veteran, vintage and classic farm machinery continues to go from strength to strength. Some marques will always be more popular than others, but I…

When you want to use a tractor to make a seedbed, or to drill a crop, most farms use large tractors with wide tyres that help to spread their not inconsiderable weight over a greater area, or sometimes they use dual wheels on the rear, or front and rear, to spread the weight even further and thus prevent lasting damage to the soil structure. Crawlers, shod with steel or rubber, can also be used to the same effect, their tracks spreading the weight even more effectively. From the 1950s through to the 1980s there was another option, one that was, in certain terms, a half-way house between a wheeled tractor and a steel-tracked crawler. The idea was to fit steel cage wheels onto the rear wheels of a conventional tractor…

How an engine works is a subject that has been written about many times before and so it is not something that we will cover here, but for the purpose of this feature it is worth mentioning that the power output of an engine is governed by several factors – one of which is the amount of air entering the cylinders. Much can be said about the science involved in this process, but for the sake of this piece we will assume that there are three main methods of admitting air to an engine to facilitate the burning of fuel. The first of these is natural aspiration, where the amount of air that enters the engine is dependent on the design and cannot be altered without revisions to that design.…

A long with the 502, 602 and 802, the Leyland 702 made its debut at the Smithfield Show in 1980, along with the four-wheel drive versions of the three largest models – the 604, 704 and 804. They marked a new chapter in the company’s history – a new livery and numbering system for tractors that had built up a loyal following. In this article we focus on the two-wheel drive 702. British agriculture was changing – with the era of small farms as the norm steadily being confined to the history books, and tractors and implements were becoming larger. With this said, the 71-80hp bracket was still an important sector when the 702 was in production. Leyland had to ensure that its new livery added to the appeal of…

DIFFICULTY RATING One of the least dignified tasks for a tractor on any dairy farm is the that of scraping the parlour area each day, after the milking duties have been performed. Despite this indignity, it’s surprising how many hours a tractor can accrue doing this alone! My neighbour’s tractor, a 1969 MF 135, has been on this task for many years now, and has seen more than its share of attention to its engine over the years, as it became prone to blowing cylinder head gaskets. After changing a few head gaskets and then changing the cylinder head, it was decided to replace the engine block with a fresh one, as it was thought the top of the original block was warped, hence the repeated gasket failures. FOUR YEARS…

Well, we have come to the end of the year and our sales season has finally finished. Prices were very good for the two sales on Saturday 27 November, one of which was held by Will Barker at Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire. I and many others will certainly miss seeing George Payne’s collection parked in front of the bungalow, near to the café and motel on the A17. The other sale was in Northern Ireland, held by FMC at Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. The two-day sale was held at the company’s Station Road base and did very well for the stock offered, with a number of original Massey Fergusons standing out. H J Pugh & Co.’s collective sale at Ledbury the following week did very well too, bringing the company’s vintage season…

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, make sure…

John Noble writes: “My great-grandson Ollie, aged two, is tractor mad and loves the magazine. He would love to see his picture in Tractor & Machinery. Claire Hambrook-Moore writes: “Alexander is my two-year old, tractor-obsessed little boy. Nothing makes him happier than reading your magazine and we don’t have a bedtime story in our house – we peruse the classifieds section with big sister Millie!” Stewart Walls, from Orkney, writes: “Here are my grandchildren, Finley and Florence, on myson-in-law’s MF 35 Industrial, on a bonny Yorkshire day. They also enjoy reading granddad’s old T&M magazines and introducing them to baby Felix. You should have seen Finley’s face when I gave him a year’s worth of Tractor & Machinery! I hope you can use the photo, as they’d be over the moon…

As we learned in part one, Harvey Firestone was an innovator and he and his team worked hard to produce products that were built to withstand the rigours of their respective environments. Internal heat build-up had always been a perennial problem in the carcass, causing the ply to separate – with disastrous results. During 1920 the company developed ‘gum dipping’, a technology that comprised dipping and impregnating every tyre cord fibre with rubber to insulate them against heat and ply separation. From this development flowed the manufacture of the balloon tyre, which was initially produced, I believe, in 1922/23. The high ratio aspect of the tyre and slightly elliptical profile permitted the manufacture of a tyre carcass with a softer side wall and allowed a lower air pressure, providing many…

We all remember the first time we were let loose behind the wheel. Harry Keenan can recall his early driving experiences and how they inspired his passion for David Brown tractors of the early 1960s. “I always had a love for David Brown tractors. When I was a child I learned to drive on an 880 four-cylinder. My legs were so short that I had to balance on the edge of the seat to reach the pedals and when I wanted to come to a stop, I had to jump onto the brakes and pull down on the steering wheel,” says Harry, recalling experiences that will be familiar to many. “I grew up on a small mixed farm with about 40 Hereford-cross suckler cows, 10 acres of barley and 30…

It was good to be back at the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show, on 13-14 November at Newark Showground, writes Peter Love. There was a bright, fresh look to this show, and although we all knew it would not be quite as big as in previous years, owing to Covid-19, the final product was excellent. Gone was the line of feature marquees, which in my opinion were not very welcoming, uninspiring, damp and normally very cold. In their place was the sale area on the Saturday and on Sunday the tractor autojumble. It worked so much better, with just one feature marquee present – where some of the clubs connected with the Ford and Fordson, David Brown and Ferguson marques were placed, with a fine Fordson-related display outside making…

DIFFICULTY RATING It must be a good five years since I undertook the major reconstruction of my six-foot rotary topping mower, and since then it has given me sterling service – with very few problems. This year, however, due to the prolonged moist period during the early summer, the machine has seen more service than usual. It’s been attached to my Ferguson 35 for most of this period, as the other 35 has been resprayed and has since led a more sedate life. LOOSE LINKAGE PIN Problems began with a loose left-hand linkage pin. I was negotiating a tree stump and had lifted the mower to clear it when I noticed the mower lifting awkwardly. I immediately stopped and realised the nut had unscrewed from the pin and it had…

WD-40 Visit stockists’ websites for details of prices WD-40 Company Ltd. Tel: 08449 800838 wd40.co.uk MULTI-USE PRODUCT WD-40 Multi-Use Product needs no introduction. It’s been the go-to product for decades and its reputation speaks for itself. Although the product has remained largely unchanged over the years, the familiar can has evolved in recent times to incorporate the Smart Straw applicator, with its Spray2Ways technology – but now there’s something new. Like the Smart Straw, the new Flexible Straw System incorporates Spray2Ways for wide-angle spraying and precision application, but the newcomer has a hard-wearing, heat-resistant, bendable straw made from metal that keeps its shape. It’s a simple addition to the product, but one which we think is great. In hard-to-reach places and when only single-handed access is possible, the Flexible Straw…

A large crowd was seen on Saturday 27 November at the George Payne tractor and agricultural machinery dispersal sale at Fleet Hargate, Spalding, on the A17. Many of you will have stopped at the café/motel to take a break and enjoy the tractors that were stationed by the bungalow for decades. Some of the tractors had already been sold, but 25 tractors from popular marques came under Will Barker’s hammer and were to sell very well. This was the first time that the auctioneer had used i-bidder.com and he enjoyed great success with it. A good number of the lots have sold to all parts of the UK and telephone bidders were also noted. None of the tractors were in top condition having been placed outside in the summer months…

FEELING BLUE As Ford collections go, Richard Jones’ is impressive! Gary Jones visits Ceredigion and discovers a raft of original machines, all still putting in a shift. NUFFIELD’S REVIVAL Bob Weir heads to Shropshire to admire Sam Evans’ Nuffield 10/60. Its condition is superb, particularly given the fact that it was due to be broken for spares! MEMORY LANE Reliving your childhood is best done through tractors, as Mark Coates explained as the editor looked over his newly-restored International Harvester 574. FEBRUARY 2022 issue on sale Friday 14 January…

PRODUCTION John Deere’s 50 Series was the culmination of many years of evolutionary production and has left us with some of the best-loved tractors ever built. The 2850 and 3650 may be the stand-out models in the range, but they all have something to offer – from the little, three-cylinder 1350 to the turbocharged, six-cylinder 3650. First produced in 1986, the 50 Series tractors looked remarkably like the 40 Series models – with one tell-tale difference, aside from the bonnet decals. The grilles at the side of the bonnet, allowing fresh air to be drawn in by the fan, were finished in black – rather than green. The new tractors were heavily based on their predecessors, with improvements where necessary, and were the last of a successful design to be…

Small combine Dear T&M, Following on from your star letter in the December 2021 issue, in which Chris Marlow remembers his days with the Royle brothers, here is a picture of a Massey-Harris 722 combine with small wheels. This was run by my father in the late ’50s and early’60s before being replaced by a 726 in the middle part of the 1960s. He then went on to run MF 780s, an MF 788 and then an MF 525. We still have the 525, which cuts 10 acres a year, but the majority of the combining is done by a contractor. My father is pictured driving the combine with ‘old George’ dressed in his harvest clothes of a waistcoat and straw hat on the bagging platform. The picture was probably…

The year 2021 was one of celebration for Russell’s (Kirbymoorside) Ltd., known today simply as Russells. It marked 100 years since the organisation became a limited company, during which time it has grown to become the largest New Holland dealer in the north of England, with 11 depots across several counties, following a successful spell as an agricultural machinery manufacturer. The Russells success story began in 1849 when three brothers, that grew up on farms surrounding Kirbymoorside in North Yorkshire, set up a blacksmith’s forge in the village of Great Edstone to manufacture horse-drawn ploughs, cultivators and seed drills. One of the major talents and driving forces behind this enterprise was blacksmith and farmer George Russell. His refined 11-coulter corn drill went on to scoop a major award at the…

FABULOUS 1455 Wow! Look at those tyres! Dear Junior, This is a picture of my dad’s International 1455XL. I love working on it with my dad. Andrew McCullagh (aged 9), Co. Cavan DRIVING A DEXTA Looks like you’re enjoying yourself! Dear Junior, Here is a picture of me pretending to drive my granddad’s Fordson Dexta. My favourite colour is blue. I love tractors and your magazine. Joshua Neve (aged 7) 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 like me, scan them and e-mail them to: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk HAULING GRASS That’s a serious load of grass! Dear Junior, This is my drawing for your competition. Charlie Tucker (aged 10), Bedfordshire NEAREST &…

It’s been going for many decades now, through thick and thin, but this particular event at Balls Cross, West Sussex, continues to grow, says Peter Love. It has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years and the event on 4-5 September 2021 saw the proceeds donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. With so many events off in 2021, this rally meant a great deal to local Surrey and Sussex collectors and they supported it in force. Besides the 70 tractors and crawlers, there were masses of stationary engines, possibly the largest seen at an event in 2021. A smaller display of cars and commercial vehicles also made this ‘homely’ event very special, besides some autojumble and trade stands. In the veteran section was the talented Nigel Covey’s 1934 Massey-Harris…

Massey Ferguson 130 Q I recently saw a Massey Ferguson 130 tractor in a local sale and successfully bid on it. Overall I’m quite happy with my purchase, having seen and heard the tractor run before the sale and not paying too much for it. It caught my eye because it looks like a Massey Ferguson 135, but since getting it home and doing a little research it is certainly very different. One point of concern to me, however, is the colour of the engine oil, which looks greyish and a little sludgy in consistency. The engine starts reasonably well and has good oil pressure, but I think there may be water getting into the engine oil. As a result I’m a little reluctant to run the tractor until I’ve…

Welcome! Well, we have come to the end of the year and our sales season has finally finished. Prices were very good for the two sales on Saturday 27 November, one of which was held by Will Barker at Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire. I and many others will certainly miss seeing George Payne’s collection parked in front of the bungalow, near to the café and motel on the A17. The other sale was in Northern Ireland, held by FMC at Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. The two-day sale was held at the company’s Station Road base and did very well for the stock offered, with a number of original Massey Fergusons standing out. H J Pugh & Co.’s collective sale at Ledbury the following week did very well too, bringing the company’s vintage…

H J Pugh & Co. headed to Netherton Wood Farm, Nailsea, Bristol, on Saturday 6 November, as the owner is downsizing his lovely collection. It featured the best selection of vintage and veterans to be offered this year, with most running well. Not all of the tractors sold on the day, and some may still be available. The line-up of Fordsons was superb, with the N water washer raising £3,000. Results (abridged): 151 1929 Fordson N, Irish, runs well, original, 3, £6,900 152 1924 Fordson F, needs repairs to wings, runs well, ⅔, £3,800 153 1940 Fordson N, wide wing, nice, not the right colour, great tyres, 4.7, £2,300 154 Fordson N water washer, Fisher Humphries pneumatic conversions, 4.6, £3,000 155 Fordson N, FTA 174 V5C, runs well, 2, £1,500…

Lawrie & Symington held an online sale for Dykes Farm in Stirling, Scotland, that concluded on 19 November. The highlight for us was a pair of Ford 5610 Dual Power, twowheel drive, Basildon-built tractors that had been on the farm from new. The first example, B567 PLS, dated from 1984 and had only 2,000 hours on the clock. It sold for £9,400. As for the 1982 example, that sold for only £5,800. A 2018 John Deere 6130R with 623RB loader and 3,300 hours, sold for a resounding £64,400. That was beaten by a JD 6130R at £68,800, with only 1,580 hours on the clock.…