Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2022 från Tractor & Machinery

Since the last issue there has not been much in the way of workshop action, but there has been a small amount of progress with ‘Project X’ in preparation for a ‘shakedown’ in the coming weeks. I use this term in a similar vein to those involved in F1 or the WRC, but there’ll be nothing particularly fast-paced or exciting about it! If I’m truthful, I am apprehensive about what this ‘shakedown’ will reveal, but every project has to start somewhere and there have been many far worse than this particular MF 165. Clive Tuff’s pre-Force 2000, in this issue, is a great example – it was missing many parts when he took it on and at least I know that ‘Project X’ is a runner! What frightens me the…

Clive Tuff is not a stereotypical tractor enthusiast. He doesn’t come from a farming background and has no obvious connection to agricultural machinery but he, as many others have found to their peril, found it all too easy to be bitten by the bug! Working for a construction company in London has meant that Clive has become familiar with plant and related equipment, but it wasn’t until his colleague took on a Ford 3000 as a project that he even considered owning a tractor. “The fitter was restoring a pre-Force 3000 and I couldn’t help but think what a nice tractor it was,” Clive explained. “I’d got no experience, but I thought I’d have a go at it.” As luck would have it, Clive didn’t have to look very far…

Semi-powershift transmissions took off around the middle of the last century, but they were pioneered as early as the early ’30s, when Deere patented a design that saw a gear-reduction system between the engine and the clutch. This mix of clutch-changed and clutch-less gears, what many refer to as semi-powershift, was not taken any further by JD, but IH developed a similar concept in the 1950s in the form of Torque Amplifier. Other manufacturers came up with their own versions, and some were working on two-speed powershifts, but Ford felt that this was not enough. A clutch-less shift, or two, was all very well, but for a wider choice of ratios the operator had to stop, de-clutch, select a different gear and restart – not practical when ploughing in heavy…

SEND YOUR PICTURES FOR THIS FEATURE TO: Readers’ gallery, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL or e-mail them to tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

SUPER-SIZED UNITS Clarke CIG1432: £1,318.80 Clarke CIG1640: £3,597.60 Machine Mart Tel: 0115 956 5555 machinemart.co.uk Machine Mart’s range of Clarke green garage/workshop units is incredibly popular with enthusiasts looking to protect their pride and joy, or those looking for extra work space without the costs involved in building or extending a permanent structure. Until now, the largest garage currently available was the Clarke CIG81224, measuring at 24 feet in length and 12 feet in width, however, Clarke is adding two super-sized models, measuring 32 feet and 40 feet in length respectively! These two models are designed for use with much larger vehicles, such as vans, boats, camper vans, coaches, trucks and cabbed tractors. The Clarke CIG1432 X-Large Garage is the smaller of the two new models, but still measures 32…

On Saturday 26 March, at Bosbury in Herefordshire, Ben Blandford’s superb collection of original-style Ferguson and Massey Ferguson machinery will come under the hammer of H J Pugh & Co. Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors have been all that Ben has known after his father, Gerald, established the farm in 1981, having moved from Eastnor. The farm was operated with a Massey Ferguson 165 with loader, that they brought with them, and a Ferguson tractor. The mixed farm was then just 90 acres, with a 40-cow herd as its major feature. Today there are 80-plus fattening animals. The next tractor to arrive was an MF 575 supplied by Morris, Worgant & Wild, which looked after the farm’s needs over the years. For many years the farm successfully used an MF…

I first announced the purchase of my International 454 in the August 2018 issue, but began negotiations to add it to the collection as early as December 2017. I thought, particularly given that a great deal has happened in those intervening years, that it would be an interesting exercise to see what’s been done to the tractor and how its value today compares to that when I bought it. As is the case with the other tractors in the collection, UAR 458J was not purchased with making money solely in mind – but it was nice to think that it would turn out to be a prudent investment, should I ever consider parting with it. The purchase price was £2,500 and although that is a substantial sum of money, at…

On 29-30 January, the Bath & West Showground hosted the season opener for all tractor enthusiasts when the Somerset Vintage & Classic Tractor Show rolled into town, says Peter Love. Now under the guidance of Margaret and Mike Marshall and their team, this was to be the largest event the couple has staged, with people thronging through the gates in their droves. Although it rained lightly during the night leading up to the show, the precipitation had stopped by the time the gate crew welcomed me at 7.30am. It was straight into the Edmund Rack Pavilion, where the show’s special feature was housed. Here could be found numerous tractors to suit fans of classic Massey Fergusons, including T Wilcox’s well-restored 1979 MF 565 and G Day’s sharp-looking MF 690 Multi-Power.…

I’ve owned this E27N since 1986, when I discovered it abandoned in a wood, where it had been used on a saw bench. Over the years the tractor has received much attention, including a change of engine, due to badly worn cam followers on the original. I say original, but the engine that it came with featured a 1946 serial number. The oddity was that the casting codes on the transmission casing and rear axle housing indicate a 1947 machine, as they have a letter ‘K’ present. The replacement engine has a T*****R number, which indicates a reconditioned unit, and came from a mobile Lincoln welder! The tractor was initially restored in 1986/87 period, using tinwork and any missing parts from various tractors found in breakers’ yards at the time.…

Since being restored in 2014 my FE 35 has seen some heavy use on the topping mower, and has had to deal with some fairly lengthy grass. This has taken its toll on the tractor, which is now looking rather tatty, particularly as the gold paint has faded to a pale silver after a very short time. Whilst doing one of the last topping jobs of last season, the needle of the tractormeter suddenly began to jerk and the meter stopped working. This was due to a broken cable, which needed replacing. The other problem arose late last spring when the battery was too flat to start the engine. I stupidly fitted the battery charger wires the wrong way round, which ended up damaging the voltage regulator. I had already…

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…

Note: Planned features in T&M may be subject to alteration, due to circumstances beyond our control. PLUS Junior, Machinery milestones, Model corner, News, Readers’ gallery, Tractor Mart, Workshop & more……

Covid-19 restrictions have put paid to many events over the last two years, including the Doe Show, writes Gary Hawkins. Fortunately, this year it was back at Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd.’s Ulting headquarters, Essex, in February. With both attendance and sales buoyant, Sales Director Graham Parker told me: “We kind of knew the numbers would be big this year, with so much pent up desire from our customers to get out and do something post Covid. “The postponement of LAMMA, dare I say, probably did us some good also and I met people at the show who had travelled from all over the UK and some from overseas. Numbers wise it was one of our best ever, probably only trumped by our Golden anniversary 12 years ago.” Remaining Covid-compliant…

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our annual charity raffle could not take place in 2020-21, but it’s back with a bang, says Peter Love. In October 2021 Tractor & Machinery purchased an original 1964 Massey Ferguson 35X, with less than 3,000 hours on the clock, for the annual charity raffle. At this moment, the tractor is being serviced and looked over by Ben Phillips, also known as The Tractor Lad, but it looks good! These days, collectors are in two minds whether to restore a tractor or, if at all possible, keep the tractor in an authentic, original condition. Sometimes, the general public find it difficult to understand the logic behind this, because they find shiny tractors appealing, but enthusiasts like to see a clean, well-kept tractor in working condition…

In 1966, Muir-Hill, a firm based in Gloucestershire and best known for its construction and industrial machinery, produced its first agricultural tractor: the 101. This six-cylinder tractor, based on the Ford 5000 skid unit, was powered by a 108hp Ford 2704E engine and was designed by the same engineer that had been the brainchild behind the earlier Northrop 5004 tractor, hence the 101 having much in common with the earlier machine. Unlike the Northrop, however, the 101 was an instant success, its rugged design and simplicity proving ideal for the rigours of tough farm work, as well as industrial applications. It was joined in 1969 by the very similar 110, the only difference being the fact that it was powered by a Perkins six-cylinder engine. That same year a much…

Like so many successful companies, the story of Weeks & Co. (Engineers) Ltd. revolves heavily around family values. In this case it was two brothers that deserve the credit – Fred and Harry Weeks, born in 1914 and 1916 respectively. Both were engineers during WW2, but it was after the war that their talent prevailed – resulting in them establishing their own company. With a flair for engineering, establishing a car repair business, in Hull, seemed the obvious choice – but success was short-lived and after a year they were looking to diversify in order to survive. Interestingly, they chose to produce dolls’ prams and around 5,000 were purportedly sold around Great Britain during the mid-1940s. This had the desired effect and with money coming in the brothers chose to…

PRODUCTION In production from 1967-71, the David Brown 1200 was the largest model in the Selectamatic range at the time. The smaller models, introduced in 1965, had proved themselves and it was natural that the company would seek to expand its market share by offering a larger tractor. Resplendent in its Orchid White and Chocolate Brown livery, with red grilles, exhaust and bonnet decals, the 1200 was easy on the eye as well as looking purposeful. It proved extremely popular and almost 19,000 were built over the course of the production run. Several changes were made to the specification over the years, which will be discussed in the relevant sections of this profile, but the 1200 essentially formed a solid starting point for its successors – the 1210 with manual…

Fordson Dexta Q I’m having some difficulty with the cold starting of my ’61 Fordson Dexta tractor. I follow the cold starting instructions, giving it around 40 seconds of heat before using the priming pump on the outlet of the fuel tank, but despite this I can crank the engine repeatedly with no joy! Another issue that has arisen is that the primer pump leaks fuel and is in need of replacement. Somebody suggested using Easy Start, but I am rather reluctant to do this and would like to sort out the problem as soon as possible. Any advice on the topic would be most welcome. Brian Smethurst, via e-mail A You haven’t stated the condition of your engine mechanically, but assuming it is in good overall condition and not consuming…

Classic Massey celebrates the hey-day of Massey Ferguson. ● Comprehensive restoration coverage● Essential articles, news and models for owners and enthusiasts● Large free advertising section Ford & Fordson Tractors: the official magazine of the Ford & Fordson Association. ● Coverage from the early Fordsons to the last of the Fords● Readers’ stories, buyers’ guides, news, reports and technical advice● Large free advertising section with parts for sale Tractor & Farming Heritage celebrates the development of the farming tractor from its roots to today. ● In-depth technical features● Reports and new industry development● Owner features and spectacular restoration projects SUBSCRIBE AT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/PA21 OR CALL 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE PA21 *when you pay by direct debit. For full price options, visit the website. **Savings are calculated on a full UK subscription…