Innehållsförteckning för September 2023 från Tractor & Machinery

Hello, and welcome to the September issue of Tractor & Machinery. I’ll start by declaring my undying love for dropside trailers – the focus of our guide in this issue! My brother and I have owned numerous trailers over the years, with capacities from three to eight tons, and in single- and tandem-axle forms, but the common thread is the fact they have all been dropside models. The universal nature of such a trailer and the versatility it offers is great – buy a good one that’s grain tight, and you can help at harvest, or remove the sides and you’ve got yourself a flatbed that can be used to move bales or machinery, or anything that will sensibly fit. Those trailers that have left for new homes over the…

SUNDAY 16 JULY SAW APPROXIMATELY 70 TRACTORS attend the Abergwili charity tractor road run in West Wales, organised by T&M contributor Gary Jones and with help from his friends. The Castell Howell-supported event left the Carmarthen Quins RFC ground at Abergwili at 10.30am, with the tractors making their way up through the Hengil farms and back down to Rhydargaeau, where an off-road section was enjoyed, followed by a short break by kind permission of Pentremawr Farm. The convoy then made its way down to Llanpumpsaint, back round to Bronwydd and over the railway crossing, across the A485 at Peniel, before returning to the starting point. After 18 miles of driving through heavy rain showers, as well as intervals of bright sunshine, more than £1,000 had been raised for the Wales…

JCB IS SET TO ATTEND THE LAMMA 2024 SHOW on 17-18 January at the NEC Birmingham – with plans for an impressive display of both established and new JCB agricultural products. In January this year, LAMMA re-established its status as Britain’s leading agricultural machinery show, with strong participation by manufacturers and distributors supplying a wide range of machines and equipment, and with enthusiastic attendance by farmers, contractors, and dealers. John Smith, JCB Agriculture Managing Director, said: “We’ll be at LAMMA in 2024 with our best-ever range of agricultural machines for productive farming and contracting. “We are the largest machinery manufacturer in Britain, with a full range of agricultural products to support the farming, commercial horticulture, and other rural industries, and are delighted to announce our presence at next year’s LAMMA.”…

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 whizz-kid, scan them and e-mail them to: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk PICK OF THE CROP FABULOUS FORDSON Those tyres look great! Dear Junior, Here is my drawing of a Fordson. Sonny Griffiths (aged 6), Shropshire PUMA WITH PURPOSE We don’t get many pictures from New Zealand, so thank you! Dear Junior, This is a picture of my dad’s Case IH Puma 160 towing a trailer with grain in it. Rory Janssen (aged 5), New Zealand PARADISE What a beautiful setting! Dear Junior, Our daughter, Rose, noticed the picture competition in your magazine and wanted to do her own picture of her dad’s 1964 Fordson Super Major tractor. Rachel…

PART J-L 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,…

GOT A STORY? THEN WRITE TO THE EDITOR: Scott Lambert, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL EMAIL: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk IN BRIEF Pink Dexta Regular readers will remember Anna Griffiths, from Edinburgh, who has restored a Fordson Dexta and painted it pink to raise awareness for Dementia UK. She has been fundraising for more than a year and set herself a target of reaching £1,000 by the end of 2023. Anna attended Blakesley Show on 5 August and, despite the poor weather, she received great support and had an enjoyable time. Event organisers kindly donated £2,000 in aid of her chosen charity and the total raised now stands at £3,180, with more pledged. UK registrations The number of agricultural tractors (more than 50hp) being registered…

Tyres covered for harvest damage Continental is supporting all its agricultural tyres, including its harvester tyres, with a 10-year warranty. The warranty will cover farmers in the unlikely event of a materials or manufacturing failure, and it also offers some reassurance against stubble damage and field hazards. Common complaints with all agricultural tyres include unforeseen damage caused by field use and imperfections in the composition of the tyre. Tom Godwin, Continental UK Sales Manager says: “Modern farming techniques demand that tyres are hard wearing, and farmers can’t afford to lose time through tyres failing. Our agricultural tyres have been tested to much higher tolerances than ever before and we are confident to support this by offering our customers a 10-year warranty.” The warranty covers all Continental TractorMaster and CombineMaster tyres…

There is something special about a tractor that has been modified to take a six-cylinder engine. If that tractor happens to be a Leyland, then as a fan of the marque I believe it requires close scrutiny! Nuffield, Leyland, and Marshall enthusiast Graeme Morrow is the owner of this tractor. He and his brother, David, have built a six-cylinder tractor based on a Leyland 802, that has been fitted with a Leyland 6/98 ‘Power Systems’ engine that has been turbocharged. This has created a tractor that the Morrows have dubbed a Leyland 1302 – due to its output of 130hp and the two-wheel drive configuration. The two brothers, from Carland near Dungannon, in Co. Tyrone, will be familiar to Tractor & Machinery readers, as they have previously featured in the…

We’ve teamed up with TOMY to offer three lucky readers* the chance to win a Britains 1:32 model bundle, worth more than £80! The bundle comprises the latest New Holland T7.300 ‘Blue Power’, featuring a removable Horizon Ultra cab, soft-feel tyres, superb interior detail, working steering wheel, and detailed die-cast body. The rear hitch and front ‘A’ frame are compatible with other Britains 1:32 scale implements and machinery. It’s made of die-cast metal and precision moulded, durable plastic, and, like the company’s other models, is suitable for kids and collectors aged three and over, for indoor and outdoor play. The second element to the prize is a Kverneland 2300 S Variomat – a new generation of plough designed for modern farming. Britains has included lots of detail, including the decals…

STAR LETTER New home for P6 Dear T&M, Due to health problems, I have been reducing my collection of tractors, and have sold three tractors through advertising in the Tractor Mart section of T&M. The last one was my pride and joy – an E27N P6 conversion, which had given me a lot of pleasure over the years. A young man from Lanarkshire called me and asked if I could send him some photos, and upon receipt he rang back and said he wanted the tractor as he had 23 Fords in his collection, but not a P6! We spoke and he explained that he was very busy and could not get down for a while, but after a month went by, and I had not heard from him, I…

When the mighty MB-trac 1800 was launched in 1990, the range of tractors built by Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau, in Germany, and sold under the Mercedes-Benz brand, seemed unstoppable. The new model used an engine intercooler to produce 180hp and was by far the most powerful MB-trac ever built, topping out an extensive range of heavyweight, middleweight, and lightweight models that stretched down from this 180hp flagship to the smallest, the 80hp 800. All these tractors were constructed to make full use of the key design aspects of the MB-trac concept, with four equal-sized wheels, centrally mounted cab, suspended front axle, and load platform at the rear, providing a versatile machine that could form the basis of sprayers, fertiliser spreaders, and even harvesting machinery, as well as being able to work…

DIFFICULTY RATING Sealing the engine, so there are no oil leaks, is important – especially at the back, where the engine meets the clutch. On the Perkins A3.152, the rear crankshaft oil seal is of the rope type, meaning there are a couple of sections that resemble a rope. These need to be located in grooves in two special housings that are mated together around the back of the crank. Before they’re offered up to the crankshaft, the housing needs gripping in the vice and the rope lengths lightly pressed into the grooves in the two sections. The first job on the actual block is to slip the gasket over the back of the crank carefully. It is tight, but it will go over okay. There are three bolts that…

In part three of this series, I removed the corroded hinge support at the rear of the rotavator, that supports the rear flap. In due course the hood of the machine will be removed, and a fresh piece of angle iron of the correct dimensions will be welded on to enable the flap to be refitted. In the meantime, I’ve been focussing on the input shaft oil seal, and in particular the slip clutch, the purpose of which is to limit the drive from the tractor PTO shaft. I had removed the shaft previously to access the failed oil seal on the gearbox input shaft. I obtained a new seal to match the original and set about fitting it to the front cover plate of the gearbox. It was placed…

AUGUST 24-26 August Timed Online Machinery Sale. Clitheroe Auction Mart. auctionmart.co.uk 25 August Online Auction of Plant & Machinery Sundry Items. Brightwells. brightwells.com 25 August Kidderminster Machinery Sale. The Gallops, Stanklyn Lane, Stone, Kidderminster DY10 4AR. Halls. hallsgb.com 26 August Machinery Dispersal Sale. Wychnor Village. Bagshaws. Tel: 01889 562811. 26 August East Devon Summer Collective Sale of Tractors, Vehicles, Farm Machinery, Agricultural, Horticultural, Plant, Building & General. Honiton Showground, Stockers Farm, Gittisham, Honiton EX14 3AW. Stags. Tel: 01769 572042. 28 August Honiton Hill Rally Auction. Smeatharpe Airfield, Smeatharpe, Honiton, Devon EX14 9RF. Kivells. Tel: 07813 068935. 30 August South Devon Collective Machinery Sale. Wrangaton, Ivybridge TQ10 9HB. Greenslade Taylor Hunt. Tel: 01278 410250. 30 August Online Auction of Contractors Plant, HGV’s, Tools, Farm & Groundcare Machinery. Husseys. husseys.co.uk 30-31 August…

I am writing this in the second week of August, and it seems as though the weather has turned for the better. I’m certainly looking forward to the ploughing season that’s up and coming. I recently travelled to The Netherlands, via Dover, to enjoy what is often described as Europe’s best tractor rally, at Panningen. The Internationaal Historisch Festival features, it is claimed, 3,000 vintage and classic tractors and is an event you should consider attending. It was a great experience, even though I was rather unwell with what turned out to be Covid-19. On my return I was laid up for 11 days, feeling much worse than I did in 2021, when I had it for three weeks. Sadly, my wife contracted Covid-19 too, having not had it before,…

It’s so easy to sign up for a whole year of the action from the world of vintage and classic tractors, with a subscription to Tractor & Machinery – the magazine that loves these machines just as much as you do! Join the T&M family and you’ll be part of the ever-growing, friendly community that eats, sleeps, and breathes agricultural machinery. The restorations, the buyer’s guides, the working classics, the conversions, the practical knowledge, the latest news from the auctions, and the people that form the backbone of our interest in tractors… we have it all within our pages, 13 times a year. T&M is full of passion for tractors from the golden era of farming and is the perfect read for those who love to work, collect, restore, and…

The humble tipping trailer is often taken for granted, but buy a good one and it can represent a sensible investment that will serve you well over many years. There are sizes and variants to suit all needs and budgets, but a dropside trailer is perhaps the most versatile. It can be used as a tipping trailer but can also be used as a flat trailer – by removing the sides and enabling you to load it with bales, fertiliser, pallets, tree trunks, machinery, and the like. You can also equip it with hay lades for moving round bales, extension sides for grain or silage, and other attachments to make it suit your requirements – bespoke or otherwise. The dropside design was prevalent for around three decades before monocoque trailers…

ELECTRIC SCREWDRIVER £94.22 inc. VAT Laser Tools Tel: 01926 815000 lasertools.co.uk Laser Tools’ new electric screwdriver, part number 7985, is a compact and feature-packed tool that will change your perception of electric screwdrivers. This versatilee and convenient screwdriverr is designed to meet the diverse needs of both professionals and DIY enthusiasts. It stands out with its compact and comfortable design, that features a rubber-coated handle for enhanced grip and control. It utilises a quick-chuck system and is supplied with a quick-chuck bit holder and eight 25mm long ¼in-drive bits, including PzDrive Pz0, Pz1, Pz2, Pz3, flat 7mm, and Torx® T15, T20, and T25. Powered by a rechargeable Li-ion 3.6V, 900mAh battery, the screwdriver offers much more than just cordless convenience. The battery can be easily recharged through a USB socket…

DIFFICULTY RATING The August issue covered the dismantling of the brakes fitted to this early industrial Dexta, which had been languishing in a shed for some years. The owner had tried to do the job himself without success, so this is where Barrie and I were consulted. New seal kits had been purchased for the tractor, along with a new master cylinder, and the brakes reassembled using the original slave cylinders, but no pressure could be established in the system. After this the slave cylinders were stripped and left unprotected for a long period, before we were asked to investigate. We stripped the brakes from the tractor and found light pitting in the bores of the slave cylinders, and one had part of its gaiter flange broken away, so this…

Cheffins Vintage Sale It was good to see an excellent Friday crowd for Cheffins’ 21-22 July Vintage Sale at the company’s Sutton site. There were 1,400 lots to go for in total, with many in the literature sale. Nine Caterpillar advertising posters sold at £280 and 36 posters and brochures of MF 100 and 500 Series tractors made £180. The JD brochures, featuring combines and tractors, changed hands at £220, while £300 was paid for a fourpage Allis-Chalmers WF brochure! Despite the rain on the Saturday, there was an excellent crowd with buyers in attendance from across Europe, and while the cost-of-living crisis rages on, there is still a robust market for vintage items – with tractors, lorries, and motorcycles seeing particularly healthy prices. Oliver Godfrey kicked things off at 10am…