Innehållsförteckning för November 2023 från Tractor & Machinery

Hello, and welcome to the November issue of Tractor & Machinery. I’d like to start with an apology. In the last issue we featured Colin Cloude’s Massey Ferguson 625, with wonderful photography to illustrate the combine’s first action in many years. Sadly, the creator of these fine images, Somerset Agri Pics, was not acknowledged, and so I would like to say sorry to Pete Nash for this omission. Mistakes happen, but the buck stops with me, and so I apologise profusely – particularly as Pete and Kieran graft tirelessly to capture such scenes. Thank you both, and keep up the good work. It’s a been a busy few weeks since my last ‘Welcome’, as I’ve had the good fortune to see several collections – on both a personal and professional…

Brodie Ross Thompson Hall has been working with trees since completing his time at Harper Adams Agricultural College in the early 1970s. He says he was born with a chainsaw in his hand! His family has its roots in Dundee, Scotland – his grandfather was a sergeant in The Black Watch regiment, and his father had a fascinating life too. He started as an ambulance driver during the Spanish Civil War and was later a Hurricane fighter pilot in the East Africa campaign. Whilst in the RAF he was shot down in the North Africa campaign, on 24 June 1940. His leg had to be amputated by a German doctor, who did a good job as it didn’t hold him back. Later, he was a flight commander in the Indian…

Since last time, I had craned and bolted the engine back onto the clutch housing, so now it was time to start putting more bits back into the engine. Firstly, the timing case was looking all nice and shiny, and crying out to have the gears refitted. These timing cases always look nice when they’re cleaned, as they’re aluminium and have had their whole working life being splashed with oil. The first item in was the camshaft, which is located in the top left corner. This had been cleaned and inspected for wear. Before I slid it into place, the areas where it locates into the block were given a good squirt of oil. At the rear of where the camshaft is located features an aluminium housing that contains an…

The agricultural trailers of today are a far cry from those that are typical of the models owned and used by classic tractor enthusiasts. Air-operated systems are now commonplace, as many trailers are fitted with commercial axles that can withstand the rigours of heavy loads and high speeds, but in the 1970s and ’80s, when trailer braking systems began to be fitted to tractors, the pace was slower, and the loads carried not as substantial. Initially, many trailer braking systems were operated by the tractor’s spool, with a changeover valve on the trailer to switch between the tipping ram and the brakes, but this was less than satisfactory. The skill of the operator and the sensitivity of the tractor’s hydraulic system was tested to the maximum, but very often the…

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 Competition winners The September issue of T&M featured a competition enabling three readers the chance to win one of three Britains bundles. The lucky winners, drawn at random, were I Bell, A Hutchinson, and S Roberts. Congratulations! Money raised Brimfield Vintage Club held its annual working day on Sunday 3 September, near Ludlow in Shropshire. Thanks to a good entry of vintage machinery, tractors, motor vehicles, and stationary engines, the club was able to donate £1,600 each to Severn Hospice and St. Michael’s Hospice at its last meeting. The committee wishes to thank everyone that continues to support the club. SAVE 59% T&M…

When you think of an Allis-Chalmers tractor built in Britain, it is, more often than not, the Model B that instantly springs to the mind of many people, and this tractor was certainly one of the most successful of this manufacturer’s products on both sides of the Atlantic. The Model B also kick-started the production of Allis-Chalmers tractors here in Britain, beginning an era that finally ended with the launch of a later incarnation: the ED-40. The ED-40 was built at the Allis-Chalmers factory in Essendine for nine years, but was not very successful and certainly never lived up to the heights of its predecessor. I had seen several of these tractors at shows, and even at ploughing matches, but had never really managed to take a closer look at…

The 1970s was a period of huge change for tractor manufacturers in Europe. End users had voiced their thoughts on the need for four-wheel drive tractors, and although the conversion specialists had enjoyed the lion’s share of the market until that point, it was clear that more and more tractors with a driven front axle would be produced in house as the 1980s loomed. With this said, the story across the Atlantic Ocean was rather different. Two-wheel drive reigned supreme, and where four-wheel drive was required, this usually meant an articulated behemoth with four equal-sized wheels. Ford’s FW tractors are an obvious example, complemented by the two-wheel drive 8700 and 9700 for those that did not need such a large tractor. Massey Ferguson offered the Caterpillar V8-powered 1505 and 1805…

PICK OF THE CROP AT THE MATCH Have confidence… he might win! Dear Junior, My UncleIvor is on his David Brown 990, with three-furrow plough, at the Teme Valley Ploughing Match. I don't think he will do very well! Wilfred Wright, (aged 5), Shropshire MIGHTY MAJOR Great to see a Fordson working hard! Dear Junior, Here is our six-year-old son’s drawing for Junior’s picture gallery. Helen Pick BROTHERLY LOVE What a great idea! Dear Junior, I have drawn a pink tractor for my sister because I love tractors so much and want her to enjoy them too! Thomas McKee (aged 4), Belfast BIG BLUE What’s better than a nice tractor in nice weather? Nothing! Dear Junior, Here is a drawing I have done for you. Phoebe Mason (aged 5), Powys…

PART TWENTY-ONE Regular readers of T&M will recall my series on the rescue and restoration of my David Brown 780. It all came about after a telephone call informing me of the tractor, having been discovered languishing under brambles for approximately 20 years. Most of the vegetation had been cut away before my first visit to view the tractor, and it looked in a sorry state. Initial inspection An initial inspection showed the engine to be free and not stuck due to standing around, but virtually all the controls of the tractor were seized due to lack of use. The hand and foot throttle were solid, as was the clutch pedal, and neither of the brake pedals would move. A blanket of moss covered the gearbox, which is a three-lever,…

Jim Russell auction Saturday 25 November sees Cheffins stage an auction of Jim Russell’s Ferguson ephemera, literature, models, and a full-size Ferguson-Brown A (no.48) at its Sutton, Cambridgeshire, site. Jim passed away a couple of years ago, and was fastidious in the way he went about things – with an infinite knowledge on the subject of Ferguson – and collected accordingly. There will be things here that you are unlikely to see again, and so the sale is not to be missed. Kivells at Honiton Hill The traditional Honiton Hill Rally Sale returned to Smeatharpe Airfield on Monday 28 August, conducted by Kivells. The lots ranged from tractor tyres to a 1968 Ford 3000, supplied by Hawkes & Sons Ltd., for only £2,600. One of the nicest tractors, described by…

PART M-R 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,…

ORDER TODAY! DECEMBER 2022 COVER STORY British National Ploughing INSIDE Restored IH 574, Ford nostalgia, disc harrow overhaul, Dutra D4K-B at work JANUARY 2023 COVER STORY 50 years of MF 1200 INSIDE Countys ploughing, Newark report, DB 990 trio, Ford TW-35 guide, IH 511 drill FEBRUARY 2023 COVER STORY Ford 6610 & 6710 INSIDE Restored MFs, electric Ferguson, Case IH 85 Series guide, Leyland 602/604 MARCH 2023 COVER STORY Restored CASE IH 1455XL INSIDE Original Ford 5600, Michael Hoey collection, Deutz DX profile, MF’s shuttle SPRING 2023 COVER STORY MF 300 Series game changer INSIDE Original Ford 6600, Case IH 40 Series, Doe Show report, MB-trac story APRIL 2023 COVER STORY 1980s power focus INSIDE Roadless DG4 E27N, IH hydraulics, Ford Series TW MkII, Tractor World report MAY 2023 COVER…

The 20th year of the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show is on course to attract one of the most varied ranges of machines in its history, thanks to some special anniversary classes and a display reviving some of the first ever exhibits. Local contractor and vintage tractor collector Paul Ducksbury, who has been involved in the show since the start, is looking forward to the event. He says: “Little did we know what a success the show would become when we were planning the first one in 2003; it’s gone from strength to strength. “The George Stephenson Hall was added to the facilities in 2006; then tractors from other shows were nominated in a ‘People’s Choice’ class, creating a diverse range of exhibits. Now, two decades later, the event…

Low-profile versions of popular models were a common occurrence throughout the 1980s and ’90s, with manufacturers hoping for more sales by providing universal appeal. Ford did it successfully with Series 10, John Deere provided options for 40 and 50 Series models, and Massey Ferguson’s 300 Series offered a choice of HiLine+ and LoProfile+. Case IH was no different, offering L and XL cabs, but it must be said that the L was basic in comparison to the XL. The L suited stock farmers looking for a no-nonsense cab to suit the day-to-day rigours of working with animals, but it wasn’t always livestock enterprises that required a lower cab – arable farmers with low buildings or restricted access could capitalise on the benefits of a low-profile cab too. Arable farmers spent…

STAR LETTER JWT Weston Dear T&M, Further to Chris Williams’ enquiry about JWT Weston, this is what I know about the company. It’s not much, but it may help. JWT began manufacturing agricultural machinery at Broad Oak Farm, Bury, Lancashire, at some point in the 1960s. The letters ‘JWT’ probably stem from ‘James W Tomlinson’, who dealt in used tractors and machinery from his farm at Heywood, Lancashire, near Bury. ‘Jimmy’ also had the agency for some new implement makers, one of which was Grays of Fetterangus, and was a contractor – running a fleet of Fordson Majors. His son, Alan, ran the manufacturing business at Bury, specialising in slurry tankers and associated machinery. Later, I think the ‘Weston’ name came into it when the company took over another manufacturer,…

Since the Kent County Agricultural Society took over the running of the Biddenden Tractorfest two years ago, held this year on 19-20 August, it has moved into a different league. Now back on its original site at Holden Farm, the event is still growing, says Peter Love. This year there were 276 tractors on site, most of which had a log sheet on them to inform interested onlookers. Tractors, however, are just part of this event, which sees more than 800 exhibits and two parade rings, as well as other country pursuits. Last year the event donated £20,000 to support the future of agriculture in Kent, clubs, amenities, and charities within the local area. Many of these were supported with free or discounted stands at Biddenden Tractorfest 2023, which they…

We are well into the ploughing match season, with my son and I having competed in two or three local matches. This year has been very different to last year because the soil conditions have been much harder, despite the ‘rainy season’ we experienced during July and August, followed by a very warm period once the school holidays finished. My son has been using my Massey Ferguson 35 tractor with a Ransomes TS59 two-furrow plough he has built up himself. When first acquired it was a three-furrow, and had three International Harvester legs and bodies fitted, which didn’t look out of place on the plough. It has since had the IH parts removed and a pair of TS59 legs and YL183 bodies fitted, along with some new disc coulter arms…

Record prices for Porsche As always, the Goodwood Revival race weekend, over 8-10 September, featured a Bonhams auction, and on this occasion it included several concours Porsche tractors, restored by Jonny Orwin of Holmforth, West Yorkshire. First up was a 1957 Porsche PIII (no.12524) 822cc, 12hp, single-cylinder model. Later, the PIII became known as the Junior. Like many of these Porsche tractors that come up, this one didn’t have all the lower linkage components and was very much a show tractor. It sold for £17,250. It was followed by a 1957 Porsche P122 (no.5831) with a two-cylinder, 1.6-litre, 22hp engine. This model started out in 1953 as the A122, as an Allgaier Porsche. The late red example had undergone a meticulous nut-and-bolt restoration, with no expense spared, and featured the…

OCTOBER 20 October Timed Online Auction of Plant, Machinery & Sundry Items. Brightwells. brightwells.com 20-21 October Cambridge Vintage Auction. Machinery Saleground, Sutton, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2QT. Cheffins. cheffins.co.uk 21 October Annual Collective Machinery Sale. Lincolnshire. Longstaff. Tel: 01775 766766 21 October Machinery Sale. Chevin Lodge, Otley LS21 3BD. Wharfedale Farmers Auction Mart Ltd. Tel: 01943 462172 23-30 October Online Auction Sale of “The Bill Cassie Collection”. Vintage & Classic Tractors, Vehicles, Classic Commercials, Implements, Ploughs, Spares & Bygones. Pentland Livestock Ltd. pentlandlivestock.co.uk 23-31 October Online Timed Sale. Symonds & Sampson. symondsandsampson.co.uk 24 October Collective Sale of Agricultural, Plant, Building, Horticultural, Household & General Machinery & Equipment. West Country Sales Centre, Five Bridges, Willand EX15 1QP. Stags. Tel: 01769 572042 25 October Online Collective Monthly Auction of Agricultural, Farm, Garage, Industrial…

It’s with deep regret that I report the passing of dear friend and loyal Ford & Fordson Association committee member Margaret Badham, who I knew for more than 30 years. Margaret’s family originated from Wales and farming was very much in their blood, but by the time she was born they had moved to Much Wenlock, Shropshire, and this area of England would be her home for the 79 years of her life. She married Derek Badham when 25 years old, having been a nanny for a doctor and vet before they met. Derek told me that he broke off an engagement with another lady to marry Margaret, and they had 54 years of happy, devoted marriage together. Derek’s family were hard-working tradesmen with great mechanical and technical ability, with…