Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Tractor & Machinery

The Glamorgan Iron Horse Vintage Society held its annual vintage tractor run, from Ogmore Castle, on October 6th, with more than 30 tractors taking part. The route crossed the grounds of Dunraven Castle, at Southerndown, then on through the Vale of Glamorgan with a lunch break at the café in Llandow. Judges Rees Lean and Dave George declared Jon Cosby’s 1958 MF 35 – colourfully decorated in the colours of Kidney Wales – the winner of this year’s trophy. Thanks to all the Society members who helped to make this a successful event, under the chairmanship of Rob Carter and secretary Anne Bull, and her ‘other half’, Cliff, who’d both travelled from Pembrokeshire that morning. Grateful thanks also to Rob Williams, for the use of the Ogmore Castle field, and…

It’s with great sadness that we have to report the death of the amazing Ron Greet, from Broadhempston, in Devon. Ron died peacefully at home, with his loving family and dogs by his side, on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024, aged 79 years. Many of you who’ve ever searched for vintage or classic tractor parts will have encountered Ron – the proprietor of Ron Greet Tractors – and nobody ever had anything but good things to say about him. He was happily married to Gill and the couple had six children; Keith, Cath, Nikki, Malcolm, Kirsty and Widgie. What’s more, he was a proud grandad to Kailee, Callum, Rosie, Sam, Lauren and Jack, Mollie, Dan, Anne-Marie, Lisa and Stan, as well as great granddad to Dalton and Adelay. The very well-attended…

DECEMBER 7th, 2024 HJ Pugh is to hold its famous festive sale this year on December 7th and it’ll be featuring a rich mix of vintage and classic tractors, implements, spare parts, stationary engines plus a private collection of 80 enamel signs and other petroliania. The tractors to be sold include some fine and clean Massey Ferguson classics as well as a very nice, fully restored Fordson E27N with a Perkins P6 engine; what a great Christmas present that’ll make for some lucky enthusiast! In addition, the well-known author, John Farnworth, has entered a massive collection of his Massey Ferguson literature and memorabilia. All literature is in good, clean and mostly as-new condition and each item is enclosed in a plastic sleeve. The lots will be categorised into broad subject…

Plenty of air The SIP DD 3hp Direct Drive Air Compressor is available with either a 50- or a 100-litre air receiver and is powered by a 2.2kW, two-pole brushless motor that runs at a noise level of 62-71dB. Other important specifications include a 15cfm piston displacement, 12.6cfm free air delivery and an 8bar maximum operating pressure. The compressor is supplied with two wheels, weighs 60kg with the 100-litre air receiver tank and has a two-year guarantee for domestic applications. SIP DD 3hp Direct Drive Air Compressor Tel: 01298 213 145 sipuk.co.uk £391.67 Lighting the way The LitezAll 27625 Rechargeable Flashlight/Head Torch Combo Triple Pack offers great value for money. It contains two flashlights and a head torch to cover all options when you need lighting. The 25201 Rechargeable UltraLite…

Sixty years ago, in December 1964, British farmers got their first glimpse of a brand-new range of Massey Ferguson tractors. Four shiny models replaced the two existing machines, and featured a radical redesign and shared family looks. Developed as the ‘DX’ programme to produce a standardised range of tractors that would be sold world-wide (with local variations to suit local conditions), the farming community soon came to know the range as the 100 Series or, more dramatically perhaps, the Red Giants. THE STATUS QUO The ‘Massey Ferguson’ name didn’t start being used on the company’s machinery until the end of 1957, despite the fact that the merger between Ferguson and Massey-Harris had taken place four years earlier, in 1953. For those years the company was happy to retain a twin-brand…

Send your drawings to: ‘Whizz Kids!’, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL Or, scan and then email them to: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Dad’s choice My dad showed me a tractor he liked in T&M, so I drew a picture of it for him and he said I should enter it in the competition. Emily Hollingworth (12), Bedale, N. Yorks. Prize-winning Ford I have drawn a Ford 7810 which is my favourite tractor. It was built in 1991 and I won an award for it at Whitfield Show. Alex Dodd (11), via email Yellow favourite I like Muir-Hill tractors and this is a 101 that I saw in Tractor & Machinery. I read the magazine every issue. Jake Morgan (11), Bridgend, S Wales JCB fan Please print…

The cold winter months were traditionally the time of year when the stockpiled cattle manure would be carted out of the farmyard and made into field-side clamps ready to be spread the following autumn. This used to be done by hand, using muck forks to load carts pulled by horses then, later, early tractors. The advent of mechanical loaders mounted to the front of the tractor speeded up the task enormously and a single person with a tractor could load the trailer and cart it to the fields. The advent of hydraulics enhanced front loader abilities still further, and more tractors began to feature such systems. In my part of Suffolk, as I was growing up during the 1970s and ‘80s, there were several dairy farms that had copious amounts…

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94 Series Farming DVD The new 94 Series Farming DVD celebrates the Case/Case-IH 94-Series, the last models built in the former David Brown factory at Meltham which effectively marked the end of the line for the historic DB brand. The DVD costs £17.95. Order online at www.anglianagrimedia.co.uk or by mail order by calling 07845 701127 MEMORIES OF GRASSLAND Part One This new DVD is the first part of two celebrating sixty years since the first National Grassland Demonstration was held at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire in 1964 and focuses on machines at the event from the 1970s through to the last event in 2017. www.tractorbarnproductions.com Tel: 01502 740114 BUILD YOUR OWN TRACTOR Follow in the steps of Tom Pemberton and build your own 30hp 4wd 3cyl tractor for £8200 + VAT.…

One of my biggest issues when attempting to work on any equipment is my lack of dry cover, which makes everything very weather-dependent. I started this project in late spring and experienced some frustratingly wet weather at that time. Eventually summer arrived and, along with that, other jobs brought distractions, so little time was available to make any swift progress. Now, of course, with summer already a distant memory, we’re back to the wet weather and regular frustrations! So far attention has been focused on the corrosion in the forward edges of the rear wings, which has meant the interior of the cab required stripping-out to prevent any unwanted fires, together with the removal of the fuel tank, for the same reason. After 47 years, the interior trim has deteriorated,…

TRACTOR SHOW NEWS Kelsey Media’s Publishing MD, Fiona Mercer, with division publisher Gareth Beesley and show organiser Mark Woodward, signed a deal on October 24th that will see the popular Tractor World show remain at The Three Counties Showground, in Malvern, for a further four years. Mark Woodward said the show has been a great success since it started in 2001, and continues to develop strongly, with the 2024 event attracting the largest ever attendance. “With the addition of the new Kildare Hall there’s now even more indoor space to be used for further development of this fantastic event,” he added. Howard Pugh is reporting great interest in the Saturday auction at the 2025 show – February 22nd-23rd – and the event itself has pre-booked more than 300 tractors; from…

NEW TRACTORS The New Holland T5 Dual Command tractor range, which comprises five models from 80-117hp, all powered by FPT F36 3.6-litre, four-cylinder engines, has been given a new look and gained new features, with a series of updates designed to boost both productivity and operator comfort. There’s a broader rear tyre offering, plus a choice of front axles – a standard unit for lighter work and narrow applications, or a new, HD axle for machines tackling heavy loader work and intensive field tasks. Also, a unique SuperSteer™ front axle option features a 76° steering angle for enhanced manoeuvrability. Tractors fitted with the standard front axle benefit from a 20% increase in steering capacity under load for faster turns, while a more robust HD axle increases permissible gross vehicle weight…

JCB has marked a major manufacturing milestone with the production of its one millionth engine. Production started in 2004 at JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire, and expanded to JCB India in 2010 with the opening of a dedicated plant in Ballabgarh, Delhi. From three engines a day 20 years ago, JCB now produces around 500 a day. “It was a major decision at the time to make our own engines,” explained Anthony Bamford, JCB chairman, “and I was directly involved in that; it has paid off. Now the time is right to acknowledge the part my father played in the design of the engines we now produce so successfully. He died in 2001, so our engines were running as prototypes at that time, and I’m thankful he was involved.”…

There was a varied selection of Ford tractors sold by Euro Auctions on October 23rd, but the highlight of the sale was the rare, ex-export 1985 County 764. About 40 of these 764s were fitted with Perkins engines and, although finished in yellow livery, traces of the tractor’s original blue and grey paint scheme were visible. This desirable machine sold for £16.800. SOLD FOR £16.8K RARE COUNTY 764 @ EURO AUCTIONS…

SCALE MODEL NEWS This new Fendt 620 Vario tractor (UH6666) is made of 149 parts and 190 tampo-printing operations. It’s a brand new tooling and special features include an opening bonnet to reveal a detailed engine and radiator, both fully decorated. The front axle includes working and realistic suspension, and the cab doors and rear window open, allowing a better view of the impressively detailed interior, the key features of which include steering wheel, seat and dials on the dashboard. Even the optional fridge has been included! On the outside, accurate model designation decals are present, while the tyres are made of rubber and the wheel rims feature the separately-made Vario Grip system. The outside mirrors are movable, the licence plate numbering is specific to this tractor and, overall, this…

AUGUST 17th-18th, 2024 Rodney Gibson, the Ford & Fordson Association’s hard-working south east representative, was instrumental in making this year’s Biddenden Tractorfest a great occasion for the FFA. This was the event chosen to officially mark the club’s 20th anniversary and, with nearly 100 machines of all ages gathered together to display on the club stand, it was certainly an impressive sight. As someone who had been instrumental in the creation of both the FFA and Ford & Fordson Tractors magazine, I was delighted to be invited along to the event by Rodney, and to provide a commentary supporting the 50-strong blue tractor parade on Saturday afternoon. CLUB BEGINNINGS So how did the Ford & Fordson Association actually get started? Well, as I travelled around, more and more people kept…

Ray Bower, as well as having been involved with tractors for years, is the founder of a popular tourist attraction in the Midlands. Play at Lower Drayton Farm, in Staffordshire, is a multi-award-winning farm park attraction set on a 750-acre working farm. It offers an ideal way to spend time as a family while the children let off some steam in the countryside. “I come from a farming background going back several generations,” he explained. “My grandfather farmed in Cheshire and moved into Staffordshire in the 1940s. We’ve been at our current holding since 1982.” Like many farming families, the Bowers have had to adapt and, over the years, have tried their hand at most things, including dairy, beef cattle and cereals. “The idea for Play at Lower Drayton Farm…

I was delighted to receive an invitation from Michael Hoey of Lusk, Co Dublin, to attend a special event near Ballyboughal, in Co Dublin, where six 8000 Series New Holland combines were to be harvesting spring wheat. As part of the event, tractors from the 1970s and ‘80s, assorted grain trailers, large and small square balers and bale handling equipment was all going to be used to recreate a period-type harvest day from several decades ago. On the day there was an 8040, an 8055, two 8060s, an 8070 and an 8080 at work, together with Country Crests’ New Holland CX 8.90, which made a total of seven combines all working in the same field. MECHANICAL SUPPORT Local New Holland dealership, Armstrong Machinery Ltd from Lusk, was on hand to…

Send your questions to tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk (Pictures are only for illustration, unless indicated otherwise, and are not the tractors being written about) A matter of mixing FUEL CHOICE FOR FORDSON MODEL N Q I’ve had a life-long interest in old agricultural machinery, and have always fancied owning a Fordson Model N tractor. Earlier this year my wish came true after I bought a late Model N at a collective machinery sale. Once the tractor arrived home I set about getting it up and running. The magneto has been rebuilt professionally, and I’ve had the cylinder head off and ground-in the valves to restore the engine’s poor compression. The fuel system has been stripped, cleaned and set up as per the manual, and the engine now runs nicely on straight petrol. However,…

TRACTOR TECHNOLOGY Following the Fendt e100 V Vario, Fendt is now introducing the standard, fully electric Fendt e107 Vario tractor. When charged with green electricity, it’s CO2 neutral and is intended for use in municipalities, on livestock farms and in vegetable cultivation. The drive train of the Fendt e107 Vario is made up of the battery with an electric motor and the Fendt Vario transmission. The new model has a powerful electric motor whose power is utilised highly efficiently in three driving modes. The maximum power range, according to ECE R85, is 50kW (68hp) in Eco mode. In Dynamic mode, up to 55kW (75hp) is available and, as peak drive power, the machine provides up to 66kW (90hp) for short periods in Dynamic+ mode. Its maximum torque of 347Nm ensures…

IMPLEMENT NEWS Two new models – a 3m 3000 and a 5m 5000 – have joined the existing KUHN’s 4000 Performer Select 4m cultivator in the company’s Performer Select range. The new implements share the premium build-quality and performance associated with the Performer 1000 models, but only feature essential options to maintain straightforward operation. The three machines offer mechanical adjustment of levelling discs and working depth, NSM (spring) rather than NSH (hydraulic) leg protection and a 600mm HD or Double U roller instead of the 700mm version on the Performer 1000 range. KUHN’s SH 600 seeding unit is an option for growers establishing cover crops in one pass. Edd Fanshawe, KUHN’s arable and connected services product specialist, said: “Adding two models to complement the existing 4000 machine will open the…

In the past, Cheffins has staged a festive bygones sale in December that’s been online-only and consisting, in most cases, of previously unsold items from various vintage collective sales that took place earlier in the year. Now, with Tom Godsmark in charge and, given the great success of the Russell Ferguson MF bygones and models sale in November, 2023, Cheffins is building on those previous events by staging an auction that’ll be both live and online, offering a fantastic selection of enamel signs, petrol pumps, globes, oil tins, fuel cans, show cards, illuminated signs, advertising literature and more. Many of you will, no doubt, have seen the half-hour Henry Cole Shed and Buried and Bangers and Cash TV programmes, not forgetting his very good Motor Cycle Show, as well. The…

Farmers aren’t generally known for their sentimentality, especially where machinery is concerned. Equipment, like tractors, typically comes and goes with lease-driven regularity, especially nowadays, and so it’s unusual to find anyone who has hung on to a particular machine for any appreciable time. But, to come across a farmer with a tractor that he worked hard from new, which then remained on the farm despite the upgrade process and, beyond that, survived the equipment dispersal sale at retirement time, is rare indeed. But that’s exactly the situation we’ve got here. Edwin Hughes was a livestock farmer in Flintshire, north-east Wales, on land enjoying panoramic views out across the Dee estuary, The Wirral, The Mersey and the city of Liverpool beyond all that. Since giving up dairying in 2004, Edwin has…

The level of interest that exists for the exploits of County tractors in some of the world’s more unlikely places never fails to fascinate me. As I began work on this account detailing the activities of the County 1124 on the Orange River Development Project (known locally as the ORP), in South Africa, I discovered that I only had one, not-very-good photograph to illustrate the piece, so I started digging a bit deeper. It didn’t take me long to discover an image from local South African magazine, Karoo Space. The staff there were very helpful and put me in touch with the owner of the photograph, Stephen Mullineux. He originally had a slightly distant involvement on the ORP, but came to work for the Department of Water Affairs and, latterly,…

Last month’s article finished with me having just removed the side plate and spotting that the gasket behind it wasn’t fitted correctly. Having that plate out of the way allowed me to get a really good look inside and see how the steering box works. The mechanism is simple but very effective. Of all the steering systems on tractors from this era, I have to say the Massey Ferguson set-up is, in my opinion, the best. Even though I was extremely confident that the badly-fitted gasket was the cause of the leak, I still proceeded to remove the old side seals. These weren’t in tightly and a simple screwdriver prised them out with ease, which then left a bit of cleaning to be done. The groove in which the seals…

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“Our collection really started by accident, many years ago. My dad, whenever he bought a new tractor, would keep the old one as a run-around. We ended up with tractors permanently attached to machines, and probably had the country’s first self-propelled sprayer – a Super Major with a 60-gallon Ransomes sprayer on the back. “Some of the tractors were sold when Dad died, but we were still left with more machines than we really needed. So, when we leased part of the farm to the Northumberland County Zoo (contains everything from Snow Leopards to field mice!), we decided to build a special shed for the tractors, and they’re now part of the increasingly popular visitor attraction. While modern tractors are a pleasure to drive, I become irritated by electronic faults…