Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Tractor & Farming Heritage

By the time you read this, it will almost be time for the Spring Tractor World Show taking place over the weekend of May 21-22. For those of you who may still be speculating about entering our competition to win a Massey Ferguson 35 tractor, you will be able to see it in the flesh (or should I say tin) at the event. In the meantime, we have had an update on the progress of its refurbishment, which you will find on page 32. The last time the event was held (in its familiar February slot) the showground was surrounded by flooded fields. Let’s hope this time it will be flooded with sunshine and fair weather. So, I hope you have time to visit the show. Looking Looking at the…

Steve Mulliss, who we described last month as “Mr Perfectionist” and a genuine enthusiast, was a great friend of the much-missed Peter Anderson the Marshall book author and so much more. Peter had a high-speed 1949 Field Marshall Series 2 for sale back in 2003 that had worked at Bracknell. It came Steve’s way and featured enclosed pattern tyres but was, quite frankly, very worn out. However, with the experience gained with working on the 12/20, it was tackled with some confidence. Strip down The tractor was pulled to pieces, every bearing or seal was changed, and the front axle was totally rebuilt early on. When it came to the engine, there was a groove where the crankshaft main seal sat. His elder brother came to the rescue and placed…

The David Brown Tractor Club (DBTC) is going home. After several years of searching for a more suitable building to house its museum collection, the club is moving to Meltham Mills - the spiritual home of David Brown tractor production from 1939 to 1988. The previous premises at nearby Spinksmire Mill had become in need of some refurbishment, and the landlords could offer no guarantee for the future of the site. The opportunity arose to lease an industrial unit at Meltham Mills. Fittingly, the unit is the last remaining part of H Block, the former assembly building where production of David Brown tractors began in the latter part of 1939. The DBTC will get the keys to the unit on May 1 and hopes that the move will be complete…

Harry Simpson has always been interested in vintage machinery. His parents, William and Gemma, say: “It runs in the family. We have a few classic Massey Fergusons including a Grey and Gold, a Massey Ferguson 35 and a 590. “His grandad, Stephen, has a collection of Nuffields and Leylands, his greatgrandfather, Wilbert Robinson, has his Fordsons and we have a few stationary engines as well. The wee man didn’t stand a chance.” In fact, if you’ve attended even a few events on our busy vintage calendar, you probably met some of Harry’s family. United in support On December 22 last year, William and Gemma heard the devastating news that Harry had been diagnosed with leukaemia and would have to undergo chemotherapy treatment before travelling to England for a bone marrow…

These days, the cladding that we see on farm buildings is usually of the box profile sort and the old sinusoidal, or the rounded wavelike profile sheets, are now a rarer sight. Nostalgia Our Dutch style hay barns were built from this old-style corrugated iron, and today we have a certain nostalgia for this type of building. The sinusoidal wavelike corrugated sheets are still available, and they are popular with people who wish to build traditional looking structures. However, corrugated iron wasn’t always considered attractive, for when it rose in popularity, many people felt it represented a drop in building standards. Several churches were built from corrugated iron. Some people felt it was not fitting to have a religious building made from such an industrial material, and in 1890 William…

I managed to get the barn patched up and oiled just in time for the start of lambing. As I was sloshing on the black oil, it took me back to when we moved here in the Seventies. Winter work Tidying up farm buildings would have been a regular thing on most farms in the area over winter. Back then, all farms around here, and I suppose all over in rural areas, whether large or small, had some all-year-round permanent workers on the books. Most of the year they would have been kept busy with farm work, but in the slack months over winter, they found other work to do around the farm. When the land work dried up in the “back end” and the wet weather set in, usually…

Arthur Boston has lived in the Shrewsbury area for a great deal of his life and is a big fan of Ford tractors. “I was born across the border in Welshpool, but have lived in Shropshire since I was a boy,” he explained. “I come from a farming background and until my recent retirement, used to run my own agricultural supplies business.” Business He worked on a farm for 16 years and started his business in 1988. “I went to college in the early Nineties to take a course with the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) and qualified as a RAMA (Registered Animal Medicines Advisor.),” he recalls. “Formed in 1986 AMTRA is a non-profit organisation supporting the long-term future of RAMA consultants. They have an important role, contributing to…

Ahead of this year’s Tractor Fest at Newby Hall in June, organisers remembered much-missed enthusiast and local farmer Brian Chester with a charity fundraising road run. Brian passed away in January. He was a committee member of the Yorkshire Vintage Association (YVA), which organises Tractor Fest, and chairman of the West Yorkshire group of the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club (NVTEC) for 22 years. He was also the National chairman of the NVTEC for ten years. The first “Brian Chester Road Run” took place on April 9, organised by the West Yorkshire group of the NVTEC. Twenty-six vintage tractors set off from Tates Garden Centre, Ripon, returning approximately two hours later from a route which took them to Galphay, Dallowgill Moor and Low Grantley. A collection, together with a…

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Dad got married in 1946 and when I came along there were five of us now living in the tiny cottage down Green Lane and our mum joined the workforce, tending to animals and working in the fields. Doncaster farms My dad’s National Identity Card confirms my own parents’ movement around this time. Harris Brothers took over neighbouring Sandal Common Farm, and the combined land holding at Doncaster was now over 300 acres. From 1952 they traded here as A J Harris and Son. Grandad became foreman over both farms and he and Nan moved into the Sandal Common farmhouse. The farm owner’s son, Ken Harris, was sent to live with our grandparents at Sandal Common when he was just 14 and thereafter was treated as one of the family.…

Many people know the silo on the Calf of Man, but don’t know the reason for it being built, or who built it. Mr Sam Haigh, the owner of the Calf from 1910, had the silo built. He took the stonemason, Harry Quirk and Harold Karran and Stanley Karran of Cregneash, to Ellerslie Farm, Crosby (Isle of Man) to look at the only existing green storage silo on the Isle of Man. Making plans After studying it, Harold and Harry Quirk drew up plans for a silo on the Calf. Ellerslie silo was mechanically filled. The green material (mainly oats) was chopped and blown up into the silo, but of course, they had no means of doing this on the Calf. The main reason for building the silo on the…

After a two-year break the National Vintage Tractor Road Run (NVTRR) returned to its Easter weekend slot in 2022 with a very successful event in Wales. We look forward to bringing you a report of the event in the next issue of TFH. The hosts of the 2023 NVTRR, Glenluce Vintage Tractors, have already been in touch with some preliminary details. They said: “The NVTRR now heads North to Scotland and Stranraer Dumfries and Galloway for the 2023 event. Hosted by the Glenluce Vintage Tractors sponsored by Valtra who along with the venue, caters and equipment suppliers all agreed to still support the event. With easy ferry access to Ireland, it is hoped that tractor numbers will be boosted along with entrants from all corners of the UK to come…

When the Blue Force Club reached the milestone of 10 years of existence on April 10, 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic dashed their plans for a birthday gathering. Undaunted, the club decided to move the event back a year and celebrate 11 years. Flashback Blue Force held an inaugural event at Ben Craig’s premises in Harby, Leicestershire, back in 2011. Ben is, of course, well known for his first-class tractor restorations and rebuilds. Back in 2011, Blue Force exhibits filled the entire yard, a grass field and spanned the entire range of Fordson, Ford and New Holland tractors and conversions. Not to mention the Ford commercial vehicles - in fact, the entire range of machines covered by the Blue Force Club. They chose the same location to celebrate their latest milestone.…

Facing a potentially lifethreatening illness is enough to make many people sink into a deep depression. So, the importance of having something other than one’s illness to focus on cannot be underestimated. We all deal with things in different ways. One way some vintage vehicle enthusiasts handle such situations is to throw themselves into a restoration project of some kind. When Mike McClelland from North Wales faced a serious illness, escape came through restoring old tractors. One really only needs a dry shed and an old wreck of a tractor to tinker with and the months will fly by, with each week bringing a little more progress, as one moves towards the end goal of completing that restoration. All about the work Mike has already restored a grey Fergie and…

Work has been continuing apace on Kelsey Media’s charity raffle tractor, an MF 35, since it was purchased last October. Now will be your chance to see the tractor at Tractor World Spring on May 21-22, and maybe even buy your lucky raffle ticket! Latest project The full details of the competition are on the following pages, but in a nutshell, tickets cost £5, with all proceeds going to the Bicton Overseas Agricultural Trust (BOAT). This charity has had a long association with similar projects with our publishers Kelsey Media and our sister title Tractor & Machinery The tractor is an original style 1964 Massey Ferguson 35 and is currently under the scrutiny of Ben Phillips, a restorer well known to readers of this magazine. After the 35 arrived at…

It was great to see on Saturday, April 9 the well-known International fan and very skilled boilermaker David Bicknell who has recently recovered from a bad bout of covid with his so original ex Hampshire 1955 International BTD-6 and Ransomes TS58 plough. He was taking part in the 12th Woodhouse Spring Sussex Ploughing Championships at Woodhouse Farm, Henfield, West Sussex. The ground conditions were excellent, as was the match and weather itself, with 30 competitors taking part. Derek Turner was crowned champion on the day with his Fordson E1A Major and Ransomes TS59J behind. Congratulations to Colin and Gilly Broucke for making everyone so welcome who have an excellent site for weddings/social events and glamping email: cebvintage@hotmail.co.yk…

EXCLUSIVE RANGE OF JACKS Discounts on Sealey’s exclusive range of jacks can be found in the second edition of their Tool Promotion, now on and valid until June 30, 2022. With product benefits hard to find elsewhere, you won’t want to miss the deals on these jacks, which are all unique to Sealey. The 3290CX is one of the most compact and lightweight, all steel, professional 3tonne trolley jacks on the UK market, and is ideal for roadside or workshop use. It comes fitted with a safety overload valve and pump-through valve to prevent the handle locking at maximum ram extension, whilst the heavyduty castors and large saddle are designed for your ease when positioning under the vehicle. The 4040 coloured range offers the largest lifting capacity of any standard…