Regulars
3 Welcome
6 News
All the latest news in the world of
tractors and farming heritage.
76 Model World
Henry Smith takes a look at Claas
combines in miniature.
79 Tractor Talk
Your news and views on all things
tractor and heritage.
80 It’s never too late to learn
Graham Hampstead finds you can still
teach an old dog new tricks as he
overcomes another problem on the
Dexta.
84 The Sidewinder and the sea
Tractors and boats may seem like an
unlikely combination, yet down in the
busy boatyards they are indispensable.
88 High on a hilltop
Polly Pullar’s visit to the Ardnamurchan
peninsula reveals some of the turbulent
past of crofting.
91 Rare Breeds
No. 108 Welsh Black Cattle.
120 Farming Focus
Peter Small reviews how turnips were
once the mainstay of cattle’s winter diet.
122 Next Month
Preview of the April issue of Tractor
magazine.
92 Workshop
With work on the mechanicals of the
Ferguson TEL-20 now complete, Ben
Phillips turns to the tinwork.
Marketplace
96 Products
A new feature focussing on the latest
tractor and heritage related products.
100 Tractor Events
A focus on a few of the bravehearts
who ignored the elements to take part in
their annual Christmas road runs.
102 Sales & Marketplace
A unique opportunity to preserve a
piece of our rural history by claiming
these free agricultural implements
Your tractors
12 The tractor in chief
Tom Muir tells us about this MF 188 and
that Guy Motors emblem on the bonnet.
16 Blown away...
... is the only way to describe the
reaction of the Nicholas family to the
sight of their newly-restored W-14.
19 Mini mania
A very rare petrol version BMC Mini
4/25 is revealed.
24 Marshall rescued after long hibernation
Patrick Oyston, a self confessed Ford
man, finds himself restoring a Marshall
12/20.
26 The 14 year hitch
The restoration of Tony Compton’s Allis-
Chalmers was a long time in the making.
30 Renault renaissance
Dave Murphy is a keen collector so when
he saw this Renault D35 he just had to
buy it.
35 Fergies that step on the gas
We take a look at John Lister’s unique
engine conversions.
40 From scraping hell to blooming beauty
Andrew Kellett’s fine David Brown
Selectamatic 770 is a rare find of this
particular model.
Farming heritage
44 Classic Claas combines
Jonathan Whitlam finds there are still
many old Claas combines still at work.
48 The McCormick Road to Reaper City
Farming had been relatively the same
for many millennia. Then, in 1831, came
McCormick’s horse-drawn reaper.
54 Alec’s Cuttings No.57
As this popular series draws to a
close Donald Bowler finds out what
was new in April 1953.
58 A flotilla of Fowlers
Peter Anderson tells the story of the
submersible Fowler Challenger
tractors produced for the RNLI.
61 Bates ‘All Steel’ 20-30hp
Our veteran tractor features the
tractor developed by inventor and
industrialist, Madison F Bates.
62 Tractor Gallery
Taken at the Blue Force Conversions
Day in 2012, these two County tractors
were among some 174 conversions there.
65 Tractor Archive
More farming memories depicted
through brochures of the day.
69 Changing gear
The last part of our History of Valtra
discovers how the company developed
into the global entity it is today.
74 Happy Old Iron
A veritable cornucopia of tractors
awaits visitors to Marc Geerkens’
establishment in Belgium.