Tractor & Farming Heritage
April 2007
Celebrating the history and development of the tractor
5 Welcome
A few principles are at stake this month.
6 'Cracking' good fun in the snow!
Heavy snowfall provided the icing on the cake when Tractor visited Chris Melland in the Peak District of Derbyshire to see his wonderful working collection of Leyland tractors.
12 Fancy an MF35 lookalike?
Peter Henshaw takes a close look at the retro-look, Indian-built TAFE tractors being brought into the UK by Martin Richards of north Dorset.
18 DB collection takes an Oliver twist!
Virtually every type of David Brown tractors can be found in John Simpson's outstanding collection, and the acquisition of two Olivers - a 500 and a 600 - has made it even more complete.
22 News
Including National Vintage Tractor Road Run preview; the untimely death of a Northern Ireland vintage tractor stalwart; and a big crank-up in New Zealand.
30 All tractors large and small
Jane Brooks reports from the season-opening Somerset Vintage & Classic Tractor Show and auction.
34 Diary Dates
36 Cold comfort!
The two John Deere 7820s that were fitted with Canadian Soucy tracks in Cumbria have arrived at the Halley V research station in the Antarctic, and are already making their considerable presence felt.
40 Barnet bypass demo day
Imagine growing and harvesting a crop of oats on the verges of the Barnet bypass these days! That's what they did in 1948-9 - and Geoff Ravenhall has the pictures to prove it!
42 Every dog has its day!
Martin Arnold's beautifully restored Lanz Alldog tool carrier turned plenty of heads at last year's Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show. Jenny Peters visits Shropshire to find out why.
46 Variety the spice of Derek's tractor life
Derek Ruell's vintage tractor-collecting philosophy is simple and uncomplicated - choose the machines you like, and make sure they run properly. John Hobbs reports.
52 The long march
Chinese tractors not up to it? Tractor is about to embark on a 1000-mile, round-Britain marathon with a 40hp, Isuzu-powered Siromer 404 to find out
54 Gold Standard!
How the Howes family's tired and weary Ferguson FE35 has been transformed into a sweet-running tractor that doesn't have a trace of steering play.
59 Tractor Marketplace
If you're buying or selling tractors or associated equipment, look no further.
75 Farming by the Fireside
Peter Small comes across a hefty special edition of Farming News & North British Agriculturist that started 1943 off with a bang.
80 Remembering Willie
Memories of the late Willie Pringle live on in the tractors he restored so meticulously. His son Joe shows David Bowers a Massey-Harris 203 and the Ford 4610 that was Willie's last uncompleted project.
85 Letters
86 Dying echoes at Banner Lane
As the last tractor rolled off the line at the Banner Lane plant just a few years ago, 56 years of tractor production in Coventry came to an end. Jane Brooks follows the demise to the last mound of rubble.
92 Take your tractors, ladies, please!
Jo Roberts visits Angela Parker to learn about a ladies' tractor run being planned in May to help in the fight against multiple sclerosis.
96 Leyland's little gem
Easy to transport and maintain, the smallest Leyland tractor of the 1970s, the 154, is the ideal lightweight for shows and the odd spot of work - and Leon Vanstone's is a stunning example, writes Peter Henshaw.
100 Subscribe to Tractor.
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102 Our farm in wartime
Because of a rare mistake at our printer's, last month's Tractor contained page 33 from the previous month instead of the correct one, leaving John Blake's article hanging in mid-air. We are therefore reproducing the story in its entirety this time.
106 Up the workers!
Technical editor Jerry Thurston is delighted to come across John Snell's fine original-condition Nuffield 10/42 at a February ploughing match.
110 Ben Craig - tractor restorer
When Ben Craig bought a petrol paraffin Nuffield for £100 two decades ago, little did he know what a bearing it would have on his future, writes Paul Brook.
112 Back to the 'bitza'!
With the lambing out of the way, Graham Hampstead gets back to work on a hybrid crawler that he came across in a rickety shed in Lincolnshire.
116 Workshop
Which cordless drill for you? David Stokes samples a wide selection ranging in price from £12 to £80.
118 A travelling life
Through the photographic memory of best-selling author Jess Smith, Polly Pullar is transported back to the days of the travelling tinkers who moved from farm to farm.
123 Rare Breeds Factfile
Oxford Down sheep are featured in Marianne Thomas's popular series this month.
124 Double six!
Jerry Thurston examines 30 years of Marshall history with the first and last of the Gainsborough firm's six-cylinder crawlers.
128 Ploughing for beginners
Harry Dodd gives the lowdown on adjusting and operating trailed ploughs.
5 Welcome
A few principles are at stake this month.
6 'Cracking' good fun in the snow!
Heavy snowfall provided the icing on the cake when Tractor visited Chris Melland in the Peak District of Derbyshire to see his wonderful working collection of Leyland tractors.
12 Fancy an MF35 lookalike?
Peter H....