3 Welcome
Tractor pays tribute to Cooley hero John Hanlon, who passed away on 12 February after a long fight against a debilitating illness.
6 Headline news
8 The unsinkable Case SC
Pete Henshaw comes across a Case SC from Shropshire that’s been with the same family for three generations – and counting!
14 Restorations supreme
Our chief correspondent meets two brothers from Ballyboughal, in the Irish Republic, whose tractor restoration achievements have become legendary in six short years.
18 Standing the test of time
Pete Henshaw finds out how a fleet of three David Brown/Cases run by a dairy farmer in Somerset are faring 20 years on.
24 If the accessory fits…
Donald Bowler sifts through Hertfordshire farmer and collector Alec Worbey’s scrapbook clippings to remind us of the many bolt-on extras that were advertised for tractors during the early post WWII years.
26 News
34 Just a five-minute job
Polly Pullar writes hilariously about those jobs that should take just a tick, but sometimes drag on for hours – and with questionable results even then!
40 I built it myself
There was only one snag when Scottish smallholder John Bezzant was offered the chance to test a Siromer 204 tractor for a year – first he had to build it himself!
44 Claas factory visit
A rare opportunity to visit the Claas production line and Technopark at Harsewinkel, Westphalia, Germany, gives Susan Morgan a fascinating insight into the world-renowned tractor and combine manufacturer.
48 Garry’s Super Fiats
David Bowers travels to Cheshire to meet Garry Walker, whose brilliantly restored 1978 Fiat 1000 Super tractor was driven by his father, Eric, from new.
54 Back to the future!
There are exciting times ahead for our Lincolnshire smallholding correspondent as he takes on 12 acres of Bede land adjoining his cottage and contemplates growing grass and root crops to nurture his sheep the old-fashioned way.
57 Zetor Special Feature
58 Zetor – 63 years on
Zetor’s first tractor didn’t emerge until 1945 – but what a story it has been since then, writes Peter Love.
62 A Scottish Zetor collection
It was fond memories of driving Zetor tractors, with their advanced features and quiet, comfy cabs, that led Murray Littlejohn into starting a fine collection of his own, writes Peter Small.
66 40 years of the Zetor Crystal
Advanced for its time, and first shown behind the Iron Curtain in 1968, the Crystal remained king of the Zetor range for a long time, and sold in considerable numbers in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
72 Julian’s Brno gem
When Julian Underdown came across a boxy-looking four-wheel drive Zetor 3545 in Richard Pocock’s yard at Berwick St John, Wilts, he knew it was the one for him.
76 Buying a Zetor
Peter Love considers the options if you’re contemplating buying a second-hand Zetor tractor for preservation or work, and tells where spares can be found for these greatly respected machines.
80 Mission virtually impossible!
Alan Barlow’s 1948 Zetor 15 is the oldest tractor from the Czech factory in the UK – and its restoration has been a triumph of sheer doggedness against almost insurmountable odds.
85 Edwin’s tractor parlour
Jo Roberts meets vintage enthusiast Edwin Hughes, whose tractor collection is inspired partly by nostalgia and partly by a fascination for tractors from the late 1920s.
88 Letters
Including some timely tributes to the late John Hanlon, and questions about a Fowler Challenger on the Isle of Wight.
92 Model World
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98 Diary Dates
103 Axles away!
While the final engine parts are awaited for the Howes family’s six-cylinder BMC-engined Nuffield, it’s time to inspect the axles front
and rear.
106 Rebuilding a Fordson N
Back from Andrew Davidson’s in Northumberland, the Standard Fordson’s engine is cleaned and painted, and the valve gear sorted out. Harry Dodd continues the story.
108 Sales & Marketplace News
116 Double trouble
Progress continues in the quest to get not just one, but two rare Marshall MP6 tractors back on the road in South Africa.
120 Tractor Price Index
All the values, in five categories, from International Harvester to Zetor.
127 Tractor Marketplace
The place to buy tractors and everything associated with them.
136 Rare Breeds Factfile
This month Marianne Thomas considers the endangered Exmoor pony.