Tractor & Farming Heritage
July 2013
Celebrating the history and development of the tractor
Regulars
3 Welcome
7 News
All the latest news in the world of tractors and heritage.
64 A miracle cure – but has the guarantee run out?
Graham Hampstead finally gets to the bottom of that
rumbling sound from his Dexta. Was it a faulty diff
from new some 50 years ago, and if so is it still
under warranty?
68 Modelling Master Class
This month Henry Smith visits MalcolmSymcox
and gets a master class in modelling 1950s style.
70 Machair Magic
Polly Pullar continues her travels around
the Uists, and meets with Ena MacDonald
a crofter who is passionate about the unique
environment in which she works.
73 Rare Breeds
No. 112 Devon & Cornwall Longwool Sheep.
76 ‘Sue Tractors’ on life, love, and her beloved ‘Tin Tin’!
Is it ‘nature or nurture’ that draws us toward tractors?
Sue Roberts of Llanarmon yn Lal grew up surrounded by
them, so to her, owning one was the
next obvious step.
80 Tractor Talk
All your latest news, views and comments
around the tractor and vintage scene.
122 Next Month
Preview of the August issue of Tractor magazine.
Your Tractors
10 A meeting with the Maskells
Donald Bowler goes along with the Ouse
Valley NVTEC to visit the Maskell Tractor
Collection Museum in Wilstead,
Bedfordshire.
13 Cutting edge classic
When this MF 690 came up for sale
Andrew Scott recognised its potential –
but he didn’t count on it taking four
years to restore.
18 Having a whale of a time
When Ian Taylor bought back this Ford
5000, little did he and Brian Pass
realise the size of the task they had
taken on.
22 Small is beautiful
Three generations of BMC/Leyland/Marshall
tractor, but underneath, this Mini, 154 and
302 are very similar looking animals.
26 Years ahead of their time
We meet Ronnie Deering, Newtownards,
Co Down a man who believes that the
earlier European tractors were quite
advanced when compared to others
from around the globe.
In the Workshop
82 Oil change please
When thick black oil spits from the
dipstick tube Ben Phillips just knows
there’s a engine rebuild coming up on
his next restoration job.
86 Dexta water pump
Rebuilding the water pump on the
Fordson Dexta is relatively easy to
accomplish. We take a look at how
it’s done.
Farming Heritage
35 From rasps in Rattray to hops in Herefordshire
Ever since the arrival of the tractor new
applications and adaptions have been
sought to maximise its use. We look at
its use in the fruit industry.
40 Rooting for the show
A comprehensive display of root growing
and harvesting equipment through the
ages at the Nottinghamshire County
Show in May.
42 Made in Australia
Stuart Gibbard reports on his rare
Chamberlain 60DA model – one of the
first Australian tractors to be fitted with
a General Motors two-stroke diesel.
46 Haylage
John Holmes shares some hard won
tips to make harvesting essential winter
supplies for animal feed a better
experience for small time producers.
48 A present from the past
Jon Hughes convinced his French wife
that buying this 1954 Societe Francaise
Vierzon 201 tractor was a good idea,
based on the fact that he was
‘preserving a piece of French history’.
52 67 to 1,000,000
As JCB celebrates the recent production
of its 1,000,000 machine, Peter D
Simpson takes a brief look at the
company’s 67-year history.
56 Veteran Tractors
The Peterbro Tractor – Peter
Brotherhood’s first and only foray into
agricultural engineering.
57 Tractor Archives
More memories from the farming
literature of years gone by.
62 Tractor Gallery
This 1966 Nuffield Bray 4 driven by
Colin Potter was caught on the way to
his plot at the 56th British National
Ploughing Championships in 2006.
120 Waging chemical warfare
Today there is a huge armoury of
pesticides at the grower’s disposal
with a wide selection of machinery to
apply them but what was it like in the
early days?
Marketplace
88 What’s on
Your guide to heritage days out
throughout the season in our
comprehensive event guide.
94 Tractor Events
We report on the North West Classic
Tractor Road Run and the Llandudno
Transport Festival in our monthly
roundup of events.
102 Sales & Marketplace
Our full report of the Cheffins Vintage
Sale at Sutton in April, plus an
interesting sale at the Clitheroe Auction
Market in May where 53 vintage classic
tractors were up for grabs.
Regulars
3 Welcome
7 News
All the latest news in the world of tractors and heritage.
64 A miracle cure – but has the guarantee run out?
Graham Hampstead finally gets to the bottom of that
rumbling sound from his Dexta. Was it a faulty diff
from new s....