Tractor & Farming Heritage
June 2014
Celebrating the history and development of the tractor
TRACTOR AND FARMING HERITAGE JUNE 2014
Regulars
3 Welcome
18 News
All the latest news from the world of
tractors and heritage.
20 Graham’s Grumbles
This month’s moan is about the many
and varied delights that are blasted at us
24/7 via the wonders of multi-channel
television.
24 Tractor Talk
Your news, views and comments about
the vintage and classic scene.
82 Reed All About it!
Jo Roberts meets a pioneering farming
couple from North Wales who are
harvesting their own water reed to
supply British thatchers.
88 Steering the Right course
Graham Hampstead continues the
restoration of his Super Dexta, and is
amazed at the results of so many years
neglect on the tractor.
114 Next Month
Preview of the July issue of Tractor &
Farming Heritage magazine.
146 Last Word
Farmer Brown brings home a rather
expensive ‘micro pig’ called ‘Tiny’ which
is rapidly growing into a whopping
great sow.
YourTractors
6 Ford in the Blood
Part 2 of the Cradock family’s three generation
association with Fordson,
Ford and New Holland tractors which
has lasted more than 75 years.
12 The Short and Tall of it
James Graham’s farm is home to the
world’s smallest sheep, but when it
comes to tractors, he chooses the
Massey Ferguson Red Giants.
28 Dave’s Tractors
Dave Taylor recalls the
sounds and smells that made
farming a pleasure – then there
was the Fordson E27N and Bomford
hedgetrimmer.
30 On the Straight and Narrow
Not just a narrow Ferguson T20, but a
vineyard-spec one that somehow ended
up in Dorset instead of France.
36 The Steyr way to Restoration
This Austrian-built Steyr 540 was found
in a breaker’s yard unwanted and in
line for the crusher; Bob Wardhaugh
tells us how the ex-slurry scraper was
restored.
Heritage
42 King of the Countys
We chart the rise to power of the
County 1884 and see how these large
and powerful tractors came into
existence.
48 50 Golden years of the Basildon line
The Blue Force 1000 event to celebrate
the 50th anniversary of the Ford 1000
Series and 50 years of tractor production
at Basildon.
52 The Home Farm Diaries
June 1981’s a busy month on the farm
and HR finds it best to keep moving to
get the jobs done while avoiding those
pesky flies.
56 Massey’s oldest
Author and Massey-Harris enthusiast
John Farnworth, tells us how the winner
of an oldest-working Massey tractor
award, a M-H No. 2, came to be added to
his extensive collection.
62 Steam at War
Continuing his series onhowthe First
World War influenced agricultural
machinery development, Stuart Gibbard
explains why steam still had a part to play.
66 Marshall’s ‘six-pack’
Tractor enthusiasts have a fascination
with British tractors that were unusual,
unpopular, rare and produced in low
numbers, the MP6 fits all of these.
73 Tractor Archive
More heritage memories from the
farming literature of yesteryear.
77 Ford 7810 ‘Silver Jubilee’
Launched in 1989 to commemorate 25
years of tractor production at Basildon,
the ‘silver’ 7810 has become one of the
most sought after tractors of the
modern age.
78 Reminiscences of island life
Lawrence MacEwen from the
surprisingly fertile tiny Hebridean Island
of Muck, continues his nostalgic look
back at his farming life.
Workshop
92 The possibilities are endless
So, you’ve bought your tractor and had
it restored, what next? If you think the
fun has ended there, think again... it’s
only just begun.
94 Make your own Sandblasting cabinet
Richard Lofting shows you how, for an
outlay of just a few pounds, you can
create your own blast cabinet.
98 Clutching at Straws
To avoid any slip ups in your restoration
Ben Phillips shows us the
straightforward way to strip out a
suspect clutch from a Leyland 154.
102 Products
All the latest tractor and farming
heritage-related product releases.
Marketplace
104 What’s on
Your guide to heritage days out
throughout the season in our
comprehensive event guide.
109 Forthcoming Sales & Auctions
110 Events
We review the Eastern Counties
Vintage Tractor Show, and preview the
Newby Hall Tractor Fest and Fife
rallies.
TRACTOR AND FARMING HERITAGE JUNE 2014
Regulars
3 Welcome
18 News
All the latest news from the world of
tractors and heritage.
20 Graham’s Grumbles
This month’s moan is about the many
and varied delights that are blasted at us
