The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: brendan lyons on December 02, 2013, 01:52:11 am
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Hi there
I curious about what other people drive, the variations are astounding. Some people still use tractors that are 70 plus years old while others have machines up to £150k!
Feel free to post pics if you want (We currently have a Fiat 80-90 and a New Holland TL100A).
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Nuffield from about 1960. Not sure exactly which model it is. Does everything we need it to and is very reliable. This pic is the missus topping one of our fields in the summer.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/mal-man64/DSCF2999.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/mal-man64/media/DSCF2999.jpg.html)
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Only have the use of a 4x4 Same during the bad weather when the landlord remembers to bring it down. otherwise I'm using this brilliant piece of kit.....
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We use a 1976 John Deere 2030, 75hp and no cab but it does everything, just would be good if it was 4wd ideally, but beggars and choosers :-DD
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I don't have one and am still pushing round bales off a 3 high stack by hand and rolling/tipping them to the various fields usually by myself and through muddy gateways and hairy noses :-\
If I could get one I would, but I've no idea what the least I could pay for something that would actually work and not cost a fortune to maintain (ie by mechanic since I'm useless that way) is, and to go for something from the 60s or 70s needs more knowledge than I have to not end up with a bigger set of problems than it solves. I'd probably need 4wd too, the land slopes and gets very muddy and rutted in the years I pay someone to come and put bales in the field for me, last winter I had no choice and a huge modern 4wd all mod cons monster was sliding sideyways towards the barn or fence more than once, tho it was well driven and saved in every case by experienced drivers that I'm also not!
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We've got a baby John Deere, mostly for mowing. Husband went to look at ploughs for it on Saturday and came back with the belief we need a new tractor. And as luck would have it, they happened to know somebody selling a vineyard tractor which can rotovate and plough too. Oh, and the icing on the cake for him - it's a 'Farrari Vipar' which when said quickly enough sounds (probably as intended) just like a far fancier bit of kit. I'm still dubious but I suspect by the end of the week it'll have been bought - well in advance of the vineyard actually being planted!
H
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I've got to admit 4wd would be nice and power steering would be absolutely brilliant but the beauty of the old uns is they're so simple. No nasty electronics or complicated bits, just a plain simple old diesel engine and built to last.
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I have an Ursus 1004 , which is a huge 100 hp 4x4 .
I never use it . In fact , it is in a farm shed 7 miles away ???
My land is sloping and wet , and the tractor just makes huge ruts , kills the land completely , plus you have to put diesel in the bugger !
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At night when i am dreaming about getting my smallholding, (please read that bit carefully ;D ) i am pottering around my virtual land on a massy ferg 20
one day, it will be a reality :fc:
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I've got a ford 1720 which is about the same size as a Fergie and gives out about 30 hp with 4 wd.Made in the eighties but never registered.
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Mine are all from the ferguson fold,
An 1956 Ferguson FE35 diesel (Grey Gold fergie 35) owned for about 35 years
A 1955 Ferguson TED20 (petrol/parafin fergie T20) owned for about 30 years,
A 1975 Massey Ferguson 188 Multi-power owned for about 8 years
A 1980 Massey Ferguson 135 owned for about 5 years
The first 2 were bought by my dad for our smallholding, I was about 11 when we got the FE35, and learned to drive on it, that was about 1978, it was already 25 years old and worn out from hard work in the hands of a farmer. In 2003 I (with quite a lot of help) rebuilt the engine and re sprayed the tractor, its now a fine machine and my pride and joy.
The last 2 I bought because I used to drive tractors like them as a teenager on local farms back in the 80s.
Its serious overkill for ten acres, but hey... he with the most toys wins ..........and it saves all that faffing about changing from one implement to another !
Oh yes we have a JCB 3CX which I bought to help do the place up (I finally achieved my dream of a small holding about 7 years ago) it is very useful and massive stress relief.
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A trusty 1947 Grey Fergie TVO - battered, original, loved and put to work most weeks - with plough, loader and finger mower. In desperate need of new tyres - one day eh!
Cheers, Ray
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We have just bought this
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With a rear loader too - I'm jealous. It looks like a good one :thumbsup:
Does it run on TVO?
Ray
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We use a international 684 1980s
Massey feg. 35x 1963.
We have the 35x for 10 yrs and never let us down
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There are only two brands of British Tractor from drawing board to manufacture (apart from rare brands). They are Nuffield (eventually built at Bathgate near Glasgow) and David Brown of Huddersfield. All others are American owned or European, where ever they may be manufactured. So for me its David Brown and their Implements, both me and the brand born & bred in the same parish. However I now have a few Ransomes' of Ipswich implements. After all, what use is a tractor without the implement.
Whilst the little Grey Fergy always steels the lime light, the first Ferguson was built by David Brown at Park Works in Huddersfield, known as the Ferguson Brown. Harry Ferguson from Ireland invented the hydraulic lift arm incorperating the 'draught top link' for ploughing, David Browns put it into manufacture.
Ferguson & Brown fell out, no surprise there and Ferguson went to see Henry Ford in the US. Brown been left with a patent problem and a product but re hashed the top link draught sensing method to get out of Harry Fergusons 'Patent'. Brown carried on without British Government backing (very important) to become a major manufacturer of tractors and over %70 exported around the world. All gone : (
As for Harry and Henry, well that's another story, equally fascinating and includes a star cast of Roosevelt, A.Hitler & Stalin.......all from a little english tractor.
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We have a Case International 695 XL - we bought it with a front loader as its primary use was for clearing the site for our housebuild.
We have since increased the accessories with a topper, finger bar mower, haybob and Bamford baler.
OH has bought himself a tractor 'project' - a 1947 David Brown Cropmaster. we had to change the engine block and mess arund with the wheels a bit but now it is a situation of tidying up and repainting ready for next summer vintage rallies :excited:
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I have a 1978 ford 5600 with only 1000 hours on the clock. And a mid 80's 4wd manitou forklift which looks like a real heap but is so useful. Also a kubota ride on mower which is a huge luxury as it is the high tip model.
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I got a 1968 David Brown 990 Selectamatic - but I don't have a lot of land that's flat/accessible enough to use it for much - though I may try and get a frontloader for it.
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We did have a David brown vinyard 885 with loader, but after getting stuck in the mud once too often, spoke nicely to the bank manager and bought a John Deere 2650 4wd with front loader.
I must say it makes life so much easier.
Using it at the moment to errect a pole barn.
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Paul,
is that Fergie 'Ernie' ex Cosford?
Robin
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We have a little Hinomoto E14 compact tractor. Used for topping, general carrying and harrowing/rolling. The stables also possess an old grey fergie that is currently having work done on the head. And an old Nuffield with front end loader and digger attachments, known as Damien. That is overgrown with brambles and still waiting after over 6 years for its new clutch.
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This was my baby in France, would have loved to have brought her back
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee62/johningham/DSCF7287.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/johningham/media/DSCF7287.jpg.html)
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Look nice in grey. :innocent: