Tabla de contenidos para April 2023 en Tractor & Machinery

Hello, and welcome to the April issue of T&M – a bumper, 140-page edition celebrating the high-horsepower models from the 1980s. When I think back, tractors like the Ford 6610, IH 885XL, John Deere 2140, and MF 675 spring to mind – they were all commonplace in my part of The Fens during that decade. There was the odd IH 955, hanging around from the ’70s, and John Deere 3040 in the 90-100hp bracket, but anything over 100hp was scarce. I do recall a couple of American-built Case 90 Series models, which were huge tractors, but about 80hp was the norm. Big tractors of 120hp or more were the stuff of dreams for many back then, and in homage to these high-horsepower behemoths we’re bringing you a larger magazine than…

After the last few, horrific years of the Covid-19 pandemic, we would like to update the members of clubs and the readers of T&M with a progress report on the work that our club, and many others, are doing for their members, writes Case IH Club UK. Case IH Club UK is relatively new and was launched at the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show in November 2019. Although nobody knew at the time, we would only be five months old when the horrors of Covid-19 hit our shores, bringing life as we knew it to a complete standstill. The background to Case IH Club UK being formed was to provide one club to embrace all of the brands whose heritage makes up Case IH. These iconic names have a…

Everyone battled through to make the Tractor World show a great success, with visitors coming from across Europe to enjoy the spectacle at the Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire. The downside was the fact that the snow kept around 100 tractors from attending the show, but with all that was reported in the press many thought that the event was not going to take place at all – when, in fact, Malvern escaped lightly. Nevertheless, visitors attended in their droves, both days, proving there is still great interest in our hobby. The big news at the show was that the management of The Nuffield and Leyland Tractor Club has changed, following Pam and Graham Towndrow’s retirement last summer. After negotiations, the club has new leaders, which include the Aylwards, Dave Morgan,…

Considered to be ‘premium’ tractors, on a par with their compatriots from Fendt, Mercedes-Benz, and Schlüter, Deutz-Fahr’s DX 6 tractors were certainly not aimed at the cash-conscious farmer. Their specification levels were high, and they gained a reputation for durability and dependability, which seems to justify their price tag. Available from 1983, three models initially graced the DX 6 line-up, but it’s the mid-range DX 6.30 that we’ve selected for our Top 10. Just 1.9 per cent of tractors sold in the UK in 1983 were in the 121-140hp bracket, so this was a big tractor! Powering this 5.4-tonne behemoth was a Deutz F6L 913 air-cooled diesel, and its main feature was a thermostatically controlled cooling fan. This had an oil clutch built into it, fed by oil flow governed…

Ford’s Force II incarnation of Series TW arrived in November 1985, with a revised look and the Super-Q cab, but there was a great deal that was like its predecessor – but this was no bad thing. Still housed underneath that colossal bonnet was the legendary 401cu in engine, complete with turbocharger and intercooler, producing 186hp (DIN) and 694Nm (512lb/ft) of torque at 1,600rpm. Only one transmission was offered on Series TW – the 16 forward, four reverse, Dual Power unit. A planetary gearset, located in the bellhousing, utilised a hydraulic clutch to provide two-speed input into the transmission. This system provided the operator with Direct Drive and Power Drive – the latter giving 28 per cent more pulling power and a 22 per cent reduction in speed. Dual Power…

Although Mercedes-Benz had a winning formula with its Unimog design, it hadn’t really found favour within the agricultural community, and so the MB-trac was conceived with farming at the forefront of the design. Four-cylinder models came first, but as the need for better productivity increased, tractors had to become larger – hence the introduction of the MB-trac 1100 in the second half of the ’70s, and subsequent six-cylinder models. The 1500 used the same OM 352 engine as the 1100, but incorporated a turbocharger to boost power output to 150hp (DIN), while torque peaked at 500Nm. Performance like this helped immeasurably, but it was the concept that gave the 1500 and its siblings such a well-deserved reputation. With four equal-sized wheels and differential locks on both axles, traction was superb,…

In 1969 Ford introduced its first turbocharged six-cylinder tractor: the impressive and powerful 9000. This model, and its naturally aspirated sibling, the 8000, were replaced by the 8600 and 9600 in 1972, and these two tractors subsequently became the 8700 and 9700 in 1976, complete with Sankey-built ‘Q’ cab. The final year of the decade 1979 saw these tractors replaced by a new, three-model range, called Series TW. This meant that the 8700 became the TW-10, the 9700 the TW-20, and a new 188hp model was introduced in the shape of the TW-30, using a turbocharger and an intercooler to coax the extra power out of the same 401cu in engine as fitted to the other models. Four years later and Series TW would see its first major upgrade –…

The first MB-trac, called the 65/70, had achieved much in its three years of production between 1972 and 1975, not least by proving the concept of these machines as a four-wheel drive, equal-size wheel tractor with centrally mounted cab and rear load platform. Originally based on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog, the MB-trac took a step further into agriculture, with a machine designed specifically as a farm tractor, albeit with a difference. With its four-cylinder OM 314 Mercedes-Benz engine, of 3.8-litre capacity, producing 65hp, and with a 16-speed transmission controlled by a centrally mounted gear lever, the 65/70 gave way to two new models in 1975, both still wearing the same white and red livery, and looking much the same as the original version. A new model numbering system was adopted, however,…

In parts one and two of this series, Alan Petrie discussed the good and bad points of DX engines and transmissions respectively, and now he concludes his summary with the various hydraulic systems and cabs that were fitted to the DX 3, DX 4, and DX 6 ranges, beginning with the DX 3.70 and DX 3.90’s hydraulic unit. “A twin, open-centre gear pump, mounted to the front of the engine and driven by the timing gears, supplies separate circuits for the main hydraulics and steering systems,” Alan explained. “The main hydraulic feed goes along the side of the transmission and via a hydraulic trailer brake valve to the main control unit or ‘brain’ of the hydraulics. “Auxiliary spool valves are individual slices mounted on the right-hand side of the front…

GOT A STORY? THEN WRITE TO THE EDITOR: Scott Lambert, Kelsey Publishing Ltd., The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL EMAIL: tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk IN BRIEF Growth for Reesink Reesink Agriculture has made two new appointments to handle the division’s rapid growth. Now, Reesink Agriculture has specific area sales managers for both the north and south of England to focus on customer service for more than 20 dealers, as well as to bring more dealers on board. Justin Thompson takes on responsibility for Farmtrac sales in the south, and Andy Hayhurst for the north. The team expansion also coincides with the promotion of Jim Maynard to the role of service manager. Steven Haynes, divisional business manager for Reesink Agriculture, explains: “This expansion is a key strategic move to take…

Our 1980s power focus begins here. Tractor & Machinery’s top 10 high-horsepower models from the decade may raise a few eyebrows, but we feel that it’s a good cross-section of what was available in the UK at the time. What, though, is a high-horsepower tractor? In 1980, the 71-80hp sector was the most popular, with 25.7 per cent of the 22,243 tractors registered in the UK coming from that band. The 81-90hp segment was the most popular from 1982-86, and in 1987 an equal share of the market was held by the 81-90hp and 91-100hp sectors – with 24 per cent each. For the remainder of the decade, the 91-100hp band had the most registrations. Throughout the 1980s tractors of more than 110hp were scarce, and tractors above 120hp even…

Fendt is a brand synonymous with performance and quality – often dubbed the Rolls-Royce of tractors. The Favorit range was produced from the early 1970s, but it’s one of the later incarnations that we look at here, with the range-topping 615 LS our particular focus. Built in Marktoberdorf, Germany, the range was considered to be a premium one, using refined designs and great-quality components to produce machines built to last – which is why so many live on today, still putting in a shift. The MWM engines used in the Favorit LS range are some of the best diesel units ever built and can amass considerable hours with few problems. The 615 LS was powered by the TD226-6 turbocharged unit, generating a colossal 165hp (DIN) and 572Nm (422lb/ft) of torque…

Cut from the same cloth as Ford’s Series TW, International’s 1455XL was a basic, no-nonsense, draft tractor that didn’t have any fancy electronics or cutting-edge technology, but it built up a fearsome reputation thanks to its reliability and performance – particularly in the field. The 1455 was IH’s German-built big gun in 1979 but was updated in 1981 when a new ‘Control Centre’, developed in conjunction with Porsche, was introduced. Out went the Fritzmeier cab and 16 forward, seven reverse transmission, and in came the XL cab and ZF T3450HD 20 forward, nine reverse gearbox, complete with Turbo Clutch. Like the Fendt Favorit 615 LS, the 1455XL incorporated a hydraulic clutch to deliver power from the engine both smoothly and effortlessly, minimising wear to the transmission. Situated between the engine…

For many decades, International Harvester tractors have played a major role on the Brown family’s farm near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Over the years models have come and gone, but of those that remain, all play a significant part in the success of the business, run today by brothers Julian and Andrew. In the 1970s and early ’80s, models like the 674 and 885XL were at the forefront of the operation, but the Browns also discovered that International’s hydrostatic transmission suited their needs well. Ideal for baling, potato harvesting, sugar beet drilling, hoeing, hedge cutting, and loader work, tractors equipped with this ground-breaking transmission found numerous uses and became well liked – with four Hydro 84 and 85 models now used on the farm for the tasks that they were…

OVERALLS Nuffield, Leyland, or Marshall Small-XXL £40 +VAT & postage tractorspareparts.co.uk Nuffield, Leyland, and Marshall tractor parts specialist Tractor Spare Parts Ltd. has launched two new overall designs to complement its Leyland overalls, in Royal Blue. The long-awaited designs are available in black only and feature the BMC rosette printed on the left breast, and a large Nuffield Universal Sales & Service logo on the back, or the Marshall Tractors logo embroidered on the left breast, along with the logo printed large on the back. They are high-quality zip-up overalls with zip pockets, printed in the UK, and are made from a 245g/m²-weight fabric that’s 65 per cent polyester and 35 per cent cotton. Sizing is as follows: S: Regular height (165-176cm), 36-38in chest, 31in leg M: Regular height (165-176cm),…

PICK OF THE CROP CUTTING PITCHES It’s brilliant – well done! Dear Junior, I hope you like my drawing of my daddy’s tractor. He cuts football pitches with it! Darcy Mason (aged 7), Cambridgeshire IN A FIX! When you own an old tractor, there’s always something to fix! Dear Junior, I have drawn our McCormick International – but dad has still got a few things to fix on it! William Cartwright (aged 9), Buckinghamshire FUTURE TRACTOR DRIVER You’ll be old enough to drive a tractor before you know it! Dear Junior, We have a little boy that attends our Pre-School called Ewan Bradbury-Birchinall. He absolutely loves tractors and likes to bring his T&M magazine in to show his friends. Ewan 100 per cent wants to be a tractor driver when…

One of the stars of the 30th anniversary Berwick St. John Country Fayre was a 1985 Deutz Fahr DX 3.70, owned by R H Warren Fencing. Richard Warren explains why the DX 3.70 is a central part of the working setup. “I was brought up on a farm in Winterbourne Stickland,” began Richard. “My dad, Ron Warren, was the farm’s head tractor driver/mechanic and he taught me everything I know. I went into farming at a very young age, working on a beef and arable farm until my early 30s. I then had several job changes before eventually becoming self-employed and undertaking anything from fencing and landscaping to agricultural contracting.” The Deutz was owned by Richard’s father-in-law, Ray Crew. He bought the tractor in 2007 and it came to him…

Regular readers may remember me changing the hydraulic pump on my pre-Implematic David Brown 950, some time ago. The replacement pump had been on the shelf for a while, having been purchased from Ron Greet in 2014, when I was in Devon on a short break. Since being fitted, the hydraulics have functioned very well and performed as they should. However, on a recent occasion, I mounted a Howard E Series rotavator to the 950 to move it to a new location. The tractor coped easily with lifting the implement and was driven to a more convenient spot and parked up ready for the rotavator to be removed, prior to carrying out some restoration work on it. After being parked for a week or so, I revisited the tractor with…

I am always excited when a new project turns up. Even if I’ve been sent pictures in advance, there’s nothing like walking around the tractor in real life. When John Speller’s Massey Ferguson 35 turned up, it was pushed off the trailer – as the condition of the engine was unknown. I tend not to try and start engines if they’re destined for a complete rebuild, as I never know what’s lurking inside. The immediate problem was that the steering wouldn't turn, so something was either seized or broken. I jacked up the front end to take the weight off the front wheels, which were 7.50-16 and far too big for an MF 35, but this made little to no difference – so I needed to delve further. I disconnected…

In the Spring issue I began my review of the amazing 2022 auction season, when almost 100 sales took place in the UK and Ireland, offering veteran, vintage, and classic tractor lots. Please refer to pages 81-87 of that issue for a general overview of the year, as well as a review of the following marques: Allis-Chalmers, Caterpillar, County Commercial Cars, David Brown, Fendt, Ferguson, Field-Marshall/Fowler, Ford, and Fordson. In this issue I conclude with a review of the remaining major marques. International Harvester The climb in the IH and subsequent Case IH prices was not so significant in 2022, compared to 2018-21, but there were records broken along the way. The top prices achieved fell to the 1255XL and 1455XL models, in the UK at least, and although they…

APRIL 8 April North Heale Spring Collective Sale of Machinery, Implements & Farmyard Sundries. EX18 7PH. Andrew Lane Ltd. Tel: 01837 810845 13 April Annual Collective Auction of Tractors. Walford Cross Sale Field, Taunton, Somerset TA2 8QW. Greenslade Taylor Hunt Tel: tel: 01278 410278. 13-15 April Annual Spring Collector Auction. 72435 St. Road 15, New Paris, IN, USA. Polk Auctions polkauction.com 14 April Collective Machinery & Equipment Sale. Ashford Market, Monument Way, Orbital Park, Ashford, Kent TN24 0HB. Hobbs Parker Tel: 01233 506246 14 April Collective Machinery Sale. Hacche Lane, South Molton EX36 3EH. Symonds & Sampson Tel: 01884 218911 14-15 April Auction of Industrial Plant, Construction & Agricultural Equipment. 72-74 Omagh Road, Dromore, Co Tyrone BT78 3AJ. Euro Auctions Tel: 02882 898262 14-19 April Timed Online Machinery Sale. Kivells…

I write this near the end of March after an excellent Tractor World show. Considering the poor weather leading up to the event, the show still stood up and was a great success, even though it was missing around 100 tractors due to the weather. The crowd was back to pre-Covid levels, and a great many attended on the Sunday, when the weather was at its best. As for the H J Pugh & Co. auction, it had its moments all the way through, and I was pleased to get £40 for the Barum 6.00x16 three-rib tyre that I entered. The model display in the Severn Hall was good, even though two were missing. There is room for more, so get modelling for next year! I very much enjoyed judging…

Any of John Deere’s Waterloo-built 50 Series tractors could have featured here, as the range covered 128-215hp (DIN), but we’ve opted for the smaller of the two larger models – as it is often unjustifiably overshadowed by the 4850. The five-model range had features that set it apart from the opposition and, interestingly, the 4650 is one of just two American-built tractors in our top 10. It wasn’t necessarily radical, but had design elements that were not common on tractors at the time, and these made a package that stood out. Powering the 4650 was Deere’s 7,636cc (466cu in) straight six, in turbocharged and intercooled form. It produced 190hp (DIN) and 775Nm (572lb/ft) of torque, which was a huge output at the time and the type of power reserved only…

The Zetor 16045 was a latecomer to the Crystal range – introduced midway through 1980 to bolster the company’s offering and provide farmers with a high-horsepower tractor that represented great value for money. Similar to the 8045 and 12045 in specification, the major difference was the power output. Although the 16045 used the same basic engine as the 12011 and 12045, the Z8601, the addition of a turbocharger and increased fuelling increased output by more than 30 per cent. Zetors were renowned for producing plenty of torque and the 16045 was no exception – with an output of 471Nm (347lb/ft) at rated engine speed, which increased at lower revs. Although few were sold in the UK, those that did buy one were rewarded by its simplicity – with the engine…

Introduced at the very end of the 1980s, the John Deere 55 Series was the ultimate evolution of a line of tractors that could trace their history right back to 1960 and the ‘New Generation’ series of machines introduced in that year. As such, the 55 Series tractors garnered an enviable reputation for ruggedness, reliability, and powerful dependability, as would be expected from such a long period of gestation. With its North American heritage, this range was not going to be the best choice for every farm in Britain, but a farm in East Anglia has been benefitting from the power of one such machine since 1990. Situated in north-east Suffolk, A Myhill & Sons’ arable farm of 600 acres has been home to a particular member of the John…

From the end of 1981, farmer and photographer Kim Parks began his own contracting business, based on his family’s farm at Rotherfield in East Sussex. Starting from small beginnings, by taking on the remaining lease agreement on the farm’s newest of two Ford 6600 tractors, and by using the farm’s own equipment for hedge cutting, silage harvesting and many other jobs, he gradually grew the business by investing in another second-hand Ford 6600 and increasing his machinery fleet. We join him this time as he ventures into round bale silage and combine harvesting before he finally takes the plunge and buys his first brand-new tractor. Next time we see how his new tractor settles in and say a sad goodbye to his older machine when it meets an untimely end,…

By the mid 1950s, the advantages of the three-point linkage system with automatic draft control, developed by Harry Ferguson, were well recognised, and with this brought the need for rival manufacturers to introduce smaller tractors to their ranges to compete with the Ferguson models. The Ford Motor Company was developing the Dexta, and David Brown had its 25 and 30 range. The pressure increased somewhat in 1956 with the arrival of the Ferguson 35 tractor, which had more power and was more sophisticated than the TE-20 range that had gone before! Another well-known manufacturer was International Harvester, which had been manufacturing its Farmall-based tractors at its Doncaster factory since 1949. In the early 1950s IH purchased the Bradford factory from the ailing Jowett Motor Company and set about designing an…

CLARKE PARTS WASHERS CW1D: £179.98 inc. VAT CWM20: £226.80 inc. VAT Machine Mart Tel: 0115 956 5555 machinemart.co.uk Clarke’s best-selling CW1D floor-standing parts washer (pictured lower right) provides a simple way to clean components covered in oil, grease, and dirt. An internal pump continuously circulates the cleaning fluid, delivering it to just where it’s needed. An essential product for any garage or workshop, the CW1D has a tank capacity of 75 litres, fluid capacity of 45 litres and has a maximum pump rate of 90 litres per hour. This model requires a 230V power supply and has a flexible link to automatically close the lid in the event of a fire. There is also an integral, replaceable filter. The CWM20 floor-standing parts washer features four large castors and two robust…

PART W-B The prices are based on tractors sold at sales, on the Internet, privately and in some overseas markets too. Naturally, prices change as time progresses and it’s not always an upward trend, but you will get a good indication of what’s going on with the current market by referring to our guide. Here are a few pointers on buying a tractor to help you. If you are looking for a tractor to buy for restoration, or work, there’s a vast choice. However, if you are looking for something specific, do weigh up your options first, particularly if you have a limited budget. If it’s a popular model, then it’s not always to your advantage to go for the first one you see. Whatever is wrong with the tractor,…