McKibbins’ Threshing Day 2021

By Rebecca Carson

In Co. Antrim, Robert and John McKibbin sow, grow, harvest, thresh and bale a field of oats using vintage tractors and attachments. One day in August the phone rang. It was John. Daddy answered and said that we were going to help in the field, setting up the sheaves. When we arrived there was a small group of people there to help; I was helping Gareth Mark putting the sheaves into stooks. The crop was stored until their threshing day on the last Saturday in October. John said that I could bring my engine to the event. I was so excited that we were invited.

We arrived at possibly the most miserable time of the day; it was a (very) cold and foggy morning but the sun came out and I soon warmed up. I was starting to enjoy myself. Some of my old engine friends turned up including James Courtney with his Lister D and Lister water pump, and Stephen Wilson was there with his Ruston & Hornsby. Sammy Gault arrived with his Lister D and H3 water pump on a trailer behind his Zetor 4011, closely followed by his brother Mark driving his E1A Fordson Major. Gareth Mark parked his County Super Six in the long row of tractors which stretched across the field. There were other interesting things to see like classic motorbikes in the shed and the visitors’ old cars and trucks parked in the yard.

Now let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be a threshing day without some threshing. Rory Woolf belted his steam engine up to a Ransomes threshing mill with the Jones baler set in behind. The Calderwoods set their Major in line with their Garvie mill and soon they were ready for a load of oats. When it arrived Geoffrey Mark climbed up with his fork and began to pitch the sheaves up on top of the mill.

After looking at all the machinery, we went to see Thomas Steele demonstrating his blacksmith skills. I must say, he was pretty handy with a hammer. Later on, after our engine had been lifted into the back of the car, Daddy and I were asked to have a cup of tea in the shed and later I played football with John’s Grandchildren. It had been a great day at McKibbins’.

Rebecca

Geoffrey Mark forks a sheaf up to the thresher Thomas Steele working hard at his anvil in the forge

Vernon Marshall drives his Dexta while Robert McKibbin operates the Albion 5A Binder. Joe Johnston and Andy Hayes talking about setting up the thresher.

Jack Gault with his Grandfather’s Ferguson TEF 20. My Lister D unloaded and ready to go.

It was Halloween after all!