Henry Brown’s vintage page

FARMERS GUIDE 25 YEARS AGO

The Farmers Guide in December 1996 reported that the Minister of Agriculture had announced that the privatisation of ADAS was to go ahead and it would be offered for sale immediately. Ernest Cozens noted that a French company had laid complaints against JCB in connection with the supply of JCB parts sold in France and that rhizomania had reared its head again in the sugar beet crop, with over 70 farms affected in Norfolk and Suffolk. The Potato Marketing Board’s first estimate for the 1996 potato crop was 623,000 tonnes greater than in 1995, giving an expected overall 10.2% increase in production. Yorkshire men swept the trophy board for reversible ploughing at the 46th National Ploughing Match at Swine fleet near Goole.

A muck and slurry special feature reported that Suffolk rm Hunton Legg was to start manufacturing of the original Howard Rotaspreader under licence from Lemken Tri-Ag. Massey Ferguson launched a new range of 11 heavy duty vacuum slurry tankers, with capacities ranging from 850–3,000 gallons. Richard Western advertised its Delilah range of heavy-duty rear discharge spreaders with a hydraulically-driven floor chain and twin rear vertical beaters, and the Bunning Lowlander spreader was now available with a spinner deck option.

Farm Machinery News reported a high number of entries at Cheffens’ recent auction sale at Sutton, with buyers for 17 countries in attendance. The best price paid on the day was £23,900 for a 1994 Case IH1455XL. A new precision planter suitable for onion sets and garlic would be imported from Italy, and Landquip sprayers had added a 3,000-litre tank option for its de-mount model for the JCB Fastrac.

A Farmers Guide feature for the 1966 Smith eld Show reported a record number of exhibitors, including 32 companies who were at Earls Court for the first time. New Holland chose the now biennial show to announce their new TC 56 Hydro Plus combine with a 170hp engine, a 13ft cut header and a £118,477 price tag. Due to farmer and contractor demand, the Welger AP 830 conventional baler with an 18-roll twine box and ve automatic safety devices would be re-introduced by Lely. The latest self-propelled Spra Coupe sprayer with a 1,000 acre per day capacity would be launched on the Chavtrac stand, and Grimme would be showing its new two-row trailed potato harvester with hydraulically driven webs. Spearhead would be launching the latest Twiga long reach verge and hedge cutter and Fendt would have its latest 260hp Favorit 926 Vario tractor with the world’s first in definitely variable transmission at Smith eld. Farmers with bird problems could visit the Phoenix Agritech stand to inspect the new wind-powered Flashing Hawkeye bird deterrent with mirrors which revolved in the lightest of winds. With no running costs, the Hawkeye would have been yours for £69.50 plus VAT. FG

FERRARI TRACTORS

A number of British manufacturers were making small four-wheel tractors for smallholdings where a pedestrian-controlled garden tractor was often used. Most 1950s and 1960s small four wheeled tractors had air-cooled engines in the 6–15hp bracket, including the Martin Markham Colt, Gunsmith, Newman and Trusty Steed.

Fernando Ferrari, not connected with the famous car company of the same name, was already making two-wheeled garden tractors in 1957; a bogie seat for the tractor was added in the early 1960s. The articulated four-wheel Ferrari 74 with an air-cooled diesel engine was current in the mid-1970s, followed by the Ferrari 75RS of the same design and the conventional four-wheeled 30W/SDT. The speci cation for the articulated 75RS with four equal-sized wheels included a 30hp air cooled diesel engine, a seven forward and three reverse gearbox, and a di -lock. The conventional 30W/SDT, available in two- or four-wheel drive, had a water-cooled diesel engine and the gearbox provided 12 forward and six reverse ratios. By the early 1980s, there were six Ferrari models on sale in the UK. They included the four-wheel drive Ferrari 95, 85 and 75 articulated tractors. The 95 o ered the choice of a 33hp twin cylinder or 34hp threecylinder engine, six forward and three reverse gears, hydraulic linkage and ground speed power take-o .

Ferrari UK at Oldham was selling pedestriancontrolled garden tractors, four-wheel drive tractors and ride-on lawnmowers in the early 1990s. The top of the range four-wheel steer models had 49 and 64 hp diesel power units, a synchromesh gearbox and oil immersed brakes. They could be used in either direction by rotating the seat, steering wheel and controls through 180 degrees. The conventional 29 and 38hp Ferrari tractors in production at the time had a 12 forward and six reverse speed gearbox, power steering and a two-speed power take-o . The 33hp cost £10,750 (plus VAT) in 1993. FG

Caption: The Ferrari 74 articulated tractor had an air-cooled diesel engine.