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MERL Museum Tour We visit the Museum of English Rural Life, a true national treasure
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TREASURE
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at the University of Reading is renowned for its extensive collection of agricultural and rural objects and archive materials spanning several centuries. Jim Gerrard has been to see how its display galleries and storage areas have changed since a recent £3.3mn redevelopment
BELOW: The impressive ‘A year on the farm’ gallery is split into four sections, each with its own seasonal theme. The highlight of the Autumn section is a 1918 IH Titan 10/20 and a Ransomes RYLT threefurrow riding plough.
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major redevelopment of the galleries at the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at Reading, made possible by a grant of £1.8mn from the Heritage Lottery Fund, commenced in 2014 and was completed in October 2016.
Isabel Hughes, associate director of MERL, explains: “Previously we had a few films showing in the galleries, but there are now lots of digital interactive presentations to engage visitors more. The redisplay that has taken place has resulted in the integration of some of our larger pieces of technology, such as our tractors, with a broad range of artefacts including delicate textiles, ephemera and smaller personal and domestic objects. We have been able to display more objects, more images and more documents from our archives.”
Every object in the museum’s vast object collection, accumulated since 1951, is stored on one site.
“The emphasis of the redisplay has been to interpret the collections for a new generation that will not necessarily have any direct connection with agriculture or the countryside, past or present,” adds Isabel. “There is also an increased emphasis on telling the story of individuals within the rural landscape.”
The impressive Victorian brick buildings that house part of MERL were originally built for Sir Alfred Palmer of the Huntley & Palmer Biscuit Company in the 1880s, but they were later gifted to the University of Reading and became the St. Andrews Hall of Residence. A modern extension was completed in 2005 and this now houses the museum’s non-paper objects.
RIGHT: Visitors to MERL are greeted by this huge display case containing a selection of objects that represent a cross section of its collection, from hand tools and rural clothing to a horse plough and a unique scale model of a Reeves elevator, left. ABOVE: The Victorian buildings that house MERL were originally built in the 1880s for Sir Alfred Palmer of the Huntley & Palmer Biscuit Company. They later became the St. Andrews Hall of Residence and finally the home of MERL in 2004.
Visitors to MERL are greeted by a huge glass display case containing a wonderful cross-section of exhibits, from horse drawn implements and hand tools to textiles and signs. One of the most notable machinery-related items is a large-scale working model of a Reeves elevator, manufactured by R. &. J. Reeves at its Bratton Ironworks, near Westbury, in Wiltshire. Promotional cards would have been hung on the forks of the model when it was displayed at shows, with
LEFT: MERL’s redeveloped galleries now contain more visual imagery. This particular poster advertises Ransomes’ range of steel chill horsedrawn ploughs.
the mechanism being powered by a battery hidden within a wooden transport box. Anyone who visited MERL a few years ago will not recognise the display area that now houses its objects. Splitting what was previously one large space into separate
Timeline
1951 | The Museum of English Rural Life is founded by academics of the Department of Agriculture at the University of Reading. 1952 | A threshing frame is donated by a Devon farmer at the 1952 Royal Agricultural Show, becoming one the museum’s first large items. 1955 | Some of the collection is displayed to the public at Whiteknights House, Reading, but is later moved to temporary buildings on the Whiteknights campus. 1955 | Re-enactment of the first Royal Agricultural Show of 1839 in Nottingham. 1956 | MERL visits the World Ploughing Championships in Oxfordshire with a horse-drawn plough. 2004 | The MERL collection moves to the London Road campus with the help of a grant of £5.17mn from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 2014 | Redevelopment of the galleries begins. 2016 | The museum reopens following its £3.3mn redevelopment.
galleries has enabled the curators to create sections devoted to specific themes and sectors. One of the most interesting from a farming and machinery perspective is the ‘A year on the farm’ gallery, which not only explains where food comes from, but contains a representative selection of the machines that were used to produce it during the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Exhibits in this area are arranged in seasonal sections.
The autumn section contains a 1918 IH Titan 10/20, serial number TV26806 – see ‘MERL’s Titan’ panel – and a Ransomes RYLT three-furrow riding plough. The plough, which is believed to date from around 19151917, was used up to 1939 at Bridge Farm, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, with an IH Titan and then with a Fordson N until 1943. It entered MERL’s collection back in the 1950s.
A1936 Lister-Cockshutt No. 6 plough, manufactured by the Cockshutt Plow Company of Brantford, Ontario, is tucked away in the spring section. This plough was imported to the UK by R. A. Lister & Co of Dursley, Glos, and originally worked at Low Farm, Hemingfield, Barnsley, later passing
LEFT: This new display recalls the formation of MERL in 1951. It contains some of the museum’s first artefacts, such as a Kent turn wrest horse-drawn plough and a selection of hand tools.
to J. E. Theaker when the contents of Low Farm were dispersed by auction on 30 May 1979.
The next gallery, called ‘Showing Progress’, tells the story of how farming transitioned from horse power to steam power, the latter being represented by a Lincoln-built 1877 Clayton & Shuttleworth portable steam engine, serial number 15635. The engine was delivered on 30 January 1877 to Ball & Horton of Stratford-upon-Avon, a business described as ‘engineers, iron founders and proprietors of steam ploughing and threshing machines’. The horse-drawn engine was last used by an Oxfordshire farmer before joining the museum’s collection in 1951, becoming one of its first objects.
The ‘Town & Country’ gallery is focused on the countryside, horticulture (there is a nice growyour-own display featuring a Barford Atom garden tractor) and ‘Rural in Vogue’, the latter theme aiming to show the British countryside in modern culture and the media.
This gallery contains one of MERL’s most recent additions, a Land-Rover Series 1. This early off-roader was originally purchased new by Gloucestershire farmer Ivor Norris on 29 April 1949, the supplying dealer being Windmill & Lewis of Clifton, Bristol. Mr Norris initially used his Land-Rover to tow a trailer to Avonmouth Docks to collect biscuit waste for his cattle from a mill. It was last used on the road by Mr Norris in 1972, but it remained in use on his farm for many years. It did return to the road under new ownership and when it arrived at
MERL’s Titan
The IH Titan 10/20 displayed at MERL was discovered abandoned with at least three other examples in an old quarry in Reedsmouth, Northumberland. This particular machine was rescued because it was the only one that would start. It was purchased in 1951 by Andy and Robert Thompson, who ran a small sawmill in Sidwood, near Greenhaugh in Northumberland. They originally used a Fordson tractor to power the saw bench but it had proved unreliable and tended to stall.
The IH’s former driver Ian Forrest recalled that only the spark plugs needed replacing, but it was also decided to replace the magneto with one from a Morris Commercial. “For belt-driven work the Titan was much better than the Fordson, and it proved extremely reliable and hardy,” said Ian. The veteran IH would run for five days a week from 8:30am to 4pm each day on timbersawing duties.
When the business was wound-up in around 1956 the tractor was sold to International Harvester, which presented it to MERL later that year. The tractor was restored at Rycotewood College at Thame between 1977 and 1980 and has now developed a mellowed patina.
The museum’s 1877 Clayton & Shuttleworth portable steam engine, serial number 15635, is part of the Town & Country gallery. The engine was built for Ball & Horton of Stratfordupon-Avon but later ended up on an Oxfordshire farm.
MERL a few years ago it had an up to date tax disc and MOT.
A new area of the museum explains how the collection itself came into being in 1951. MERL was the brainchild of individuals in the Department of Agriculture who strived to record stories and collect artefacts as agriculture rapidly developed after the Second World War. Curators and individuals representing the museum scoured the countryside and attended agricultural shows in their search for items, in the process receiving many donations, sometimes even whole collections, from farmers, dealers and manufacturers.
BELOW: This 1950 Barford Atom Motor Hoe was used on a large garden in Lancashire before being donated to MERL by the owner’s son in 2010. The Barford, with its ridger plough, hoe and cultivator, are displayed in the ‘Grow Your Own’ section.
ABOVE RIGHT: These metal signs once formed part of R. & J. Reeves & Son Ltd’s collection at Bratton Iron Works, near Westbury, Wiltshire. The company donated its collection to MERL after it went into receivership in 1970.
Newspaper cuttings from that time provide an insight into the early work of MERL and they are accompanied by pictures of MERL’s stand at shows and some of the first objects that were donated to its fledgling collection. The ‘Modern Machinery’ gallery is actually anything but modern as its youngest exhibit is a 70-year old Ferguson TE-20 with a petrol Continental engine. This 1948 tractor, serial number 21184, was discovered in a derelict state on a scrap heap at Aylesbury by Arthur Williams, a former staff member at Rycotewood College. The tractor was then restored to working condition by Mr Williams and students at the College. It became part of the MERL collection in December 1980 after being purchased for £250. Displayed alongside the tractor is a Ferguson TE-20
Key exhibits
The following is a list of all the tractors and some (but by no means all) of the farm implements on display at MERL. THRESHING DRUM Edward Humphries C.1 type, serial no.11473, circa 1900 PLOUGH Ransomes RYLT threefurrow riding type, circa 1910-1917 TRACTOR IH Titan 10/20, serial number TV26806, 1918 BINDER Albion No.5, made by Harrison McGregor & Co Ltd, circa 1930s TRACTOR Fordson model N/ Standard, water washer, circa 1930s PLOUGH Lister-Cockshutt No. 6, 1936 TRACTOR Ferguson TE-20 c/w Continental engine, serial no.21184, 1948 OFF-ROAD VEHICLE Land-Rover Series 1, 1949 HORTICULTURAL Barford Atom Motor Hoe with attachments, 1950 TRACTOR Ransomes MG6 crawler, serial no. 9642, 1954
model that was used by salesmen to demonstrate the benefits of the company’s famous three-pointlinkage.
MERL’s remaining tractors and the largest of its implements are contained in the airy ‘Forces for Change’ gallery, a double-height space overlooked on two sides by a mezzanine walkway. The Fordson tractor’s contribution to British agriculture has not been forgotten. This stalwart of the farming scene is represented in the collection by a Dagenham-built model N water washer with the registration number of 235 VJO. This tractor has lost its serial number but it is possible it may be 794367 dating from 1936. It was acquired by a Mr J. Long from a collector in Farnham in 1975, and then restored to working order. MERL purchased it from Mr Long in 1980 for £550, with half of its purchase price being covered by a grant from the Science Museum.
The early history of the museum’s Fordson appears to be unknown, but a supplier’s plate from Curtis & Horn Ltd of Oxford and Aylesbury, an agricultural engineer and merchant, is attached to one of the rear mudguards, suggesting it worked around the Home Counties. The tractor complements the story of Betty Merrett who, as a member of the Women’s Land Army during the Second World War, operated Fordson tractors on a number of Sussex farms.
Next to the Fordson, and representing the market gardening sector, is a 1954 Ransomes MG6 crawler. This little tracklayer, serial number 9642, was supplied new to Townlands Hospital at Henley-onThames, Oxfordshire, where it worked on the hospital’s four-acre market garden. When the garden was grassed over in 1975, the Ransomes crawler, which had been painted green at some point in its working life, wasn’t needed and was acquired by MERL in September 1981 from the Berkshire Area Health Authority. The largest object in the museum is a rare Humphries C.1 threshing machine, serial number 11473. This 4ft 6in-wide drum was despatched from Edward Humphries’ works at Pershore in Worcestershire on 6 September LEFT: This 1949 Land-Rover Series 1 is a 1900. This particular machine shares recent addition to the MERL collection. It its specification with an earlier model was originally used by a West Country from the late 1800s and it is believed farmer to collect biscuit waste for his that it was either kept in storage at cattle from Avonmouth Docks. Humphries for a long period of time following a cancelled order, or BELOW LEFT: MERL’s 1948 Ferguson perhaps built to a specific design for TE-20, serial number 21184, with a petrol its first owner, Mr S. Taylor of Sinton Continental engine was restored by Green, Worcester. The drum was later Arthur Williams and students at used at Dunnington Heath Farm of Rycotewood College. It is displayed with Alcester, Worcester, before being a rare Ferguson salesman’s acquired by MERL. demonstration model. As part of MERL’s recent £3.3mn redevelopment, the main gallery area
“The quality of the has gained a double-height extension which, among with other exhibits, now houses a huge textile wall exhibits at MERL hanging called ‘Fruit and hops: Kent’. This massive textile, along with nine has always been others, was shown in the Agricultural & Country Pavilion at exceptional” the 1951 Festival of Britain. An Albion No.5 binder,
How to find it The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) is located at the University of Reading on Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX. Admission is free but donations are gratefully received. For more information visit www.merl.reading.ac.uk or call 0118 378 8660.
The main exhibition hall contains various implements and a range of barn equipment, plus a 1930s Fordson Model N and a 1954 Ransomes MG6. ABOVE LEFT: The early history of this 1930s Fordson Model N water washer is unknown, although it did pass through Curtis & Horn Ltd of Oxford and Aylesbury. It complements a display documenting Betty Merrett’s experiences of working in the Women’s Land Army.
ABOVE: The view looking down from MERL’s new mezzanine walkway into the ‘Forces for Change’ gallery that houses, among many other exhibits, an early Humphries C.1 threshing drum.
LEFT INSET: This 1930s Albion No.5 binder was made by Harrison McGregor & Co Ltd of Leigh, Lancs. It was originally horse drawn, but later received a drawbar conversion for tractor work.
manufactured in the 1930s by Harrison McGregor & Co Ltd of Leigh, Lancashire, is also displayed in the new extension. This particular binder was originally horse drawn but was converted for tractor use later in its working life. It was restored by Don Tidbury after he acquired it from a farm sale in the early 1970s. It was rallied only once before joining the MERL collection in 1980.
Twenty-two of the museum’s 25 horse-drawn carts are displayed in a long row – the impressive Wagon Walk. A map painted on the floor identifies the county of origin of each wagon. The three remaining wagons are displayed in other areas around the museum.
A similarly impressive line-up of animal-drawn ploughs through the ages, possibly one of the finest in the country, is located in a new secondfloor storage area, along with marvellous collections of hand tools, textiles and many other smaller farming and rural artefacts.
Anotable feature following the redevelopment of the museum is the focus on capturing the imagination and attention of younger visitors. Throughout the museum there are a whole host of vintage farm toys, models, books and literature.
Most noteworthy is a very detailed toy farm set dating from 1926, complete with farm animals, buildings, tools and fencing. A few of the items in the set, or diorama as it would now be called, were made by Britains, but the majority of pieces were made or repainted by a Mrs Bruce from Aberdeen.
In summary, a visit to the ‘improved’ MERL is definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in early farming history. The quality of the exhibits has always been exceptional, but the way they are now displayed is a huge improvement. Even if you have been to the museum before, you won’t recognise its interior following its recent £3.3mn makeover.
Many of the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show’s premier restorations and nominated exhibits are housed in the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall.
WELL UP TO EXPECTATIONS
The Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show lived up to its normal high expectations, this year celebrating all things Nuffield and John Deere. Held at the Newark Showground over the weekend of 10-11 November, there was also a wartime theme as the Sunday coincided with the centenary of the end of the First World War. Jim Gerrard, Rory Day, David Laley and Ken Topham were there for Heritage Tractor
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tandards were once again very high at the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show, which featured a great variety of top class restorations and original ex-farm workhorses. Nuffield tractors undoubtedly stole the show in their own marquee, but there were several other very notable displays.
Showcased inside the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall were some of the finest restorations alongside some recently unearthed original gems and some super rare veterans. The club stands didn’t disappoint as the Friends of Ferguson Heritage, Blue Force and several of the regional NVTEC groups laid on some excellent displays.
NUFFIELD
Seventy years of Nuffield was one of the show’s main themes and well over 40 tractors were on display in
one of the showground’s marquees, along with the Nuffi eld & Leyland Tractor Club stand. Many visitors were drawn to Pam and Graham Towndrow’s recently acquired and very much as-found 1948 Nuffi eld Universal M4. This tractor, serial number 502, was only the second Nuffi eld to leave the Birmingham production line, making it a highly signifi cant and historic machine. It previously spent many decades standing outside on a farm at Dulverton in west Somerset, so a full restoration is now required.
Also turning a lot of heads was David Yates’s 1966 Nuffi eld 10/60 fi tted with a weather cab and rear cage wheels. The tractor was bought new from Nuffi eld distributer and agricultural engineers T. Shipside Ltd of Newark, and then spent the rest of its life with Dennis Riman of Netherfi eld Farm, Epperstone. It worked seasonally between the farm’s dairy and arable enterprises before David purchased it at the farm’s auction in March 1995.
Continuing the original Nuffi eld theme, another fi rst appearance at Newark was Mark Maybee’s very straight 1956 Nuffi eld DM4 in its original paintwork. It was supplied new to the Gass family of Highbridge, Somerset, who worked the tractor until it was traded in at agricultural dealer Boulters of Bramwell in 1990 for a newer machine. The tractor still resides in nearby Bristol, being a Somerset machine through and through.
Rarities included Steve Scowne’s 1948 three-wheel Nuffi eld M3 and David Morgan’s restored 1966 prototype of the Nuffi eld 3/45, the latter believed to be unique.
JOHN DEERE
The show’s second special feature was meant to celebrate the fi rst 50 years of John Deere tractors, but it actually turned into a celebration of the fi rst 100 years. On the vintage side, Paul and Eileen Ducksbury presented a number of early John Deere models from their collection, including a 1944 row-crop model BN that was imported from
ABOVE: The 2018 Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show’s tribute to 70 years of Nuffield attracted over 40 tractors, including a sprinkling of Leylands and Marshalls.
LEFT: Running at intervals during the weekend was an ex-Beeby Brothers’ 1951 Ransomes AM54 threshing drum and a late 1940s Jones baler, both powered by a Nuffield Universal and run by members of the Vale of Belvoir Machinery Group.
ABOVE: David Yates’s Nuffield 10/60, left, complete with a Lambourn weather cab and rear cage wheels, was originally supplied new by dealer T. Shipside Ltd of Newark to Dennis Riman of Netherfield Farm, Epperstone. ABOVE: The highlight of the Nottinghamshire NVTEC club stand was this 1947 Fordson E27N and Catchpole C. E. C. bale elevator. The rare combination, which was found rotting away in the Cotswolds, has been fully rebuilt by J. A. Crowder Restorations.
Vintage class winners
AWARD EXHIBIT OWNER
Best Grey Ferguson Christopher J. 1955 Ferguson TE-F20 Turner Best Grey Ferguson Ferguson Mk1 Implement tipping trailer Colin Taylor Best Ferguson 1948 Ferguson TE-20 TE-20 Continental Continental Colin Taylor Best Ford & Fordson Fordson E27N Laura Harbour Best European 1960 Fahr D133N Malcolm Johnson Best Marshall Marshall 12-20 Andrew Hearn Best Lanz Exhibit 1956 Hela Lanz Paul Price Best Steel Wheel 1944 Fordson N Mark and or Tracked Roadless Sam Ducksbury Best NVTEC National Member’s Vintage Tractor Fordson E27N Laura Harbour Best Notts NVTEC Member’s Tractor 1949 Fordson E27N Philip Gibson Best Feature Marquee Nuffield M4 and Exhibit Bamfords mower Don Gibson Best John Deere Gordon Carson 1949 John Deere D & Bryan Beba
Best Nuffield Tractor from Nuffield & Leyland Display Nuffield 10/60 David Yates
Best Featured Horticultural 1950 Ransomes Exhibit (Ransomes) motor mower Matthew Johnson Best Tractor Pre-1930 1919 Cletrac H crawler Oliver West Oldest Vintage Tractor 1917 Samson Gordon Carson Sieve Grip & Bryan Beba Best Unrestored 1956 Bolinder Arthur Vintage Tractor Munktell 425 Wilkinson Best Tractor 1948 Ferguson TE-20 & Implement Continental and Mk1 Combination tipping trailer Colin Taylor Best Nominated Exhibit 1927 Fordson F Nick Bryne Best Collection Ferguson & of Tractors Massey Ferguson John McGann Best Collection Crawlers and other of Exhibits outdoor exhibits Adam Fox Concours D’Elegance 1957 Ferguson FE-35 John McGann
ABOVE: The John Deere theme, promoted as the first 50 years of tractors, but ultimately bolstered by many later classics, attracted 30 tractors and could have been better given that it coincided with the centenary of Deere’s entry into the tractor business.
Canada and a 1949 model AN, serial number 593121.
A John Deere with rather more English provenance was David Leech’s mighty 5010, one of a small handful sold in the UK by the then distributor Lundell. This tractor was the fi rst one in the country and it was displayed at the 1962 Smithfi eld Show in London. Aft er its moment in the spotlight, the tractor went to work in Norfolk, spending the next 20 years there before fi nding its way to contractor David Leech in Lincolnshire in 1982. It was used with a Hesston 4800 big baler for a number of years but has been in retirement for over 25 years.
What was notable in the marquee was the absence of a club to represent John Deere enthusiasts. All the other major brands now have their own club or clubs.
LEFT: Ashley Boyle’s 1919 International Harvester 15-30, serial number EC1853, was one of the star attractions on the stand of the Nottinghamshire branch of the NVTEC.
BELOW: Blue Force celebrated 60 years of the Fordson Power Major with a display that included a standard model on a plinth along with Matbro, Whitlock, Doe and County conversions.
ABOVE: The scene inside the Friends of Ferguson Heritage’s packed marquee. It was easily the club’s biggest and best display yet at the Newark event.
BELOW: Lee Gilbert’s 1924 Rumley Oil-Pull H 16-30, which was discovered in Ireland earlier this year after 20 years in storage, towered over Michael Hart’s 1923 IH McCormick Deering 10-20.
LEFT: Colin Taylor’s 1947 Ferguson TE-20 was judged to be the best Continentalengined model in the show and his Ferguson Mk1 tipping trailer won the ‘Best Ferguson Implement’ award.
Made in Lincolnshire
Highlights on the Carrington Rally stand included a 1921 British Wallis and matching 1921 Ruston & Hornsby two-furrow plough owned by Robert Crawford. This Grantham-built tractor was brought back to the UK from Australia in around 2000. The total number of these tractors in the UK is now five, but a few years ago there was only one Lincoln-built British Wallis in Britain.
The special tractor and plough combination complemented Carrington Rally’s extensive ‘Made or supplied in Lincolnshire’ display, which was promoting the theme of its 2019 event. This included a number of makers’ plates, cast seats and other memorabilia all produced by Lincolnshire firms such as Hornsby, Blackstone, Clayton & Shuttleworth, Edlington and Cooke. Another centrepiece was a restored horse plough made by Hodgson of Louth.
The 2019 Carrington Rally takes place over the Sunday and Monday of the May bank holiday.
FERGUSON/MF
The vast range of exhibits in the Friends of Ferguson Heritage marquee did not disappoint. The point of conversation for many was Colin Taylor’s Ferguson TE-20 petrol Continental, serial number 27976, and Ferguson Mk1 tipping trailer. The tractor is still on its 71-year-old tyres and was only ever used with a transport box on a Lanarkshire sheep farm until purchased by Colin a few years ago. The trailer was found in France, and apart from a few fresh boards of wood, it is otherwise 100% complete and untouched. Both the tractor and trailer won numerous awards at Newark.
Standing tall above the rest was a Massey Ferguson 65 aboard a 1962 Morris FF fl atbed lorry. David Golding of Tolleshunts Farm, near Maldon, Essex, purchased the lorry new and used it mainly for corn carting, straw and hay haulage and other local milling operations. It is still owned by the Golding family and remains untouched. The MF 65 on the back, owned and restored by Neil Cooper, spent all its life in Essex, working at Blossomwood Farm, near Elmstead Market.
At the head of the Ferguson Club stand was a 1960 Massey Ferguson 65 Mk1 that was recently unearthed at Bodmin in Cornwall by Ashley Ablett. Other than some attention to the brakes and rear end seals, the tractor remains just as it was on the farm.
David Harris’ 1954 Ferguson beet topper, serial number 66, also took pride of place on the stand. This rare implement has been subject to a nut-and-
ABOVE AND LEFT: On the Carrington Rally stand, Robert Crawford’s 1921 Ruston & Hornsby British Wallis and matching 1921 Ruston & Hornsby plough were being used to promote the ‘Made in Lincolnshire’ theme at the 2019 event.
ABOVE: Peter Nutley’s Women’s Land Army display in the Blue Force marquee was one of the highlights of the show. A 1922 Fordson F and Lee Cox’s 1943 Fordson N were surrounded by Peter’s tools, photographs, literature and other artefacts telling the story of a number of Land Girls. ABOVE: One of the stars of the FoFH marquee was David Golding’s 1962 Morris FF flatbed lorry and Neil Cooper’s Massey Ferguson 65, the aim being to recreate a combination that would have been typical of that used by dealer Eastern Tractors Ltd.
bolt restoration and it is thought to be one of five or six examples still in existence.
FORDSON
Blue Force was celebrating 60 years of the Fordson Power Major in its marquee, where as was well as a number of standard examples there were some rare conversions. A point-of-sale display was authentically recreated using a well-presented 1959 Power Major and some signage. On one side of the Power Major was James Wood’s 1960 Whitlock Dinkum digger, built around a Super Major, and on the other side was the Fenton family’s 1958 Doe Dual Power.
Equally eye-catching was Peter Nutley’s Women’s Land Army display featuring a 1922 Fordson model F and Lee Cox’s 1943 Fordson model N, the latter believed to have a military history. Peter’s amazing collection of hand tools, booklets, artefacts and numerous archive photographs was a joy to behold, especially his pictures documenting the lives of Land Girls such as Marjorie Pittaway of Lincolnshire, Gwen Howland of Buckinghamshire and Joan Locke of Sussex.
Another tractor taking centre stage was Ian Goblin’s 1918 Fordson model F. This tractor’s history board summed it up with the statement: ‘The Model F did for tractors what the Model T did for automobiles’.
The outdoor Ford & Fordson Association stand followed a similar theme as it too showcased a number of model Fs. New to the FFA’s stand this year was Mike Stevenson’s 1924 model F, which had very little of its original paintwork remaining due to having previously worked on the Canadian prairies. However, it is all the better for being left in its original time warp condition.
The fitting winner of the Best Nominated Exhibit award was Nick Bryne’s 1927 Fordson Model F,
ABOVE: Andrew Blagg’s 1958 Claeys M80 combine, restored during 2018, was one of the larger exhibits in the George Stephenson Hall. The very early Roadless Ploughmaster 6/4 beside it, owned by Malcolm Cooke, was fresh out of Ben Craig’s paint shop.
Horticultural
The marquee leading into the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall contained a display of Ransomes crawlers, lawnmowers and implements. Exhibits included David Buttriss’s 1944 MG5 fitted with a manual blade on the front of the crawler, Gebrett Reynolds’ 1957 MG6 crawler with a rotavator attachment and a hand-drawn Ransomes Flea Beetle Duster designed to apply insecticide to brassica crops.
A fine display of other horticultural tractors and displays could be found in the Crocker Halls, with one of the highlights being Robin Day’s 1946 three-wheel Garrett BMB Plowmate. This machine is thought to be one of only a handful built by G. J. Garrett & Sons of Dartford, Kent. Another interesting exhibit was Bill Thornburn’s 1940 Bristol 10 crawler and 1940 Robot Transplanter, which worked together on a north Kent farm in the 1940s and 50s.
ABOVE: Ransomes was the main horticultural theme at Newark, and it attracted a good selection of MG crawlers, lawnmowers and implements.
Auction results
Brown & Co’s collective sale on the Saturday attracted a large number of lots. Among the tractors, a very original IH BTD-6 crawler achieved a stellar £2900 and a complete Nuffield Universal M4 went for £2000. A 1950 John Deere model A, which looked to be in its original clothes, was a good buy at £800, as was a rare Bean tool frame for restoration at just £150. A Newarkproduced Nicholson single-row hay turner for restoration, but complete, made £60.
ABOVE: This IH BTD-6 crawler in its original working clothes sold for £2900 in Brown & Co’s vintage collective sale.
RIGHT: For those who like tractors in their working clothes, Ferguson Club member Ashley Ablett was exhibiting an as-found 1960 MF 65 that he recently acquired from Bodmin in Cornwall.
which aft er being imported from the USA in 2008 underwent a thorough restoration to concours standard.
VETERANS
Visitors to the East Anglian group of the NVTEC’s stand were treated to some veteran gems in the shape of Gordon Carson and Bryan Beba’s 1917 Samson 6-12 Sieve Grip and Oliver West’s 1919 Cletrac H crawler. The Samson is believed to be the only one of six Sieve Grips imported from California in 1917, while the Cletrac worked in the Herefordshire area aft er being imported by H. G. Burford in 1919. The group was also promoting its Stradsett Park rally on 5-6 May 2019.
One of the stars on the nearby NVTEC Nottinghamshire group stand was Ashley Boyles’ mighty 1919 International Harvester 15-30.
The Allis-Chalmers Owners Club had a presence and one of the highlights of its stand was Brian Spencer’s 1938 A-C M crawler with a Gardener 5LW fi ve-cylinder engine. This tractor, a genuine UK import that worked in Suff olk, has received a fi rst-class restoration, including new electrics, side panels and sump guards. The crawler is believed to be the only Gardner-converted example
ABOVE: Robin Day’s 1946 Garrett BMB Plowmate was built by G. J. Garrett & Sons of Dartford, Kent. Only a small number, believed to be six, were produced.
still in existence and Brian now intends to use it extensively at ploughing matches. At 11am on 11 November the showground fell silent. Hung on the walls of the George Stephenson Hall were boards commemorating the role of the various agricultural manufacturers and their machines during the First World War. Located nearby was a German WW1 ‘Gulaschkanone’ fi eld cooker, which was built in Austria and captured by British forces in 1916 who continued to use it for the remainder of the war.
Brian Spencer’s newly-restored 1938 Allis-Chalmers M crawler with a Gardner 5LW five-cylinder diesel engine created a lot of interest on the Allis-Chalmers Owners Club stand.
Preservation ORIGINAL NUFFIELDS
“The orange Nuffield and GETTING blue Leyland tractor ranges became the focus of my working life” REACQUAINTED The Nuffield 342 and 460 owned by Brian Prime are some of the most genuine and original examples in the country. Who better to comment on the features of these outstanding machines than Tony Thomas, whose career in Nuffield’s sales department began in 1962, when the 342 and 460 were still in production
Pictures by Howard Grigg
Brian Prime’s untouched Nuffield 342 and 460 tractors in a timeless hay meadow setting on his farm near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire.
ABOVE: Many years after their first encounters with Nuffield, Tony Thomas, seated, and retired civil engineer Brian Prime remain fond of the marque they both consider to be the Rolls-Royce of its time. RIGHT: The neat and compact lines of the 342. The steering wheel was slightly off-set to the driver’s right, a feature of all Nuffields up to and including the 10/42 and 10/60.
The scene was set and the location could not have been better. It was a gloriously warm and sunny April spring day, with hardly a cloud in the blue sky, and I was standing in a pasture field on one of the tidiest small Staffordshire farms you could ever hope to find.
The field hadn’t been ploughed for over 100 years and was lush with green grass and dotted with dandelions, all growing towards maturity for a heavy crop of top quality June hay.
Then there was the owner himself, Brian Prime, and in his yard at Doveridge, near Uttoxeter, were two very special tractors, a Nuffield 342, serial number 50,318, and a Nuffield 460, serial number 40,007. These were not your highly restored machines, glistening like new, but two completely original and untouched machines, perfectly in keeping with their surroundings.
So what was I doing there, in this virtual utopia, well into retirement and many years after my working association with these fine British tractors had come to an end? Well, I was reacquainting myself with two highly original Nuffields of the type that were in production when I started my career with the company in 1962.
At virtually the same time as these tractors were being made, I was embarking on a major change of direction. I had been working on a farm for seven years and had concluded that the ladder I was trying to climb into farming was just too long and too steep. So I decided it was time for a change.
On 1 January 1962 (the first day of the year was not a bank holiday in those days) I took myself down to Cowley, near Oxford, and into the Home Sales Office of Nuffield Tractors. For the next 20 years, through what remained of the time of the British Motor Corporation and into the era of British Leyland, the orange Nuffield and blue Leyland tractor ranges became the focus of my working life.
I first visited the 300-acre Bathgate factory site before the end of 1962 when the building contractors were still at work and the incomplete plant was very much in its infancy.
At that time the transfer of tractor production from the Tractors & Transmissions branch at Ward End, Birmingham, was far from complete. In fact, for an initial period, 460 production remained at Ward End and only moved north when it was considered that the new workforce at Bathgate was sufficiently well trained and conversant with the technicalities of production methods on a moving conveyor line laid down to assemble as many as 750 tractors per week.
Towards the end of 1962, following the end of a longish probation period with the company, I was appointed as area sales manager for the north of England and Scotland and so had the opportunity to visit the Bathgate factory on a regular basis. Who knows, these two old Staffordshire-based tractors may even have been on the production line during one of my visits? In any event, it was just a pleasure to spend time with them on Brian’s farm.
The 460 was first registered on 6 May 1964, having been purchased new by local contractor Hedley Allsop of Hatton. Brian, who clearly remembers seeing the tractor at work in the locality when he was in his teens, managed to buy it in May 1997. It is currently showing 5140 hours on the clock or ‘tractometer’ as it used to be known in my day.
Brian’s Nuffield 460, serial number 40,007, was first registered in May 1964, two years after Tony Thomas, seated, joined the company.
The 460 model designation, by the way, indicates that the tractor has a four-cylinder 3.77-litre engine rated at 60bhp.
The 342 was registered on 11 June 1963 by its first owner, a Mr Buckley of Stanton, who had a small dairy farm. Brian purchased it at Mr Buckley’s farm dispersal sale in 1984 for £700, having previously made a pre-sale offer of £1500, which wasn’t accepted! The 342 has a threecylinder 2.55-litre version of the larger power unit, which is rated at 42bhp.
In both cases maximum rated power was achieved at 2000rpm. Both engines are of a long-stroke configuration with a bore of 100mm and a stroke measuring 125mm. They were both regarded as being right at the top of competitive comparisons when it came to hightorque, low-speed lugging capabilities and miserly fuel consumption.
The 460’s power curve indicates that the maximum torque of 170lb.ft. was achieved right down the speed range at marginally over 1200rpm. Brian’s 460 is still used on a regular basis and he says that he continues to be surprised at how little diesel and oil it uses.
From the clutch rearwards the two tractors have a very similar technical specification: they use the same five-speed forward plus one reverse transmission, together with the same rear axle, brakes and hydraulic unit. The 342 is 12.7cm (5in) shorter in wheelbase and 279kg (615lb) lighter in all-up weight than its larger counterpart. The 460 was among the most powerful tractors available to British farmers of the early 1960s and this, together with a 20mph top road gear, made it particularly popular with contractors.
The example at Doveridge is still on its original factory-fitted oversize tyres – 14 x 30 at the back and 7.50 x 16 at the front, manufactured by Dunlop. Standard equipment would have been 11 x 36 plus 6.00 x 16, this being long before radial tyres began to be used. Every single Nuffield built prior to the early 1970s would have been equipped with tyres made in Birmingham by Dunlop.
Contractors have a reputation for working their equipment hard and
Both of these Nuffields have virtually identical hydraulics. The linkage had adjustable length lift rods with a choice of four pin positions, telescopic and lockable stabilisers and a mechanical lift lock to hold implements in the fully raised position.
ABOVE LEFT: Three- and four-cylinder BMC power units were both fitted with Simms Minimech in-line injection pumps. The three-cylinder engine in the Nuffield 342, pictured, delivered 42bhp. LEFT: The belt pulley on Brian’s 460 was used by previous owner, contractor Hedley Allsop, to power a Marshall threshing drum. At maximum engine speed of 2000erpm the pulley delivers 56bhp.
Brian recalls that his 460 spent many hours ploughing and cultivating in the area with its contractor owner, and he still has the set of cage wheels that came with it at the time of purchase. His tractor is also fitted with a left-hand, side-mounted belt pulley, which was used by Hedley Allsop to drive the Marshall threshing drum he operated as part of the service he offered to farmers in the area.
Tractors of the early 1960s came with very few of the refinements that operators now expect to be part of the standard specification. Power steering was a rarity and cabs were virtually unknown, and neither the 342 or 460 has either of these.
However, from the late 1950s, Nuffield was one of the few, if not the first in the world, to introduce a fully independent PTO, operated via a hand clutch lever mounted close to the left-hand side of the transmission housing. At first this major breakthrough in PTO operation was offered as an optional extra and while Brian’s 460 is fitted with this item and is, therefore, classed as a De-Luxe model, his 342 has only a single clutch and, as a consequence, it has a nonindependent/non-live PTO. H ow times and tractor specs have changed! As a point of interest, the chassis number prefix of Brian’s 342 reads 42B, the ‘B’ indicating a standard specification, i.e. without independent PTO. The 460’s number, on the other hand, reads 60N, the ‘N’ signifying that the tractor was built to the double clutch specification.
On a general basis it is worth mentioning that the 342 and 460 marked a departure from a form of model designation that commenced in 1948 when the first Nuffield was introduced. All previous tractors, be they three or four cylinders, were known as ‘Universal’.
This indicated that the design was sufficiently versatile to be used anywhere in the world and that the tractors were capable of operating with implements and equipment from a wide variety of manufacturers. This latter fact was considered important since Nuffield never had any real intention of designing and manufacturing its own in-house range of implements, unlike Harry Ferguson.
By the late 1950s and certainly by the time the 342 and 460 was
Swapping balls
One small item of interest on the Nuffield 342 at Doveridge concerns the hydraulic lift arms. In the 1960s most 40hp tractors had only category 1 linkages, simply because their pulling abilities together with limitations of hydraulic lift capacity dictated that they could only perform satisfactorily with category 1 implements.
However, due to its combination of engine performance, tractive capability and hydraulic lift capacity, the 342 was able to operate with both category 1 and 2 implements and the three-point linkage on Brian’s tractor is fitted with a simple means of interchanging the balls in the link arm ends. To Brian’s credit the category 1 balls are still to be found in the toolbox of his Nuffield 342.
ABOVE: Link ends of the Nuffield 342 provide a simple means of changing between category 1 and 2 balls. Brian has retained both sets of link arm balls.
introduced, the Nuffield marque was firmly established, not only in the UK but also in all major markets around the world. Its reputation for high levels of reliability, durability and performance was well established.
The 342 and 460 models also marked the introduction of Nuffield’s first draft control system. All previous models were fitted with simple lift-and-drop hydraulic circuitry that would have required the use of a depth control wheel on most
RIGHT: The standard specification of the Nuffield 342 didn’t include a water temperature gauge, hence the left-hand blanking plate. The five-speed gearbox was controlled by a single lever.
Launched in late 1961, the 42hp Nuffield 342 and 60hp Nuffield 460 marked the introduction of the company’s first draft control system. These very original examples belong to retired civil engineer, Brian Prime, of Uttoxeter, Staffs.
soil-engaging implements. Other UK-based manufacturers had, by this time, followed the lead set by Harry Ferguson and introduced systems that didn’t contravene the various patents protecting the Ferguson design.
It took a while longer for Bill Whatton, design manager at the time, and his team of engineers at Ward End in Birmingham to finalise the Nuffield system and the two models of the type now working out their partial retirement at Doveridge were the first to benefit from this. S o what about cost all those years ago? A November 1961 retail price list published by Nuffield gave the price of a 460 De Luxe (i.e. complete with independent PTO) as £807, while a 342 to a single clutch specification, the same as Brian’s, would have cost £695. Both list prices would have been subject to some discount.
What, I wonder, is the value today of these two highly cherished Nuffields, both of which are getting close to 50 years old? I suspect no amount of money would persuade Brian Prime to part with them, and why should he?
Having spent a very pleasant day with Brian and his Nuffields, it seems these tractors have become firm favourites and fixtures on his farm. Above all else, he appreciates all that once represented the best of British engineering and manufacturing. After all, the Nuffield was considered by many to be the Rolls-Royce of tractors in its time, but then, after all those years with the company, I suppose I would say that!
PTO benefits
An excerpt from the Nuffield 342 and 460 driver’s handbook on the subject of the independent PTO makes interesting reading, as follows: ‘With this new independent power, the performance of such implements as a combine, baler, mower, potato digger, hedge cutter etc., is vastly improved, and in most cases the need for engine-driven implements is eliminated.
‘Quick clearance of tufted or bunched crops and difficult field operations may be accomplished with full implement power simply by depressing the tractor clutch pedal. When forward movement of the tractor is reduced or halted, the implement will continue running without pause. When the clutch pedal is released the tractor moves forward again. The tractor may be stopped, started or shifted into any gear without interruption of the power take-off operation.’
David Throup using his 1965 David Brown 880 Implematic, which has been in his family from new, to turn hay above the hills of Silsden in West Yorkshire.
STAYING IN THE FAMILY
Purchased new by its current owner’s grandfather in 1965, this West Yorkshirebased David Brown 880 Implematic is still leading an active life and was busy turning hay when Ken Topham caught up with it earlier this summer this summer
D
avid Throup and his father Frank farm 250 acres in the hills of West Yorkshire, rearing 30 head of Hereford/Limousin beef cattle, as well as 1000 sheep and lambs. While Frank is very much a farmer, David’s interests keep him in the farm workshop.
As a school leaver David knew he wanted to work on tractors and machinery. He worked part-time and then full-time for a local farm machinery dealership until it fell victim to a dip in agricultural fortunes and closed its doors in 1998.
David had gained some valuable experience of working on mainly Massey Ferguson and David Brown tractors, so he put it to good use doing small repairs for local farmers on his own account, scaling things up as he became more experienced. He is a dedicated DB man and over recent years he has become well known in the David Brown world, particularly through his involvement with the David Brown Tractor Club. He carries out a lot of repairs to local DB tractors, along with other brands from the classic era, while at the same time helping his father on the farm.
When people talk about the prices of modern tractors, they usually compare them to a house, and that’s what David’s grandfather Kenneth said when he wrote a cheque for £760 to pay for a new David Brown 880 Implematic in 1965. Back then that cheque would have bought a modest house in the nearby town of Silsden.
SERVICE RECORD 53 YEARS
tractors, they usually compare them to a house, and that’s what David’s grandfather Kenneth said when he wrote a cheque for RECORD 53 YEARS £760 to pay for a new David Brown 880 Implematic in 1965. Back then that cheque would have bought a modest house in the nearby town of Silsden.
LEFT: This 1965 DB 880 has the AD3/40 three-cylinder engine; earlier models, built between September 1961 and September 1964, used a four-cylinder unit. LEFT: After an estimated 20,000 hours, the dimples on the pedals have almost worn smooth. Apart from the addition of a foot throttle and new seat cushions, everything else is original.
RIGHT: Following a decision to make hay this year instead of silage, David Throup’s 1965 David
Brown 880 Implematic found itself partnered with a PZ Haybob.
Kenneth’s farm was expanding and increasing the head count of stock meant every other element of the farm also had to grow, and one tractor was no longer su cient. Back in the days before the farm made silage, the summer months were spent gathering as much hay as possible, which in itself was a manual task, although at least labor was more plentiful in those days.
Fast forward and normally David, his wife Jess and father Frank, along with other helpers, make silage, an operation which involves a variety of tractors, most of which are David Browns.
This year the family’s DB 880 Implematic, serial number 526989, returned to front-line hay-making duties a er David, grandson of the original owner, decided to take advantage of the hot and settled summer weather to make hay instead of silage. So
the 880 rolled back the years and went out turning hay with a PZ Haybob.
Although now back at its original farm, this David Brown has moved around during its time with the Throup family. David’s father Frank was one of nine siblings, most of them dairy and livestock farmers, and if there’s one machine stockmen always need it’s a good scraper tractor. This little 880 did its fair share of yard work on a number of David’s uncle’s farms from the mid-1970s.
In 2010 David managed to re-acquire the DB and bring it home for good. The tractor had made return visits home before, notably when it received an engine rebuild in June 1988 (a new crank was tted as part of a full engine overhaul). The engine was rebuilt again in 2011, not long a er it entered David’s ownership. The original oil pump was checked and le in place as it had minimal wear.
There are 16,580 hours showing on the still functioning clock, but David reckons the true gure is in excess of 20,000. “The clocks only count full hours near PTO rpm, and this tractor has done a lot of work at a lower rpm,” he explains.
This David Brown is very original, apart from the engine components that have been replaced over the years. Even the brakes, which have bene ted from regular inspection and adjustment, are original.
The tinwork is very straight, apart from a ding in the nose cone. “My late uncle John got a bit ambitious with the Howard 150 rotor spreader on a greasy eld one day,” notes David. “He went to the top of a rather steep eld and then very quickly ended up at the bottom. It was before the days of trailer brakes and the spreader pushed the tractor down into a stone wall. Thankfully it had slowed down a bit before hitting the wall so we were able to knock the worst of it out, and there was hardly any other damage.”
Although the Throups are by no means short of tractors, their 880 is still out all year round in all weathers. It o en works with a Marshall rotor spreader, feeds the sheep in the winter and, in the event of the electricity failing, it also operates a 70KVA generator. In fact this 880 probably clocks more hours than many of the farm’s larger cabbed models.
Over the years, David reckons he’s had over 100 tractors pass through his hands, but it’s safe to say this 880 will be going nowhere. It clearly has a great sentimental value, but equally, he says, it remains a very ne working tractor.
Working Wonders
If you own or use a vintage tractor or machine that’s over 50 years old and is still working commercially, we would like to hear from you. Our ‘Working Wonders’ section is dedicated to these grand old machines that just keep going. Send us a few details and a good picture or two and we will do the rest. Let’s give those golden oldies some praise!
CAPABLE OF WORK
1953
There’s just no stopping some golden oldies. Here is a selection of the vintage tractors, all over 50 years old, that are still working for a living
This David Brown Cropmaster Diesel has spent its entire life at Goldwell Farm, near Crewkerne, in Somerset. The serial number of PD17614 dates this DB to early 1953. A late example, it was one of 8499 Cropmaster Diesels made at Meltham between November 1949 and March 1953. It belongs to David Swaffield, but was purchased new by his grandfather’s uncle Archie Dennett. It was supplied by Gibbs of Crewkerne, complete with a DB two-furrow plough, which is also still on the farm. It was the main tractor for several years, before gradually taking a back seat role as more modern machines took over the mantle. It never stopped working entirely and in recent years it has been used for light jobs such as driving a saw bench. One of its more notable outings in 2018 was when it helped to compact the farm’s silage clamp.
1963
This Massey Ferguson 35X, serial number 334734, was delivered brand new by dealer Blashford Motors (Ringwood) Ltd to a boatyard near Christchurch in Dorset on 11 September 1963. Both the boatyard, which currently trades under the name of Bournemouth Boating Services, and the MF 35X are still going strong, the latter being used for hauling vessels in and out of the slipway of the River Stour. Unlike the tractors that went into farming, this loader-equipped MF 35X has done relatively few hours and remains in very good condition.
1963 1957
It has only been with its current owner since June, but this 1957 Fordson Major, which looks a tidy and straight example, is already proving its worth on Colin Agar’s farm near Leek in Staffordshire. Colin became the tractor’s sixth owner when he acquired it from a local farm auction at Ipstones. So far he has used it for muck spreading and apparently it was a great success. Colin also plans to use it for hay making next year and other farm jobs.
Robert Fearnley’s MF 35X was purchased new in 1963 from Barclay Motors of Bury St. Edmunds as a replacement for a Fordson Dexta on his family’s Suffolk farm. It originally had an MF loader, but this ended up on the farm’s MF 135. The 35X has been on the farm ever since and remains in very original condition. Due to its light weight, Robert says he prefers it to his MF 250 for harrowing. The tractor is used for a range of jobs including hay making, topping and sawing timber.
Working Wonders
If you own or use a vintage tractor or machine that’s over 50 years old and it is still working commercially, we would like to hear from you. Our ‘Working Wonders’ section is dedicated to those grand old machines that just keep going. Send us a few details and a good picture or two and we shall do the rest. Let’s give those golden oldies some praise! E-mail: editor@heritagetractormagazine.co.uk or write to: Heritage Tractor, Sundial Magazines, 17 Wickham Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 5JS.
Row-crop range
International Harvester shipped over 1500 Farmall F Series row-crop tractors to this country during the 1930s and a good number of these imports have survived into preservation. Harry Henderson provides an overview of the main models and their features
Early tractors tended to focus on providing power for the plough, broad-acre grain farming operations and power for belt-driven equipment. Navigating crops grown in rows was still the preserve of the horse and weed control in row crops was o en done by hand.
A er a couple of attempts at a
ABOVE: This 1935 Farmall F-12, right, was one of 627 sold in the UK, while the F-30 from the same year, left, was one of just 33 units to be imported between 1933 and 1939.
bi-directional motor cultivator, International Harvester launched the Farmall in 1924. It featured a tricycle wheel con guration that allowed two rows of crop to pass each side of the single front wheel and between the two rear wheels.
The high seating position provided the driver with good visibility of the crop, while implements could be underslung beneath the tractor just in front of the driver. It was a winning combination and a er a steady start, the Farmall Regular set the standard for row-crop farming across the world and for the next 30 years.
O ering the Farmall to British farmers was a natural progression. IH’s British subsidiary had built a solid reputation for supplying quality tractors during and a er the First World War and the Farmall
RIGHT: To reduce cost and maintain crop clearance, the Farmall F-12 and F-14 models came with taller wheels, which in time became the norm on all models.
concept continued that tradition. The Farmall Regular appeared at the 1930 World Tractor Trials and while the test results were favourable, just 89 tractors were sold prior to the introduction of the F Series range.
IHGB displayed six tractors at the 1933 Smith eld Show, held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. The smallest of these was the new Farmall F-12, which was praised by the press for its adjustable track widths and versatility.
The design of the Farmall, with its two chassis rails running from the front axle bolster to the rear axle, enabled mid-mounted implements to be tted. The engine was tted to the chassis rails and power was fed into the gearbox via a short guarded sha . A belt pulley and PTO were tted as standard equipment across the range.
The purpose of this guide is to look at the Farmall F Series tractors that made their way over to Britain.
FARMALL F-12
The F-12 was the lightest and most popular tractor in the Farmall F Series and it was about half the price of the F-20. To reduce cost, weight and retain rear axle clearance the F-12 didn’t use the ‘drop box’ arrangement at the axle ends, as used by the F-20 and F-30 models.
The brakes on the F-12 ran on bull pinion sha s from the forward mounted di erential. It used a conventional beam axle and much larger diameter rear wheels standing 54in or nearly 1.4m tall, as opposed to the two larger tractors at 40in or 1m. This also made adjusting the rear wheel track straightforward, enabling in nite adjustment between 44in and 78in (110-195cm).
A new transmission, featuring three forward speeds of 2¼, 3 and 4mph, proved very successful. From 1936 a hydraulic power-li became available, which also formed the basis of future Farmall tractors and was copied by Russian tractor builders in the 1940s and 50s.
The F-12 initially used a Waukesha engine before moving to an IH unit in 1933. These engines had full pressure lubrication and used replaceable shell bearings.
Also, improved gas ow within the cylinder head made for an easy-starting, lively and fuel-e cient engine.
In the UK, wide front axle tractors were far more popular and visually attractive. The wheel choice was extensive: 4in-wide steel wheels were the most popular, but pneumatic tyres were making
LEFT:The narrow waist of the Farmall F Series tractors (this is the F-30) provides excellent visibility of the crop passing beneath and through inter-row cultivator equipment.
BELOW: Wide front axles were far more popular than the V-twin or single-wheel set-up.
RIGHT: The Farmall F-30 engine used a part-filtration splash lubrication system that was beginning to show its age when this tractor was built in 1935.
LEFT: The 30hp Farmall F-30 was a substantial tractor, capable of all the work undertaken by more conventional IH tractors, such as the 15-30.
Farmall specifi cations
Model F-12 F-14 F-20 F-30 Engine 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in-line 4-cyl in-line petrol/paraffin petrol/paraffin petrol/paraffin petrol/paraffin Power 16hp 17.5hp 28hp 30hp Rated speed 1400rpm 1650rpm 1200rpm 1150rpm Bore & stroke 3in x 4in 3in x 4in 3.75in x 5in 4.25in x 5in (72.2mm x 101.6mm) (72.2mm x 101.6mm) (95mm x 127mm) (108mm x 127mm) Displacement 113cu.in 113cu.in 220.9cu.in 284cu.in (1853cc) (1853cc) (3600cc) (4649cc) Weight 2700lb (1225kg) 2800lb (1270kg) 2700lb (1225kg) 5300lb (2400kg)
Annual imports
Farmall Wheel Years Number model equipment imported imported F-12 Steel 1933 to 1939 627 Rubber 1934 to 1938 77 F-14 Steel 1938 to 1939 154 Rubber 1938 to 1939 62 F-20 Steel 1934 to 1939 518 Rubber 1935 to 1939 47 F-30 Steel 1932 to 1939 33
inroads, hence the availability of French & Hecht spoke wheels for the F-12.
FARMALL F-14
Replacing the F-12 in 1938 and ending in 1939, the F-14 o ered more power in the same size tractor, although di erences between the two were minimal. The driver got a higher seating position as the steering wheel was raised by 10cm (4in), contributing to the distinctive sloping steering rod running from the front of the tractor. The steering wheel itself was larger to provide lighter steering.
Internal changes amounted to raising the engine speed to 1650rpm, which required slight modi cations in the transmission to maintain forward speeds. Despite its short run, almost 32,000 F-14 models were produced, this impressive gure giving an indication of the scale of the company’s tractor manufacturing at the time.
FARMALL F-20
Introduced in 1932 as a direct replacement for the Farmall Regular, the F-20 had 15% more power and four forward speeds of 2¼, 2¾, 3¼ and 3¾mph, and for the rst time a wide front axle was an option. In 1935, rubber tyres became a factory option.
Brakes for the F-20 and F-30 took the form of an external expanding shoe and drum system, operating on the ends of the half-sha s on the drop box arrangement. The belt pulley could also run any
equipment on the rally eld and lining up the tractor so the belt stays on is a good test of skill!
The petrol/para n engine has IH’s own EA4 magneto and a Zenith K-5 carburettor. Well maintained, both will be very reliable and provide easy starting and smooth running. Both F-20 and F-30 tractors could come with either single or double mechanical power li systems for integrated implements, and these are highly prized by collectors today. For IH, the F-20 was the best seller in the USA, but in the UK it was the F-12 that was the most popular.
FARMALL F-30
The F-30 ful lled the need for a three-plough tractor. Basically a scaled-up F-20, it was perhaps a little big for the British farmer. Consequently, just 33 tractors were sold between 1933 and 1939.
A four-speed transmission provided speeds of 2, 2¾, 3¼ and 3¾mph. Like the F-20, the engine harked back to an earlier age in tractor development. The cranksha ran on ball bearings with no centre bearing and relied on splash lubrication, while the valve gear on the cylinder head relied on a diligent operator pouring a quarter of a pint of oil into a small cap on the rocker cover every day.
The magneto was an IH E4A until serial number FB7038, a er which it changed to an IH F4. Carburettors included a Schebler TDFX-8 up to serial FB1128, then a Zenith K5 therea er.
The F-30 is a rare tractor in the UK, very capable at vintage working events and a rewarding machine to own. It is an altogether heavier tractor, weighing at least 2400kg, so you will need a good trailer or lorry to move it around.
ABOVE: Note the hand-operated brake lever and the spring leading to the steering system. This set-up provided automated braking when turning in full lock.
Serial numbers
Farmall F-12
Year FS 501 to FS 525 1932 FS 526 to FS 4880 1933 FS 4881 to FS 17410 1934 FS 17411 to FS 48659 1935 FS 48660 to FS 81836 1936 FS 81837 to 117517 1937 FS 117518 to FS 123942 (end) 1938 Farmall F-14 FS 124000 to FS 139606 1938 FS 139607 to FS 155902 (end) 1939 Farmall F-20 FA 501 to 3000 1932 FA 3001 to 6381 1933 TA 135000 to 135661 1934 TA 6382 to 32715 1935 TA 32716 to 68748 1936 TA 68749 to 105596 1937 TA 105597 to 130864 1938 TA 130865 to TA 148810 (end) 1939 Farmall F-30 FB 501 to FB 1183 1931 FB 1184 to FB 4304 1932 FB 4305 to FB 5525 1933 FB 5526 to FB 7031 1934 FB 7302 to FB 10406 1935 FB 10407 to FB 18683 1936 FB 18684 to FB 26848 1937 FB 27186 to FB 28719 1938 FB 29007 to FB 30026 (end) 1939
BRAKES
All Farmall F Series tractors had cables running to the front bolster, connected to the steering gear. When the operator turned out of the row, the steering would be turned to full lock; a further turn would then apply tension to the cable, applying the corresponding brake and assisting the turn.
If maintained correctly, this system works very well and enables the inside rear wheel to turn on its axis. No pedals were available, just a hand brake lever, so each brake could only be applied through turning to full lock. From 1939 the F-20 was equipped with independent brake pedals, located
Timeline
1931 Farmall F-30 introduced, 30% larger than the Regular. 1932 Farmall F-12 introduced with Waukesha engine; first full production tractors appear in January. 1933 Farmall F-20 replaces the Regular. 1933 Farmall F-12 gets an IHC engine from serial number FS 3032. 1936 Hydraulic power-lift becomes an option for the F-12 from serial number FS 60824. 1936 Grey colour scheme gives way to bright red ‘Harvester No. 50 Motor Truck enamel’ from start of November. 1937 F-20 receives more power using a revised manifold and improved Zenith K-5 carburettor. 1938 Farmall F-14 introduced with more power and higher seating position. 1939 End of F-20 and F-30 production, although a few of both models are assembled from parts running into 1940. 1940 Last F-14 tractor produced on 27 January 1940.
ABOVE: The Farmall F-14 was equipped with a four-cylinder petrol/paraffin engine with a rating of 17.5hp. This model was only produced in 1938-1939.
ABOVE: The portal axle arrangement used on the F-20 and F-30, pictured, provided excellent crop clearance and was the clever feature at the heart of early Farmall tractors.
side by side on the right-hand side, just as you would expect to see them today.
WHEELS AND AXLES
Most Farmalls were originally tted with steel wheels. The F-20 and F-30 models could be speci ed with a variety of wheel equipment of di erent widths. The rear wheels were reversible for di erent wheel tracks and could also be speci ed with di erent steel wheel widths.
However, interest in rubber tyres was increasing. Some buyers speci ed their tractors with pneumatic tyres at the point of sale while enterprising local blacksmiths converted the steel wheels to rubber-tyred rims. Companies such as Dunlop o ered pneumatic conversions with split-rim cast centres available for at least the F-12 and F-14.
French & Hecht also o ered its distinctive spoke wheels that enhance a tractor’s looks, although beware spurious claims that ‘cut-o ’ steel-wheel conversions are French & Hecht: close inspection will reveal blacksmithing rather than genuine manufacturing. Some tractors may have pneumatic wheel equipment supplied by IHGB from its depot at Bootle, Liverpool, and these wheels will have split-rim cast centres.
SUMMARY
IH enjoyed considerable early success with its tractor line and more success would follow.
The Farmall F Series was another resounding success for the company, which had a knack of building capable tractors at the right price. At the time, the Farmalls competed for sales with tractors from the same stable, namely the 10-20, 15-30, 22-36 and W Series.
Today, for the collector, the Farmall F Series o ers something a little di erent, being light to transport and simple to work on. Parts are relatively easy to nd and the wide front-axle models remain popular with enthusiasts.
Road runs are not looking likely, but these tractors are at home at working events. Their engines start easily and have a willing exhaust note and then there’s that seating position with its commanding view. Finally, our thanks to Corin Harris for making his Farmall tractors available.
