2017 Stradsett Show

Stradsett Show

Stradsett Show


The FFA had a stand at this years 41st Stradsett Park Vintage Rally on Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May.

We had a selection of 6 tractors on the FFA stand all very different from each other, which got a lot of interest and several new members for the club.

This show is organised and run by the East Anglian Group of the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club. Obviously the show was dominated by tractors and stationary engines but it also had plenty of other attractions and trade stands.

This show always has a special theme and this years was spreaders and sprayers through the ages. Starting with small tractor mounted to large modern self-propelled machines.

Now for Fords and Fordsons of which there were about 70 in the programme. Most were displayed in age order starting with a 1917 Fordson F up to a 65 Reg New Holland T7. Others were to be found on club stands and in the spraying section.

Unfortunately Conrad Hopkins was taken to hospital during the rally but I understand that he is now home. We wish him a speedy recover.
A very friendly and well organised show well worth a visit.

Words & Photos: Lin & Ian Prince

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Archived AGMS

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2022 April

Kent Heritage Show

KENT HERITAGE SHOW


This years event was held at the Kent County Showground at Detling, Maidstone on 2nd April 2022
 
A frosty cold start to the day with 7am open gates / set up time for exhibitors with their pride and joys. As usual the Kent Heritage Show had on display a vast range of vehicles from Tractors, classic / vintage Cars and Motorbikes, Army vehicles of all sorts.
 
It still amazes me just how many vehicles turn up for this one day show which just proves how popular this Kent Heritag Show is.
 
It was a good turn out of Fordson Tractors for Our Kent FFA Area Representative Rodney Gibson with plenty of members and old freinds showing their Tractors and Agricultural Equipment.
During the day members aswell as Our Ford & Fordson Tractor magazine Editor Chris Graham were dropping in for a cuppa and some of Wendy Gibson cakes and Nikki's Bonners home made sausage rolls..... which were superb.
Off for my usual wander around the show ground and Ian Bouchard's 1935 Motor Units 10cwt motor roller caught my eye and West Family's 1917 Avery and their 1915 Case.
Ian Bouchard recently restored - 1935 Motor Units 10cwt Motor Roller of Motor Units, Coventry
West Family's 1917 Avery 8-16 No: 8393
 
8 horse power at the ground & 16 horse power at the pully.
 
2 Cylinder Horizontal Opposed Engine.
 
2 Speed & Reverse Gear Drive.
 
Starts on Petrol - Runs on Paraffin.
 
The whole Engine and Cooling Tower slides in the Chassis to engage reverse gear.
 
Restored by Mr. George Schaff in USA about 2006. It was purchased at his clearance sale in
2007 by Mr. Gerald Gregory of Lincolnshire and brought to the UK.
West's Family 1915 Case 12 - 25HP
 
12 horse power at the Draw Bar - 25 at the Belt Pully
 
2 Cylinder Horizontal Opposed Petrol / Paraffin Engine
 
Bore and Stoke - 7" with a weight of 4 tons
 
Made in Racine,Wisconsun, USA by the J.I Case Machinery Co.
 
This tractor has been imported in the UK twice by different Oweners but not restored until
2000 by Mr & Mrs. Symington from St.Andrews in Scotland.
Cosiderable work was carried out on the engine, all new tin work and tanks were fabricated and painted in the original colour scheme.
 
The tractor was purchase from the Elderburn Collection in September 2020
and is now in the proud care of Mr. Oliver West from Canterbury.

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2021 October

2021 Shows

KENT HERITAGE SHOW
Held at the Kent County Showground at Detling, Maidstone on 10th October 2021


It was rather a cold weekend, but with a beautiful sunrise and from about 8am there was a constant flow of exhibitor vehicles arriving.
The most inportant kettle / T ern was manned by Peter Mitchem and with a good Kent Crowd the banter and stories were flowing well.
It was a good turn out of Fordson Tractors for Our Kent FFA Area Representative Rodney Gibson
Once the Ford & Fordson display was set up it was time for a wander around this brilliant Heritage Show
with plenty of Commercial, Hot Rodded and Military vehicles aswell as Owners Clubs on display in the outside areas
Kents Ford Angila Owners Club
GMC Kingsley1978 and built by GMC.
Probably the only motorhome that was designed and built from the wheels up as a motorhome and not a chassis type conversion. This vehicle is FWD with air suspension to the rear, this allows front to rear and side to side levelling on site and automatic levelling when on the move.
Inside were the Clubs, motorbikes and highly polished vehicles...
This unique hand built car belowtook 4.5 years to build and was completed in 2005.
The front suspension, engine and 5 speed gearbox were from a Renault Gordini.
All the other body moulds, together with chassis and items such as lights, instuments and steering wheel were constructed by hand. Most other parts were sources from reclamation yards.
 
The design is based on Grand Prix cars of Pre and Post war period with details from Alfa Romeo, Maserarti, ERA and Mercedez Benz.
The total on the road cost was £5779.
Triumph Herald & Vitesse Owners Club

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2021 July

Kent Country Show

KENT COUNTRY SHOW

Held at the Kent County Showground at Detling, Maidstone on 10th - 11th July 2021


The Kent Country Show is a fresh wording for the Kent County Show which is a newish idea for the organisors as they are trying and working to have less of the the market, toot stools that you always see at shows nowadays.
 
The Exhibitors were less as were the trade stalls mainly due to Covid only just openning up and probaly trying to get back on their feet after this devastating Covid delema we have been through.
 
There was still a good group of Kent Crafts and Traders tents and stalls showing their goods and products and with many people pulling full up trollies and bags around the showground, the signs were of good trading.
 
Plenty of steam, tractors, vintage and classic vehicles of all sizes turned out and supported the Show aswell as a very funny sheep / Humans grand national, superb birds of prey displays and ofcourse the cute beagle puppeis causing absaloute chaos in the main rings. 
Tractor and Roller Ring Display.
Our Thanks goes out to Bernard Pike for his entertaining commentary during the whole weekend.

We all noticed the quieterness and fewer public at the show, but hopfully it will get back to its busier times that we all previously know.... but it will take time....

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2019 March

IOW Fun Day

Isle of Wight Classic Tractors Working Day 2019

 30th March - David Lemonius reports:  We were blessed with some fine weather and good ground conditions for our eighth working day – having missed out last year due to the horrendous conditions during March.


Some 13 tractors – fewer than usual – turned out with largely Ford and Fordson but with a smattering of other colours – in particular a nicely restored David Brown 990 by Richard Deighton.
 
Interestingly there were some variations on a theme with Glynn Draper’s Standard Fordson with a Perkins 6/354 fitted.  He had just finished the work and was pleased to try it out and it performed well.  Adam Shirlaw brought along what appeared to be an unassuming Pre-Force 5000, but this was fitted with a 7610 engine which purred up and down the field effortlessly.  Glen Snudden brought along his Fordson Super Major fitted with 4-wheel drive which was imported from the Netherlands some 14 years ago.  This was given a good trial on a 3 furrow Ransomes plough which it pulled well. William Earley was there with his 1959 Fordson Major and 2 furrow plough. Good to see some younger folk joining in. A number of other tractors were fitted with cultivators and discs giving a nice finish to the ground.
 
Adam Shirlaw’s Preforce 5000 fitted with a 7610 engine ploughing on the
Isle of Wight.
This year our designated charity was the National Coastwatch Institution at the Needles on the western tip of the Isle of Wight. The NCI provide eyes and ears all around the coastline of the UK and they are manned totally by volunteers having in many cases taken over the lookouts vacated by HM Coastguard (MCA) when they receeded inland. We are pleased to be able to donate £250.00 to the NCI towards telescope equipment.
 
None of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors Needles Pleasure Cruises, the farmers Todd and Jacky Carder who provide the field and all the people who help us to put the event together.

A video is on You Tube:

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2019 July

Kent County Show

Kent County & Heritage Show


Friday 5th - Sunday 7th July
Kent Showground. Detling. Maidstone. Kent. ME14 3JF
 
No Kent Show would be complete without the ever-popular
Heritage Section and this years was superb ranging from the Mighty Crawlers to the beautifully restored Working Rollers of R. Beards & Sons & Daughters
The parade in the Heritage Ring, which is a highlight for many as they get to show off their vehicles and as usual this was expertly commentated by Peter Love.
 
Crawlers Ring Time....
Steam Ring Time....
R. Deards Rollers Ring Time .....
Time for a wander around to see what else is on display in the Heritage vehicle section.
Time for a wander around to see what else is on display in the Heritage vehicle section.
A superb 1930 Terrott 250 Tourist
This years "Rodney Gibson Trophey was awarded to
Mr. G Hall and his Farmhall M.
The enthusiasts who man the Heritage Section are always on hand to talk about the history and are more than happy to give advice about restoration projects. 
 
Come and Join us next year for a cuppa and remember the Good Ol' Times at our FFA Stand in the Heritage Section.

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2019 April

FFA Expo VII

KENT HERITAGE SHOW


Saturday 6th April at the The Kent County Showground, Detling near Maidstone.
 
The weather for the Fordson Model N 90th year display was cold, with drizzle all day but that did not stop the Model N's and their owners turning up in force.
There were 53 N's at the final count and to me that was fantastic.
Bernard Pike helping in organising the displa
Garden of England Vintage Machinery guys waiting for the afternoons "Heatwave". Plenty of good humoured, freindly banter going on all day between the different clubs and that's what makes this show so good.
OI !!! whats going on here then ??
a little bit of design copyright, hope Rob Royce knows, well he does now.....  
Off for my wander around the rest of the show.

Cars and motorbikes both vintage, classic & modified, steamers were all on display with their club stands.
Convertable Morris Minors with Wolfrace wheels on.
Convertable Morris Minors with Wolfrace wheels on.
1918 McCormick Deering M 3hp & 1930 Drake & Fletcher Mistifier Pump off a orchard sprayer
1963 Ransom MG40
Four Oaks Sprayers
A lovley Trusty Tractor

 Fleet Number 351X Reg: CUC192 Fordson N Tractor

These tractors were fitted with weights and a frame of steel girders slung along the sides and ends, with padding or wooden “buffers” at front and rear (and a tow hook at the back) to do their job without damaging the bodywork of the vehicle they were moving.

Built at Ford’s Dagenham Works, 351X was bought new in 1937 and was used mainly at the Tramway Central Repair Depot (or overhaul works) in Charlton, South-East London. With others, it replaced a small standard gauge steam locomotive that had previously moved trams and shunted railway goods trucks arriving from the adjacent Southern Railway branch line.
Thank you to the Museum of British Transport Depot at Acton for allowing the tractor to be on our display.
 
To view Museum of British Transport / London Transport Museum website

Fordson Model N - Industrial Class

1st - Brian Lewis - Model N Hedge Cutter

2nd - Dave Coppard - Model N Trencher fitted with Rotaped tracks and a Creeper gearbox

3rd - Model N Halftrax - Rob Royce

Judges Choice

Model N 3 Wheeler - Mark Saunters

Best in Show

 Model N Hop Garden - Clive Munro

Best Unrestored

Model N - BPN 581

Our "Thanks and Appreciation" goes out to Rodney Gibson - FFA Kent Area Representative - Bernard & Steve Pike for All their time and hard work in organising and getting together this amount of tractors for this Fantastic 90th Year display for the superb "Fordson Model N" Tractor.

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2018 August

Biddenden Tractorfest

Biddenden Tractorfest & Country Fair - 18th & 19th August

Held at Beech Lane Field, Beach Lane, Biddenden TN27 8EX
 
This was my first time at this show and as I walked through the entrance and paid my very reasonable £9, I was pleasently suprised.... a vast area of tractors, vintage equipment, steam, working area, countryside stalls, wood carving and a couple of tractor pulled carts that you could hop on & off around the site for a relaxing ride around on. Just how a Country Fair should be.

Cultivators, Farm working equipment and Vintage stalls. A brilliant variety from years gone by.


Arriving on site early morning on Friday to start setting up the FFA stand, we were welcomed by our Wales FFA area rep Gwilyn Jones & Meurig Williams. It looked as if they had all been here a few days working already as the main show areas had all been set out and fenced off ready for the exhibitors to arrive.

At the front of the FFA marquee was a fantastic collection of Fordson tractors owned by Allen Kelly.
Exellent display of tractors, well it would be being a tractorfest !!
It was good to watch this machine prepping the tree trunk and then cutting the planks, a log cutting and splitting machine powered from the p.t.o of the tractor.
Next to this display was a original and well used 1946 AEC Matador owned by Danny Mayell,with living van being towed behind...superb
Ford Model T - 1916 with a very clever cogg set up for driving the rear wheels.
Now.... Lets look around the tractors area.
There were a few tractors that really caught my interest.
 
Ford County 754 
restored & owned by Simon Hearn
Ford County 4600 owned by Jason Fuller.
Jason hasn't owned this 4600 for long and is just starting to dig into the history of this Beast of a working tractor.

He told me it originally worked for the Scottish Forestry Commission and as you can see from the photos it was originaly painted red which is their colour for working vehicles.

James will be contacting Our Chairman Pat Pawsey to help him in his quest.
1937 Fordson Standard Rowcrop Waterwash & 1940 Fordson Standard Rowcrop both owned by Mark Saunters....absaloutley superb, well done Mark.
 
The general tractor area, as you can see from the photos below was vast with a great amount of different models to be seen.
 
1955 Fordson flatbed lorry owned by David Philpott.
It was used to transport vegetables from Cambridge Fens to London markets.
It is fitted with the same engine as the Fordson Major of this time era.
1928 12-20 Wallis owned by Austin Hawkins
1957 Marshall Series 3A & 1957 Marshall MP6 both owned by Don Taylor
1964 Super Major & 1968 Ford 3000 of Timothy Kift
Tractor Ring Time or " Tractors with Faces"
As you can see by the amount of photos, I really enjoyed the relaxed atmostphere & lay out of the show.
If anyone wants a Good Day out ? then keep any eye out for when Biddenden Tractorfest 2019 is on........... "Well Done" to the Organisors & contsant work of
the Marshall's of the Biddenden Tractorfest.

Read more ...2018 August

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