F&FT 2023 - Issue 114

Association chairman, Pat Pawsey, offers another essential selection of news and views from in and around the enthusiastic FFA

TRACTOR WORLD, MALVERN

many of you will be displaying your exhibits on the FFA stand. The club’s AGM will be held on Saturday the 11th, at 4.30pm in the Pavilion, so

please do join us to hear how your club is progressing. The meeting typically lasts for about 40 minutes, so you’ll have had plenty of time to purchase your items in the sale by then!

There’s always so much to see and enjoy at the Tractor World show; for many it’s the real season-opener, so don’t forget to come and see us on the FFA stand!

NEW WEBSITE!

The FFA’s new website (fordandfordson.co.uk) is now up and running, courtesy of Promonet Ltd, Kent, and we hope that you fi nd it easy to navigate, and that it contains all of the information you might need. In case of errors, please contact Jane Broomhall, the club secretary/ treasurer, who can be reached on 07884 115089.

Lots of work has gone into the FFA’s new website. Let us know what you think of all the improvements.

NEWARK VINTAGE TRACTOR & HERITAGE SHOW

Some of the Industrial tractors provide a splash of yellow at Newark. This photo was taken during the display build-up.

Well, where to begin? This was a fantastic show which took place on November 5th-6th at the Newark Showground, in Nottinghamshire.
Things got off to a great start thanks to the very impressive entrance display. The doors into the feature marquee and the FFA’s stand within were flanked by some impressive giants of the classic tractor world. Richard Mason’s Muir Hill 171, John Brown’s County 1884 and John Hayward’s incredible, homemade Doe (complete with eightfurrow Ransomes plough on the back) set the tone brilliantly for the treats on display inside.
But that wasn’t all there was in front of the marquee, as visitors were also wowed by members’ lorries. One of these was carrying the front and rear axles from a Fordson N, but without an engine in sight. It was a very different display, and just what was needed to grab the attention.
The marquee housed both Ford and Fordson tractors plus many interesting derivatives. The majority of machines on show belonged to club members, and included an impressive variety of both ages and types. Those present included everything from Fordson Fs and Ns right through to a modern, New Holland T6 model.
There was a rare Fordson N water washer but, interestingly, it was a narrow variant. This tractor was purposely placed beside a New Holland T5 to demonstrate to visitors the evolution of the tractor over the years. There

An ‘unfinished project’ perhaps loaded on a Fordson Thames outside the tent?

Skid steer loader comparison; visually not as much of a difference as with other models.

Linda Brumpton’s Fordson Major, which won the Best Ford & Fordson in the Show award at Newark.

A general view inside the marquee at Newark, showing the interesting diversity of exhibits on display for visitors to enjoy.

One didn’t have to walk too far to compare model differences, and all in the dry, too!

were enough Industrial versions on show to field a mini-display mainly in bright yellow. John Brown had brought his Ford skid-steer loader, and Linc’s Motors brought the latest New Holland version; they looked a bit similar until you noticed the cab and all the electronics on the newer machine.
Congratulations to member Linda Brumpton on winning the Newark Trophy for the Best Ford & Fordson in Show, with a 1959 Fordson Major. The club awarded certificates – as is usual at the larger shows – to the winners of the following categories:
1. Best Commercial: Paul Thundercliffe, his artwork and decals on the lorry were stunning.
2. The Concours Class: Matthew Newberry, a junior member with his Ford 8N. Well done! We need to encourage the younger generation into the hobby.
3. Tractor & Implement Class: Ashley Clough with his original Ford 3000 and Ransomes sprayer. How sprayers have changed from his version!
4. The Tractor the Judge Would Like to Take Home: Colin Peart’s very smart Ford 8630.
5. The Most Original Tractor: Richard and Jo Turner’s superb Ford 5000.
Overall, the club managed to muster 71 exhibits for display on the stand, which is a record for Newark. That is a tremendous achievement and I’d like to thank all of those who put in so much time and effort to make the show the resounding success that it was.
You’ll all be pleased to hear that the FFA itself enjoyed an excellent weekend, with 67 new members and renewals being signed-up over the weekend. Happily, merchandise sales were also at record levels, which helps enormously with the on-going success and growth of the club.
In the Stevenson Hall there was a large and varied display of Fordson

John Hayward’s massive, homemade Doe, complete with eight-furrow Ransomes plough behind.

A lovely Fordson N with a trailer designed for tractors, rather than a horse conversion.

Top of the range! Richard Mason’s Muir Hill 171 and John Brown’s County 1884 during set-up at Newark.

The award for Best Commercial went to Paul Thundercliffe; what stunning art work!

Junior member Matthew Newberry won the concours class with his Ford 8N. The award was accepted by his grandad!

The Best Tractor & Implement award was won by Ashley Clough, with his original Ford 3000 and Ransomes sprayer.

This was the tractor that the judges wanted to take home – Colin Peart’s superb Ford 8630.

The award for the Most Original Tractor went to Richard and Jo Turner’s Ford 5000.

THANKS PHIL!

On members’ behalf, we really must thank Phil and his band of supporters for all the hard work they devoted to organising the FFA’s fine stand at the Newark show, and liaising with the showground management. It was a truly splendid display which helped create a wonderful atmosphere inside the marquee. But, as Phil rightly said, none of it would have been possible without the co-operation and help of so many members who kindly brought their tractors to the event; so well done, one and all.

Pat Pawsey, FFA chairman

Ian Prince’s chain bridge-hauling Power Major came to the rescue of a stuck lorry at Newark.

Major E1A tractors, some of which were being exhibited by FFA members. Also, while not ‘blue’, over the road from our marquee was a great display of – I think – 13 Massey Ferguson 1200s plus, in another direction across the showground, a sea of green in the shape of a large group of Field-Marshalls.
However, we were all so busy on the FFA stand that I can’t comment on the rest of the show as I didn’t get the chance

to see much else. Nevertheless, it was good to meet up with friends from all over the UK, Southern Ireland, and a few who were visiting from elsewhere in Europe. It’s always good to enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit with fellow enthusiasts! Late on Sunday afternoon, as we were packing up, a lorry driver came in looking for help. He’d got his six-wheeler stuck on the showground so, with all the big tractors having already disappeared,

FFA committee member Ian Prince had his Fordson Major volunteered to lend a hand. His tractor is fitted with a winch on the front, and spent most of its working life hauling a chain bridge. However, that wasn’t needed on this occasion, and the Major itself was perfectly capable of rescuing the stranded lorry, much to the relief of the happy driver!

Phil Gibson, FFA Roving rep

CANADA CALLING!

Am I no longer rational? Well, please read on! Here we are again with another year ticked-off; where, oh where, does the time go? Anyway, it’s been a monumental year on a number of fronts. Thankfully, I’m hoping the wretched Covid is well and truly in the rear view mirror now, and it’s good news that the most recent variants seem so much less of a problem. As the overall travel health risk diminished, my wife and I seized the opportunity to travel to Ireland for a family wedding last July. As luck would have it, this allowed us the privilege of attending the Ossory Agricultural Show at Rathdowney, in County Laois, where we enjoyed seeing vintage trucks, cars and tractors. This was a one-day event and clearly the level of organisation needed to coordinate the variety of events, vehicles and catering outlets for the show was monumental!
In particular, on account of my passion for the vintage tractor component, I would like to recognise two clubs present; the Raheeny Club from the host county, and the North

Ian West (left) sharing the craic with a Raheen Club member during last summer’s visit to the Emerald Isle.

Ian back in Canada with his latest project. We look forward to progress reports on this one!

Tipperary Vintage Club from the adjoining county. The Raheeny Club was exhibiting some fine examples of the Ford brand, with lots of vehicles from the mid-1960s era. Many of the owners that I spoke to were very friendly and also evidently extremely proud of the vehicles they were showing. In some respects it was a shame that the whole thing was over in a day, as I could have happily spent a lot more time viewing and chatting at this wonderful show – well done indeed, Ossory! In the lead-up to the July holiday here on the farm, we experienced a really wet period between June and mid- July. However, upon our return it was a completely different story. From mid-

August through to the end of October we experienced temperatures that, on many occasions, were well into the 30°C range, resulting in reduced crop yields during the critical kernel-filling stage.

But the redeeming feature of those high temperatures and the associated lack of rainfall, was the almost ideal harvesting conditions created. This eliminated the need for grain drying, as we’d had to do for the past four years in a row. Soil moisture reserves here in Central Alberta are now at record lows as we head into winter and normal fall cultivations are an integral part of our cropping practices. But this year cultivating the bulk of our acreage had to be abandoned as the implements simply couldn’t penetrate under such dry conditions.

One positive aspect of the mild autumn was that it afforded the ideal opportunity to thoroughly winterise all the farm equipment in preparation for winter storage. Over the years I’ve found it critical to routinely change the long-life antifreeze to ensure that concentrations remain at the correct level, thus allowing the important additive compounds within these solutions to do their essential preservation work. Antifreeze concentration is routinely diluted to 60%, providing freeze-protection down to approximately -55°C.

Another winter protection practice is to remove all power equipment batteries

Vintage harvest at Westlock. Interesting to see the blower straw discharge from the thresher.

and store them separately. Due to the extreme temperatures experienced here, even the power draw needed to maintain an in-cab digital clock over the coldest winter months will deplete battery charge to the point where it will freeze and then split, rendering it absolutely useless. As well as writing-off the battery, this causes a terrible mess, with battery acid spilling over all nearby surfaces. Where bulk farm fuels are used here, it’s also critical to ensure diesel is of a ‘winter grade’ to prevent gelling. With petrol-powered vehicles, another must is to minimise the incidence of allowing fuel tanks to run routinely lower than half to minimise moisture build-up. Fuel line antifreeze (methyl hydrate) should be regularly added to a fuel fill to prevent this. All summer long I’ve been actively searching for a winter restoration project, which ideally would have been a Ford 3000. By mid-August I’d found a couple of possibilities that were to be sold at an upcoming online farm dispersal auction. One was a

1967 diesel Select-O-Speed model in a reasonable overall mechanical condition. It seemed to tick most of the boxes, despite the SoS transmission. The second possibility was a petrolpowered model with the standard, eight-speed gearbox, although it sounded as though there was a bucketfull of spilled nuts and bolts adrift in the sump! Subsequently, during the bidding process, it became readily apparent that the Ford brand was commanding much more of a premium than I could justify, regardless of the future potential, so the search continued. By early September I’d found what I considered to be a suitable alternative, in the form of a 1960 Massey Ferguson 35, fitted with the Perkins 3-152 diesel engine, and I was the successful bidder at the auction. While this tractor was listed in the sales literature as a nonrunner, I had the opportunity to check its condition in advance of the auction. While it definitely lacked a ‘good character’ appearance, I recognised a much greater overall potential. So far – I’m at the mid-stage of disassembly

of the motor and driveline components – it hasn’t revealed any insurmountable calamities, so fingers crossed it’ll be OK. Now, of course, the big question is whether or not I’ve lost my marbles by deviating from the Ford camp? Do readers feel that, in order to regain credibility with the Association, I should paint the new tractor blue? In the meantime, I’ll await your verdict with some trepidation. Finally, in early October, our local vintage club hosted a vintage harvest event, which included a variety of machinery including a John Deere PTO-operated reaper and binder pulled by a Massey Harris 44. Also, there was a John Deere thresher powered by an Allis Chalmers. Sheaves from the about three acres of wheat were collected with a four-wheeled wagon pulled by a Ford 8N and, in the end, three wagon loads were retained for future demonstration purposes. That’ll be something I look forward to seeing at the annual June show later this year.

Ian West, FFA Canada rep

SCOTTISH EVENTS REMEMBERED

Robbie Ironside’s award-winning Fordson N and Dexta on the Club stand at New Byth. An idyllic show setting.

The Ironside family – the North of Scotland FFA reps – attended rallies, road runs and open days from early May to the end of September in 2022. These included everything from the

Scottish Vintage Tractor and Engine Club weekend rally at Scone Palace near Perth, right up to the Laigh o’ Moray Rally at Burghead near Elgin in Moray, plus lots of events at other locations in between.

Ford & Fordson Association members came with their tractors to display on the stand, some at their local rallies and others at most of the rallies. These enthusiasts help

Ford & Fordson Association Sponsors