Tractor & Machinery Magazine Tractor & Machinery Sep 2013 Edizione posteriore

There’s something a bit distressing about writing a September issue at the height of summer; it implies autumn’s not far away, and I suppose that’s true but let’s enjoy summer while we can. By all accounts, it’s been a bumper one for shows and rallies, which demonstrates that the hobby’s in fine health. Next it’ll be ploughing matches and let’s hope they prove to be as popular. Meanwhile, let’s also hope we’ve given you a T&M this month that will give you plenty to enjoy on your summer holiday. Unfolded and placed on the head it will, in any case, protect you from the sun’s rays - but I believe there is more to it. When we asked readers to name their favourite tractors from the 1980s,
the winners didn’t come as a great surprise but the order in which you placed them does leave a hint of suspense so read all about the poll results on page 15. Although those tractors really bear no resemblance to those of 100 years ago, they do share one thing in common and that is the search for cheap fuel to run them. Most things have been tried at one time or another but, as Mike Williams explains on page 9, the search has almost gone full circle. He writes: “The most impressive alternative fuel success so far has been a revival of Dan Albone’s 1905 vision.” Our ladies on tractors feature is vying with hedgerow tractors in terms of popularity (so please be patient if you have sent in a photo) and we have two extensions of those features this month. Our lady is Mavis Spence. She joined Massey Ferguson in 1949 as a mechanical engineering apprenticeship in Coventry and, as the company’s only female engineer, worked her way up the career ladder, eventually spending 30 years with the fi rm. She has some tales to tell, as you can discover on page 71. Our hedgerow man is Peter Goodwin. He runs Goodwin Farm Services and has an interesting collection of tractors. However, he’s a busy man and most of them have to be found by parting the undergrowth round his yard.