Tractor & Machinery Magazine Vol. 20 No. 4 - Classics at work Edizione posteriore

Our usual focus is on tractors that are being collected and/or restored but this month we go back to what they are really all about. We’re looking at classics that are still at work – they may be getting on but they can still earn their keep and, as we discover, have advantages over
some of their younger brethren. As one farmer points out, his fl eet
is increasing in value while new tractors only depreciate and the
old tractors have far less to go wrong with them than their
gizmo-stuffed modern replacements. However, not every old tractor has been a long-lasting success. In 1972, the fi rst ‘systems’ tractors were launched in Germany.
They were Mercedes-Benz’s MB-trac and the Intrac models from
Deutz-Fahr which, according to some experts at the time, were the
start of a new era in farm tractor design. Their unusual appearance
was designed to increase effi ciency and versatility for fi eld work,
but they were not quite the success the experts anticipated. You
can read their story on page 35.
Tractors are not the only fi eld workers of course. The legendary
Land Rover has been part of farming practice since its launch
in 1948 and a number of manufacturers produced different
implements and attachments to harness its versatility. Farmer
Geoff Smith is still using some of them. See page 70.
Elsewhere we look back over 95 years of agricultural education,
fi nd out what drives an MF man to achieve such high quality
restorations, report on a 1,400 mile road run undertaken by some
Ferguson tractors and start a new series on restoring a Doe 130.
It’s a busy issue and it’s also my last. Your editor from next month
is my colleague Scott Lambert, so I confi dently leave you in expert
hands.
I’d like to thank you all for your support.