Tractor heritage, news and features

The Great Dorset dust down

The working tractors section was as ever sited high up on the downs, with a panoramic view of the whole site. It’s a sloping field, the tractors working up and down the gentle gradient, and a wonderful place to be if the steam fair proper, with its funfair, noise and crowds, ever gets too manic.

Over 100 tractors took part here, organised by Gerald and Serena Mundy, and there’s something going on all the time. John Lombard, here with his ex-RAF Fordson N half-track, was on his fourth visit to Dorset.

“We stay here the whole week,” he said, “and still don’t see it all. And you meet so many people here.” He’s had the Fordson for 20 years – bought it in North Wales with several bits missing, but found them all.

Further down, two more Fordsons – a Standard and a P6 – were being started up for a spot of work. One owner cranked his tractor into life, the other pressed the button; one trailed its harrow off into the field, the other lifted it hydraulically – 20 years of progress illustrated in 20 seconds. But the highlight for me was probably Graham Spark’s Doe Triple-D with a big trailed harrow. Clearly in mid restoration, with the wheels, tinwork and chassis still to be painted, but mechanically healthy and able to stretch its legs on the generous working area set aside here.

New arena

The static tractor section was as ever organised by Stuart Cotton, there was a varied line-up of around 140 tractors, from a 1917 International Mogul (its first time at Dorset) to a 1970 Ford 2000. “It’s worked out well this year,” said Stuart. “I particularly like the Mogul, and the little green Steyr from Austria (see box). I’m always open for unusual entries, and I do like to mix things up. So there are a few Fordsons here, but I haven’t put them altogether.”

Likewise, there were a few grey Fergies, but many of them were out of the ordinary: Barry Griffen’s low-slung golf course TED is regular at Dorset, and Colin and Kate Bover’s narrow vineyard spec TEK was intriguing, as was Mr Bateman’s TEF with a rare epicyclic reduction box. I also liked Paul Rogers TEA, discovered in a Dorset barn 20-odd years ago in scrap condition and since restored with a Midland Industries loader with muck fork.

But this wouldn’t have been Dorset without a few real rarities. After last year’s successful Porsche feature, it was nice to see a few back this time, a couple of well restored single-cylinder Juniors and a Standard in as worked condition. Two big Minneapolis-Molines, a Model GBD and a G704, were parked back to back, and unmissable in MM’s Prairie Gold. The GBD had been driven here 80 miles from Gloucestershire by Roger Dowding.

There were more rare tractors from mainland Europe, though it was easy to overlook Paul Price’s Skoda 30. Why? Because rare though it is, it looks relatively conventional, and Paul hasn’t started the cosmetic restoration yet. But look more closely, and you find a diesel engine that starts on petrol and transverse leaf front suspension. We’ll be featuring Paul’s rare Czech tractor in a future issue.

Graham Dell’s bright red MAP Latil, on the other hand, couldn’t be missed. A recent restoration, its finishing touch had actually been made by Graham on the second day of the show.

“It had the wrong exhaust on it,” he explained, “but I found a Ford 4000 one on the Old 20 stand that was the right shape.” He bought it, hacksawed off the end he didn’t need and bolted it on. Apparently only 500 of these MAP Latils were built, and this is number 396, so genuine exhausts are about as easy to find as an honest investment banker.

There was one big change to the static tractors this year. At previous fairs, they’ve had to trail down to the arena, over quarter of a mile away. With 140-odd tractors, this meant sitting in a queue for as much as an hour. So this year, a smaller arena was added next door to the static display, and by all accounts it worked well.

Harry Williams’ Mogul bagged the Classic Tractor Books Trophy, though it wouldn’t start on the crank, and got a tow start from Nigel Griffith’s W9 International. Judging by the power strokes, it chuffed into life at about 60rpm. Kevin Billing won the Symington 12/25 Trophy for best new restoration with his MF 185, and the Overseas Shield went to Eric Dechanet from France, with his Vendeuvre BOB 500. Personally, I think Eric should also have had a prize for the most magnificent moustache of the show, but that’s just me.

Other stuff

There’s just room to mention the South Wiltshire Agricultural Preservation Society (better and more conveniently known as SWAPS), which crammed a lot into a small space, including a gold Fergie with a posthole borer, a David Brown 990 linked to a chaff cutter and a multi-tasking Allis-Chalmers B driving a cornmill, which in turn drove a water pump which in turn drove a waterwheel – think I’ve got that right.

But then, that’s the thing about Dorset – there’s always something unexpected to find. See you all there next year.