dalethecaptain

That Fendt Farmer is a little gem. Bring on the smaller machines!

I was holding out for a Kommunal Xylon, was inevitable really but I am happy with that. Also the 300 farmer series Fendt's are pretty cool, will be waiting for this model with anticipation.

I like this build very much already. These were common where I grew up in Cumbria, I think they were Armer's best seller as I still see loads of 24+ year old local registered machines around the Furness peninsula. Looking forward to the finish article. Is the cab your own casting? It looks bang tidy! Enjoy your holiday.

Thanks for the info, I know from looking at the dimensions the wheelbase is slightly shorter and looking at my 8830 I could not work out where to chop it. You have got it spot on, would be nice to see it next to an 8830 for comparison. I am liking the New Ray Bonnet, its a pretty good shape and it goes well. I have an Ertl TW15 I was going to take the bonnet from.

That's an absolute stunner, well done! Those big tyres from the Deutz look perfect. Was there much cutting involved in the 8830 Chassis, how much did you have to cut out?

Caterpillar C9 engines, specifically the HEUI pump. Please Caterpillar, for the love of god get rid of this stupid design, they are simply not reliable and ridiculously time consuming to change.

I have a Britool comprehensive mechanics set that I built up about 15 years ago, it has given me very good service. In recent years I have been involved with new build yachts, so I generally specify Snap On tools if the vessel has Caterpillar Machinery (damned imperial sizes) and Cat require all sorts of specialist cranked/crescent spanners and offset wrenches which are generally only made by Snap on or their lesser sibling Blue Point. Otherwise, Facom equipment is excellent quality and value if only a metric kit is needed. Facom also make the best electrical safe equipment, as well as crimps, cutters and strippers. I did do a project a few years ago and they wanted to work with a tighter budget, and I went with Gedore and these were truly excellent in terms of quality and value, alas its difficult to get these for a good price outside of Germany.

Genuine John Deere Green in a 400ml Aerosol Can - It flows out great when its warm, but it so fine you need to put loads on, then the overspray goes everywhere! 0 out of 10 for economy, this Deere conversion is going to cost a fortune!

That is one hell of a job you have on there! I hope the new workshop has an overhead gantry crane or the HSE man will wet his pants! Out of interest, do you work on hours to do the job under warranty or is it a set allowance? I have rebuilt a number of Voith, Renck, IHI, and Lohmann Stohlterfort gearboxes and epicyclic transmissions for commercial ships, but there is always two or three of us doing it, and we usually have to call in the heavy lifting gear as well. You have way more sundry parts to take off than we do, pro drives, hydraulics etc. You need a good memory or good quality control! And at least the machines are still relatively new, taking apart gearboxes that have 50,000 hours on them and 8 years of grime and paint is seriously not fun.

The Massey has joined my mowing fleet, in amongst my prized Kuhn Weathered Flails from Udimore/Fendthead. I have been planning to something a bit different for a diorama display to show of this mowing gang, and hopefully I will have the space to set something up soon.

It was not that difficult to fit the Ergos hitch, I had to make some spacers about 8mm long from brass tube, and remove the mounting points from the Ergos mower. I drilled the mounting frame for the mower to take a machine screw and screwed it into the existing hitch fixings on the MF. The hardest part was creating a moveable top link mount.

That Case 1594 in Magpie looks the business, one of the best DB/Case line ups I have seen. Top marks!

Thats looking good, and nice chunky boots on her too. What did you use as a base for the conversion or have you scratch built the cab/bonnet/floor pan?

That is a great looking machine, the right chassis colour does make a difference. I really like the Front mounted topper set up.

I like the progress with this trailer, this is the Fraser based one is it?

Thats a good paint job, and I like the functional front link arms. And stripping the glazing out to cover the green reassures me that I am not the only detail fanatic!

I have made a few modifications to the 6465 Kommunal from Universal Hobbies over the last few weeks, finally trying to realise a few Ideas. I have spent quite a lot of time working in France and have photographed a few of these recently, whilst the UH 6480 Massey may not be very accurate, this one is pretty good for the purpose. Adding this type of fitted mower was beneficial as it saved me the hassle of replacing the unrealistic UH linkage. I had to modify the fitting slightly from the Renault Ergos, but its mounted straight on to the existing linkage fittings. I modified the top link mount using an off cut from the Ergos mower mounts, and filed off the top hasp of the linkage so I could fit the PTO guard. A quick touch up with some Humbrol enamel was a perfect match to the chassis colour. I have modified the Rousseau Minotaur from a UH Renault Ergos to replicate the real thing by adding an external mounted hydraulic pump, and a PMA PTO and shaft. I have added some extra control piping for the rams to bring a bit more detail, as well as a few no return and safety valve blocks. Finally, I have added a CAN BUS control umbilical. Unfortunately, I don't have a shed so I will have to wait for some nicer weather to have a go at doing some weathering with the air brush!

I was after the green version as well, not sure if one will be forthcoming. I am also hanging out for a Kommunal version, I think this will be in the pipeline for sure.

Foraging tonights dinner! Took a turn to avoid traffic and ended going for a bit of a jolly through Derbyshire, came across a shed load of wild garlic, away from the main roads and field run offs, reminded me why I love and miss the English countryside so much when I am away working. Made a tasty soup and a good side to a lamb dinner, first time I have ever pulled off a Saturday Kitchen recipe without days of preparation. Made the house smell great too!

I have never driven any of these, but these are my all time classics that I either grew up lusting after or are my current favourites, all of which are on my bucket list to drive some day: 1. MF1200 2. MF 575 (specifically, a 4WD 1980 66hp model, and I think it had Multi-power. First brand new tractor I ever sat in) 3. Ford TW35 (no preference on series) 4. County 1474 Short Nose 5. Claas Xerion 5000 (just for the power!) *Note: I can't actually drive a tractor. Not for its intended purpose anyway.

Scratch that, I got medieval on it and it slid off a treat (a pair of (soft jaw) pliers and a blow torch). I am really liking what you have done with your 8530 rear track so I think I will shamelessly plagiarise your work, unless you will take virtual beers as royalties?!?! Keep up the good work

How did you get the rear wheels off? I have one of these thats having a few Artisan modifications, and I can't for the life of me get the rear wheels to shift, might end up getting the chop also...

That is looking much better than the original Ertl US version, how did you go about extending the rear mudguards? I have an 8400 that I would like to convert to Euro spec, I was thinking of trying to model the rear mudgaurds of my MAP 7810. Your conversions always look the business!

That looks spot on, and thanks for the tips on the correct colour scheme. I have only seen one once at a dealer demo day, and I always thought there was too much light grey paint on this model, but I was not exactly sure how wrong it was. I have also got a set of PMA link arms meant for the Ertl Precision JD8530 which I have cut down ready to replace the stock items (I have done this to my Weise Fendt models as well), and I have also bought an adjustable top link for the rear so implements will fit better. Not sure what to do about that tiny hitch yet.... I will have to get hold of some of the darker Fendt grey paint then. Well Done again!