rorsday

Dear Nachmach, MJB1 and Toolbox Tam,

Thanks for the great comments. I'm really glad you like the new refreshed layout. It was long overdue and took quite a bit of sorting out but seems to work well.

Feedback on the changes and new features, whether good bad or ugly, is gratefully received.

Regards

R Day

Yes, I would like to see what one looks like. Prior to this discussion I thought they had a break between 1980 and 2001/2002. Does this mean there is another one between 1980 and 1985/86?

Not to rub it in, but the 1980 volume is superb, bound in a black leather-type cover and about an inch and a half thick.

R Day

Dear Lord F

A 1986 WWC....now that must be rare? I saw a 1980 one sell very reasonably for just over £30 a couple of weeks ago, but I already had that one. I've never seen a 1986 edition.

Regards

R Day

Lord F,

Nice brochure, not especially rare, as such, but it should still make £15-£20 if re-sold on eBay or £20 privately. I have one in my own collection already.

Regards

R Day

Lord F

Shame on you....palming paulali off with a French leaflet when there was a UK leaflet on the red-cab MF 575!

R Day

Lord F,

As far as I know they did a couple of single sheets for the MF 592, but no multi-page brochure, which is a shame. I saw a couple in Cheffins Cambridge Machinery Sales a while back.

Is is correct you've got an MF 1250 buyer's guide in the latest issue of Classic Massey? Would love to see a copy of the article if you have one?

Regards

R Day

Lord F

Yes, the MF Dernieries are full range, the black one from the 1976-77 period is easily the best...it's amazing....plus it has a picture of all the MF French brochures that were available at the time.

Regards

R Day

Dear Stephos

This is a very nice brochure and similar to the English fold-out version.

Regards

R Day

Paulali,

I've taken pics of my MF pocket catalogues grouped together, 27 in all, so not everyone they ever did, but a fair selection. The picture has been mailed to Mr Marky F who will hopefully put it up here in due course.

Regards

Rory

Paulali,

The best I can do is take a picture of them all together and mail it to Marky.

Marky,

Ref Worldwide Catalogues, from memory they start at 1970 and finish at 1980, starting off again in 2001/2002. I have 1980, plus a couple of half years for 1972 and 1974, I think, but don't hold me to that. I have a feeling that one year was split into 3 volumes. 1980 is superb, bound in a black-leather hard-back cover.

Regards

Rory

Marky,

Nice to see the range catalogues, thanks for posting pics of them. I have most of them, but the Australian export catalogue, US 1965 Farmers Handy Catalogue and French Derniere brochure look superb. I'm well jealous.

Regards

R Day

I wish they were!

R Day

MDFord

Thanks for the comments. There will be a follow-up to the initial County 1184-40 story in a future issue, but as it's an ongoing project I don't know if we'll ever see it looking like new, new paint job and all. Time will tell I guess.

Likewise, there will be more on Tony's JD 3350 in a future issue, but possibly not for a few months.

Regards

R Day

Classic Tractor

Dear 10-4 (RC),

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Glad you liked the issue, but sorry you have had problems with poor binding. Drop me your full address at classictractor@btinternet.com and I'll send a replacement.

As for the free model, well usually these are for people who send in their own Farm Favourite stories, but seeing as you were so obliging to David Winthrop, our man in the Carlisle area, I don't have a problem sending you one. Your MF 355 is certainly a very nice machine and I'm pleased we've finally got round to getting it in the magazine after your initial contact.

'Cumbrian Classics' well, erm, what can I say other than it should perhaps have said 'Dumfriesshire Classics' (in the fleet). Oh dear. Still, at least there was some Cumbrian Classics in the Farm Favourites section and On the block.

Regards

R Day

Dear Big 10-4

It's a nice idea, but, and don't take this the wrong way, I tend to keep personal stuff out of the magazine (even to the point of getting in trouble for not mentioning the birth of our son a few years back). I do use my brochures all the time either for reference or to illustrate various stories, but that's about as far as it goes.

I'm always pleased to show someone what I've got, more brochures than models, although I do have about 250 Deeres in various scales, although that's nothing compared to what some of the collectors have over in the States.

Regards

Rory

tractorbob

Thanks for the kind words. You love reading the first issues? I wish I did, I cringe when I see them now, although they seemed great at the time! Amazing how things move forward with more experience and advances in camera technology.

Regards

R Day

Dear BC

You're absolutely right there. As much as I like collecting models myself, they have to be in moderation in Classic Tractor. I was recently reminded of this while scanning through a reader survey from 2002. The 'least-liked' subjects/topics were 'Models' and 'Overseas', which both recieved a very high 35% non-approval rating from the readers. That still means that 65% of the readers either liked or didn't mind these two subjects. It's hard to believe, but there are people out the who can't see the point of models and have no interest in them.

With more competition in the marketplace, I think our focus has to be on finding the best stories and hottest news to fill 'Collectors Corner', which has tended to fill an extra half a page or so in recent months.

Regards

Rory

Dear Tam,

Glad you like it, bit of diverse content in this issue to say the least.

Hope you got Slurrypuncher stuff OK. I got your cheque, but it's not signed! Not to worry.

Regards

RD

JC,

Yes, hopefully it's just a blip. The April issue was put together over Christmas, which always knocks people out of their stride and perhaps explains why there's fewer classified adverts this month.

Regards

RD

Dear 10-4

Glad you enjoyed the latest issue and thanks for your comments. More on models this month, but, as you say, fewer pages, although the editorial content stays the same as normal, just the adverts (mainly classifieds) a little down.

Regards

Rory

Nige,

It can't be....the last pocket catalogue was 1985, pre- the launch of the MF 300 Series.

Rory

This is a beautiful model (JD 3640) and I would love it in my collection, but the earlier poster is right: the 3640 never had the two-tone cab with the lower half in green. Only the first SG2 cabs (1981 to early 1982) had two-tone cabs. The 3640 wasn't launched until 1984.

Regards

R Day

Powerabbit is right...David Browns were exported all over the world and most countries (Sweden, Holland, Germany, USA, etc) have their own literature. The possibilities are endless.

For example, I've just taken delivery, via the States and eBay, of three DB brochures on the first 'white' tractors produced for the Nth American NAEDA organisation. These were actually based on Implematic tractors and pre-dated the European launch of the Selectamatic range by around 6 months, I believe. I think from memory the brochures were printed in the UK, though.

They came with some other more modern John Deere brochures for the Nth American market.

To me, any tractor brochure of any age is interesting. My collection has no main theme, although MF (approx 3000 items) and Ford/New Holland (approx 2000 items) are the best-represented in terms of the total number of brochures, mainly because of their domination of the UK market and in the case of MF, the world market.

I collect pretty much what comes along at a sensible price and rarely chase specific items unless it's to fill a gap in the collection. Likewise, modern literature interests me just as much as the really old stuff. Like Mr Ferguson, I have a particular interest in some of the overseas brochures produced by MF, Ford, etc

Regards

R Day

Dear Big-4

Obviously, I'm duty bound to say that this post is a great idea...but actually, it is, because it gives me a great idea of what people like in the magazine.

When we conducted a survey in the past, the 'Farm Favourites' section came out of it well, whereas models and European stuff didn't do so well....or at least 40% of the surveyed readers didn't really like these sections.

So keep the comments coming.

For the record, my personal favourites in the mag are:

Collectors Corner

Memory Lane

Fleet profile

News

Letters

Regards

Rory

Mr Ferguson

I can now see why you store all your literature in plastic pockets. Want to borrow my laminator?

Regards

R Day