bluegreen

 It sure is, yayyy  I did manage to photograph one after all

I caught this picture in 1996 near to the CNH test farm of a New Holland M160 with a very nice MF500 box drill,  often thought about doing a convo job on a Britains 130 version.

You can see the tractor exhaust is not the finished production version.

I watched a video last year where a Volcano expert stated that one really large erupting Volcano puts more carbon into the air than the entire history of automobile usage combined!!!!!!!

I thought what is the point of worrying about our footprints when one good Krakotoa event could put the tin hat on everything.  This carbon business is just another way the 1% can yield leverage over the rest of us and introduce another raft of unjust taxes.

And as for coloured sheep its just another attempt by the looney left to force their agenda of promoting the minority view over and above the opinions of the sane majority. Ignore them.

A friend of mine back in the day informed me in 1996 that his farm had bought a pair of the new 8560s  New Holland Fords and they were first to be delivered in the area, I remember Ernest Does only had very limited supplies of the new tractors in 96 and so they were quite rare for the first 12 months after release.   I got some nice shots of the brand new tractor on its first job of drilling wheat. I thought it was quite nice but again wasn't that mad about them.

In 1997 I had learned that Tony Lees big fenland farm had bought a pair of 8560s as well and having not really checked out his farm I was bowled over by just how many blue tractors he was running!!!!!!   Both the 8560s were on drills and had replaced 8340s which were now in support roles.  He also had a pair of 8970s and the one in the first picture was a new machine with the New Holland decals instead of Ford.  And that was working with his second 8560 and a nice lely drill combo...……………..The fourth picture with the 8970 side on is still one of my favourite action shots and although I wasn't a big fan of the 40 or 60 series I really liked the 70s.

The 8970 below with a 7furrow Lemken plough ,extended front links, weights and tool boxes, plus twin beacons looked the dogs doodahs imo

When I first saw the new 40 series I was underwhelmed, Fords design team had removed all the charisma of the 7810 & 8210 and produced a highly functional,  improved tractor that looked...……..utterly boring!!!   The only thing I liked about it was the wheels which had been retained from the 10 series.  Admittedly once a few got about I liked them a bit more, as you do...……….but got a bit more interested when the blue roofed ones came out  and even more interested once the New Holland versions got released with a few modifications as seen in the second picture. 

The first pic below was at a show and a measure of my disinterest in them is the fact ive got no pictures of any white roof ones in my albums!  I know I did photo a 8340 when it first came out but I cant find them.

I don't know where there are any Joe,  one farmer on the fens was running a 8870A version bought in 2001 I think, and that got replaced by a MF 6499 in 2009 or 10.

Hard too spot many 40 series as well, I know of a few but not many, I know of several 10 series...………………….Mind you I know where there are lots of MF 3000s and CASE XLs  these two are far more popular for some reason, maybe less sought after than fords and 50 series Deeres?

In spring 1994 I went to a farm demo in Norfolk to witness the launch of Fords replacement for the 30 series (TWs) and watched one blue 70 series and a brown G series power their implements up and down a field...……..It was raining and I got no pictures unfortunately...……………………………….The response locally to the 70 series was quite strong and them I quickly new where one of each of the four models had been supplied too...…………………...Unfortunately for Ford JDs 8000 series were waiting in the wings and once these arrived the big blues sales all but dried up as the big JD trounced them!   Nevermind,  I liked them and they sounded terrific as well.

My first picture of a Ford 8970 was taken at the DOE show in Feb95...…………….and then I caught up with R.Claydons who having been Ford for years but had changed over to MF and JD in the early 90s...………..they were very quick to trade in a few small tractors in 94 too buy the first big 240hp 8970 in my area and then added a second in 95 too pull their Vaderstad drill.  Sadly this only lasted a few years before they went CASE Magnum 270s and Fastracs.

The next picture of the 6metre combi drill on a new Ford 8870 was taken at Dalham Hall estates,  it was there for a few years before a big farm restructuring saw them join up with the neighbours and go mostly over to CASE kit.

The 8670 belonged to Chambers of Swaffham Prior and was the farms flagship for a few years until they headed over to green and yellow machines.

You can see the recurring theme in my archives, Ford had the market sewn up in the 80s and then lost the whole lot!!!...……………...mind you they've done quite well since the 6 and 7000s were launched in the last decade.

Well I used to see Ford tractors pulling  blue marstons locally and one or two had a grey chassis and silver wheels, and seeing as it would be very difficult to find  blue spray paint for the plastic chassis to match the painted trailer colour I decided to go with the grey option.   And I had an unused can of light grey spray which looks about the right shade too.

I will look to add some extra details as it will be used alongside my very well detailed Replicagri  Brimont trailers

My new mint condition Martston 12 ton trailer is already getting the convo treatment

Yes I favour the "Gazump" them method and come in at the last second with a higher price to ****** the prize

On one of the local mega farms they now run a JD 9RX and when it gets dark the lighting package on it is unreal!!!!   It really does look like a UFO has landed in the field

What tractors did I see today...………………...I didn't because it was dark...…………….but there were loads of lights and flashing beacons on it

CASE 956XL  has appeared in a local small farmers yard,  it looks like its been resprayed or very well looked after and is an H reg 1990 , so one of the last of the proddy line I would guess.

What Im finding most sad about farming now is the speed and efficiency that the job is done at...…………………………….I came home from work during the week and passed an empty field of 30 acres of sugar beet that had been harvested during the day!!   Harvested so quick I didn't even get to see any machinery, and the field was left in such good condition that a cultivator drill could have gone in right behind the mystery harvester!!    This is so boring to me,  I remember 20 years ago when the bunker harvesters were in their infancy and two or three tractor trailers were required to keep the machine going.   And quite often it was in a quagmire too and 10 acres a day was an achievement...…………………….same now goes for Potatoes as well.  And cereal combining has gotten super quick as well now that even the guys with 400 acre farms can afford to run a 20yr old Lexion that can cut the whole acreage in 3 days. 

Its no wonder Im reverting to collect more 80s and 90s models and less of the modern day stuff...…………..Bring back the 8210, 3650 and 3090 I say.

Thought I would post up this picture of three UH Ford 7810 wheels,  the bottom right grey wheels are the UH originals, the top ones are Official New Holland Bianco white which I mistakenly thought would be the right colour...…………………..And the bottom left wheels are Agriline Ford Off white,  which are spot on and cover the wheels beautifully...……………...incidentally the Imber 6640 series model wheels are a perfect match for the Agriline colour off white.   My 7810 model is now looking just right

The Imber wheels look so much better on the 4 cylinder Fords than Marges and UHs for that matter,  Im in the process of putting a set on a 6410 and it really improves the appearance of the model

As I am in the process of building a classic Ford / John Deere farm fleet I wanted to get some farm trailers from the same era  (Circa 1980-90).  Having seen several Brimont trailers in use back in those days I decided to buy the 8 tonne single axle version and the 12 tonne IH badged version which is virtually identical to a 12 tonne brimont…………………..And then rebadge and paint where required both trailers to get them looking right...………………………………….Henri Walker provided the stickers, which he had on the shelf as a few other foreign conversionists have already had the same idea as me

Ive already sprayed the white greedy boards CASE red and its pretty much a perfect match.

Cant believe Siku have put no grab rails to climb up into  the  cab,  and the entry steps are tiny!!...………….the driver will need to be a rock climber to get into the cab...………..mind you there is good basis to that model, so plenty of scope for conversions

Saw a mint condition blue roof Ford 8340 on a 95/96 year  "N" reg on Thursday hauling a dolly behind it...………………….I think it belongs to an agricultural mechanic who drives it to and from his premises of work...……………………...he uses the dolly to hitch up a big artic trailer and block the sites entrance from the gypos……………………...I have also seen an 8210 GEN3 in his yard a few times this year as well.

Yes ive got 10, 20 30,  TW MK2, MK3 and 30 series …………….All  treasured

Its been all Fords for me recently,  8210 & 7810 SQ , 7710 bubble cab and Ford force 7000...…………...then  last week I got a 6710 2wd, that's just about covers the gaps in my 80s Ford collection.

20 hours ago, mb86 said:

40k 30 series had the Dana front axle, the one in Phill's photos has the ZF like the TW's before it so only 30k. 

That was one hell of a machinery shed Phill, no wonder you enjoyed yourself. What was the job for the big artics?

Thanks for the comments lads

In reflection I remember seeing the 8630 pulling a big chafer sprayer so I expect that was the reason for the lighter wheel option.

As for the FW30s they were pulling big Dowdeswell ploughs, probably 8 or 9 furrows as the farm was practically all mans land!!

Their replacement 9680 was on super singles and I saw it pulling a 10 or 11 furrow Naud plough in the late 90s.

As ive have said before and others on here share my sentiments, the 80s and early 90s were the golden age of modern farming,  Once Ford hung up their boots and New Holland took over the magic died with them.   The 40 series smoothed off all the rough edges of the 10 series including most of the charisma and I personally have few fond memories of them even though I will be finally buying an Imber 6640 soon. 

Its worthy of note that no other brand, even John Deere can command the crowds that show up to see a FORD working day,  for all their glitches they still are the most fondly remembered and charismatic ranges of machines ever built.  Maybe its because they were English manufactured, or maybe because they were such good lookers, or just that they represent a simpler time with more involvement for the driver.   One things for sure, Fendt will never be as well loved as the old Fords are