powerrabbit

I grow a lot of stuff in my garden. The veggie plot is an eigth of an acre and I have 3 10x6 foot greenhouses. All my surplus produce I sell to local shops and although these shops have their regular suppliers, they are always very keen to have my stuff, however small the quantity. I don't grow garlic 'cause I can't stand the stuff but I can give a few tips on raising other stuff. All red fruit and veg that grows and 'fruits' above ground likes the sun, tomatoes like to have their 'feet' in water all the time, not drowned, but 3 plants will happily take up to 2 gallons of water a day, water in the evening at sunset, growing them in a 'growbag' or soil that is very rich in dung or 'humus' is ideal, pinch out the side-shoots when they are big enough to do so and keep the 'leader' going, stake and tie each plant for support as it grows and feed with a fertaliser, liquid preferably, that has no Nitrogen content when the first truss of fruit has set, not before, once a week, 'Tomorite' mixed with the water. Diseases to look out for are grey mould, caused by a fungus which can be prevented by misting with a plant fungicide and the other disease to watch is potato blight, (the tomato is in the same family) prevent by spraying 'Bordeux mixture' (pale blue powder mix with water). Greenhouse varieties are Beefsteak, Alicante and varieties that will do uotdoors in a sheltered sunny position are Gardeners Delight and Moneymaker. These last two varieties are small fruits with many on a 'vine'. For the likes of runner, broad and other beans I find that they germinate quicker and do better in a late season like this year by soaking the seed in water to swell them (peas as well) and plant in individual pots in compost in the greenhouse in mid April and they will be ready to plant out in the garden by the second week in may but before planting out take the plants in and out of the greenhouse (out by day, in by night) to harden them off. Peas don't transplant well, sow these directly in the fine prepared soil in a 'drill' 1 inch deep x 8 inches wide and scatter the seed in to the required thickness. When peas are around 1 inch high, the birds like to pull them up and eat the pea, so you may have to take measures to prevent this. I could go on but I think that's enough for now.

I've just got the tractor, Claas Atles 362 RZ but still in the box. As said, a little tiny bit larger than 1:32. Switch the lights on by depressing the fuel tank 'filler', not sure about forward/reverse opperation and I think you have to 'pose' the front wheels for steering.

Made by Uni-Fortune under the brand name Neu Farmsland, imported from China by a company called Toys 4U, Kandytoys Exeter. EX5 1DR. There is another name on the box, Great Faith Industries LTD who are a member of the Uni-Fortune Toys Group, (www.greatfaithtoys.com) made under license from Claas. Tractor (Atles 996 RZ) takes 3x AG13 watch type battery cells (included) + 2x AAA batteries (not included). Hope this answers some of the questions.

I managed to get one from my local Claas dealer and the chap that gets model stock through Claas itself and is really on the ball, said that he had a difficult time in getting any so wheather they are a bit scarce or no is anybodys guess. As for future value, how long is a bit of string

Covering up the broad beans in the garden to stop the jackdaws pulling them up. When it came in to rain this afternoon sat on the computer and listed 35 1970's and 80's Massey ferguson machinery and combine brochures on eBay, and before anyone asks, yes, Marky already has them in his collection. :'(

This is the Hachette 1:43 Feild Marshall, £14.99 when I had mine. This one will most likeley be available again in the UH 1:43 ones that are coming to the market now in the 'country' perspex boxes so it will pay to hang on. I have been told that not all the models in this scale from the Hachette series will be re-introduced under the UH name in the UK market but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

There is some very good Land Rover stuff on Youtube, people treat their animals with more respect and compassion than what's on there. Well worth a look.

This version of the combine was the last one to be produced but as for rarity, difficult to say. I have only ever come across one example, that one is languishing on my 'heap of to do's' at present as it is missing the left-hand cab headlamp. I can't really remember having ever seen one in my local toyshop, perhaps back then I was not so observant. I guess that they would be reasonably rare now as being more of a kids toy rather than a 'model', most have now been consumed by the sand pit.

Just watched the clip from Noel's link and thought it was terrific, well done to everyone involved. Perhaps this may give all of us more inspiration and future goals to achive. It would be good if we could persuade the BBC over here to do such a report on some of the similar events. I will have to sound out some of my BBC contacts, one such chap that I know very well does quite a few farming related docu-type programmes, he might be up for it.

Is that part of the BBC? If so, perhaps those of us who can't get the programme can watch it on BBCi. If anyone could put up a link so's we can watch it on the computer. I reckon it would be well worth watching.

Bit of a rip-off that 65. It's the 'Hachette' one, £17 to £19 in the toy fairs and thats plenty enough. Same scenario with the David Brown Cropmaster he has listed. Look out for a chap from France on eBay called Mickey-V (Michael Vasilliou), he's a really nice bloke and most of his Hachette tractors are buy-it-now for £14.99 + £4 post and packing.

Looking at the pictures in the eBay listing it is difficult to tell if this is actually a Deutz Allis as there is no decal on the side of the roof so that would arouse my suspicions immediately but, on the other hand, being in the States it could be right and that the decal had become detatched but again, if it is genuine, sureley, an attempt would have been made by the seller to stick it back on. \ These, like the yellow and black Vermere round baler, were made for the US market. The tractor is a Deutz DX110 produced in the 'straw' box between 1978 and 1983. The first version driver had a blue coat and the lift lever was inside the cab and you had to remove the cab to operate the lever and the rear wheels were MF595 type. The second version had a driver in a red coat and the lift lever re-positioned allowing it to be operated from outside the cab. 3rd version was the same as 2 but fitted with Heston type rear wheels (slotted centres. 595 type were solid centres). 4th and last version had plastic linkage instead of the previous metal links, the driver had a creamy-white coat and the front wheels were Ford TW-20 style. A little too comprehensive descriptions possibly, but worth noting and looking out for when purchasing an unboxed example (of any Britain's tractor model) especially when potentially paying good money for a wrong un.

Filling the chasis/engine casting with lead shot and then with resin or the like to bind it together would stick up the steering would'nt it?

That would make it rattle, just like a real Massey!

I've been having a parts day. Been to a fairly local ex D.B dealers today and brought home about a ton and a half of new spares that they have taken out of the stores. Up there by half nine, home by half eleven but took till quarter past five to get it all unloaded and put away in the shed. Did'nt take five minuits to load them on the trailer with the Kramer, 2 four foot cube cardboard boxes on pallets. Really enjoyed going through the boxes and seeing what goodies were in them, had to empty the boxes by hand to get it all through the shed door and then put it all back in the big boxes again!

Cor blimey, soon be as many tractor mags about as different coloured Fendt's! Already take 3 tractor mags, have to draw the line somewhere me thinks. Should be good though.

Had an email from my longstanding accountant this evening telling me that he is intending to charge me ?15 to come and collect my books. I pay the swine enough in fees every year and now he's adding this insult. I shant say anything untill he comes out but in the words of Sir Allan it's going to be "You're fired!"

Both Ford 5000 replacement exhusts are available. The early one, pre-force had the white oval shorter type with the top pipe to the front of the box and pipe from bonnet in the centre of the box. The later force type was the longer round exhaust that was more of a pale grey in colour. Brian Norman does them and there are often some listed by a chap on eBay if you type in the search box Britain's parts.

I'm always looking for roughish Corgi 1412's as they are a fairly good base for conversions, albeit 12 and 14 series only, 4WD derivitives and weather-frame convo and remember the 1200 that I did, but a little limited due to scale but they seem to be quite expensive now even rough ones, there was a time a couple of years ago that you could pick them up for a quid or two but hard to find now for under 12 quid or so.

These were produced by Corgi in 1976 and are now making anything up to around ?50 for a good boxed example. At this time the 1412 was also available on its own, with a tipping dump trailer and there was a set comprising of the tractor, tower silo and grain auger and trailer. Then in the mid 1990's they re-introduced the 1412 and dump trailer set in a horrible green with muddy spattering and different decals on the tractor, this latter release was so unpopular that they were being sold off for ?2 a set to shift them but funnily enough, you don't see as many of these around as the earlier ones. These were the only David Brown models made by Corgi but it is rumoured that a David Brown will be among the tractor models that Corgy are issuing mid year.

Most manufacturers give horsepower specifications in the three catagories as engine horsepower is what the engine develops on the testbed at specific revs-per-minute. PTO horsepower is lower as power to the PTO is lost through the drive-train as a certain amount of power from the engine is used to operate the machine connected to the PTO. Drawbar horsepower is what you have when the power is being put through the drive-train to the rear wheels. The three lots of horsepower quoted is what the tractor will develop as a maximum of each one. Some quote power in Kilowatts and if my memory serves me correct, one horsepower equals 46 Watts. 1000w = 1Kw.

I've been re-building my chicken house that has stood in the garden for a number of years un-used and neglected. It's only a small 6 hen half inch ply house but I had to put a new back on it, build new nestboxes that fit on the outside, one end, and put a new roof and felt on it as well. Got all the new materials from a builders supplies firm just out the road, cheaper than anywhere else around me, and delivered free. Been doing it up since the beginning of the week but the culmination of the task was that I was able to fetch the 6 hens today and settle them into their new home. All they have to do now is lay eggs, Lowman Traditional is the breed and they are supposed to lay around 320 eggs a year each.

Here are a couple of pictures that Matt requested. The David Brown 990 example. 'Approved and recommended by David Brown Tractors Ltd' as it says on the cover. This book was produced in 1963 and was part of a series of model books available at the time by Bancroft and this particular one was priced at 3 Shillings and Sixpence (17.5p in todays money). The first few pages have in large bold print the description of the tractor, its associated equipment and block printed pictures in black and white and a page of instructions of how to assemble the model.

I believe that in years past there were a few books around that had a cardboard model 'cut-out' theme. I have an intact one of these books from 1963 of a David Brown red 990 tractor that when cut out and put together is a very respectable and accurate 3D model of the tractor in 1:16 scale. This particular book is now a very rare item and I am obviously going to keep it in its untouched form, I will one day get the actual pages of the model parts photocopied onto appropriate card so that I can build it up without dessacrating the original. At a guess I reckon there was, but does anyone know of other tractor cut-out models?

A freind of mine is a fitter for Masons, went to school with his Dad, he said that they have sold 4 combines recently and their new tractor sales are pretty healthy as well. They seem to be doing a good trade at the moment. Have'nt been down in the yard lateley, only 6 miles from me.