What Britains farm item had the longest production run

[MDFord]

As the title suggests....

Couple of ideas, 2 wheel tipping trailer, 3 furrow plough ??

Also perhaps difficult to determine, as some items were deleted and reinstated.

Any ideas anyone ?

[Tractorman810]

i recon you aint to far wrong with the 2 wheel small tipper in various looks and the 3 furrow ploughs, cant think of anything else thats been arround as long as they have

[archbarch]

that fold up cultivator seems to have been round a fair while??? although i would say the 2 wheel tipping trailer.

not sure about the bales though???

[PDH]

Having gone through the yearly catalogues noting when a model was introduced and finally dropped based on the Model Number (hope thats clear)

9540 Manure Spreader was in the catalogue continuously from 1971 to 2000 29 years

9546 Ploughs was in the catalogue continuously from 1975 to 2002 27 years

9577 Massey Ferguson 130 Seed Drill was in the catalogue continuously from 1979 to 2003 24 years

Hope this helps

[powerrabbit]

Without looking it all up, I think the Chafer sprayer had a very long life and in its various incarnations and model variants the Land Rover must be one of if not the longest produced. Quite a lot of the farm figures and animals have been around for an eternity from their original lead forms through the polythene and plastic eras although there have been several mould changes over the years. I did read somewhere that the longest running production of the figures to date has been that of the scarecrow.

[nick a]

i would guess two wheeled tipping trailer longest running model with various part numbers and colours starting out as  130F in 1949?  last versions in sets around 2005.

[Jdeere6910]

Little squre bales or Freisian cow?

[ploughmaster]

The longest running model in the whole farm range is in fact the Shepherd.  It was introduced in 1957 under the number H1556, renumbered H2045 in 1959 (the H prefix was dropped in 1962), and then remoulded in 1971 (it was really only the base and crook that changed noticeably). It was deleted in 2005 after 48 years (which would seem correct if he started work at 17, and retired at 65    ).

The longest running implement was the Three Furrow Mounted Plough, which first appeared in 1959 (as 173F) to go on the new working two point hitch on the newly introduced Fordson Major.  It was renumbered 9530 in 1962, and then became part of the Plough Set (9555) with the Four Furrow Trailed Plough from 1970 until 1974 when the trailed plough was replaced by the Three Furrow Reversible and the set renamed 9546.  In its 53 year run until deletion at the end of 2002, the only change to the casting was the remodelling of the mouldboards and their joining to the disc in about 1976 (presumably to stop them catching the threads in the carpet fields.

Whilst the Two Wheeled Tipping Trailer (130F/9550) originally came out in 1949, it was deleted in 1978 and replaced by a new version (9565) which was so substantially remodelled as to make it a completely new model, rather than a simply a slight casting change (only the raves and jockey wheel were carried over).  This version was deleted at the end of 2003, so if you do want to call it the same thing, their total life was 54 years.

The longest running tractor was, unsurprisingly, the Ford 5610, introduced in 1987 and deleted at the end of 2001 after 14 years with the only major moulding changes being the addition of glazing (1989) and the fitting of the larger wheels and tyres and deletion of the Ford name from 1996. Bearing in mind that it was the same model as the previous Ford 7710 and TW20, with just a change of headlight/grille moulding and cab roof, it could be argued that it goes back to 1981 which would make a 21 year run.

The casting used for the Ford Super Major 5000 in 1965 (9527) was remodelled a number of times as Force 5000 & 6600, ending up as the budget range tractor and Ford 6600 with Yardscraper and Roll Bar in 1985, so this too effectively had a 21 year run.

[powerrabbit]

Regarding the shepherd and lamb, if he was by calculation 17 years old when he first 'started work' then he was an old man before his time but over the ensuing years did not age at all.    There was, besides a few changes to his colour sceme, one difference over the years and I think worth mentioning to anyone who may not have noticed, that the early version, the lamb had very tiny ears and the later one had bigger ears. Like the little girl riding the pony, early girl had short pigtails, later she had long pigtails.

[MDFord]

Some very detailed replies there, thanks gents 

The shepherd's certainly earned his retirement.

I wonder if any other old models are on the cards for a Resurrection, Vaderstad rolls, Accord seed drill for example would be good and probably still valid for today.

[Jdeere6910]

The laid down freisian cow was introduced in 1970 and is still being made today.

[ploughmaster]

I wonder if any other old models are on the cards for a Resurrection, Vaderstad rolls, Accord seed drill for example would be good and probably still valid for today.

I don't think Ertl/Britains still have the moulds for most of the models deleted before Ertl took over.

The laid down freisian cow was introduced in 1970 and is still being made today.

As was the Bull, but at 39 years, they still have a few years to go to catch up with the Shepherd or Scarecrow. Perhaps they will do, we will have to wait and see.

[Jdeere6910]

As was the Bull, but at 39 years, they still have a few years to go to catch up with the Shepherd or Scarecrow. Perhaps they will do, we will have to wait and see.

we shall have to see.

[super6]

Well I reckon its the lady with bucket as introduced with the shepherd in 1957 and still available today in a small boxed set (40954) with the farmer and his wife, 52 years and still going strong 

I thought it might be the tumbrel cart, as first introduced in 1922 as 4F up to 1941 (20 years) then from 1946 to 1973 (28 years) becoming 9505 in 1962 and 9567 in 1970 until its deletion at the end of 1973. Reintroduced in 1983 deleted end of 1984 (2 years). I make this 50 years in total so longer than the shepherd.

[ploughmaster]

Well I reckon its the lady with bucket as introduced with the shepherd in 1957 and still available today in a small boxed set (40954) with the farmer and his wife, 52 years and still going strong 

I thought it might be the tumbrel cart, as first introduced in 1922 as 4F up to 1941 (20 years) then from 1946 to 1973 (28 years) becoming 9505 in 1962 and 9567 in 1970 until its deletion at the end of 1973. Reintroduced in 1983 deleted end of 1984 (2 years). I make this 50 years in total so longer than the shepherd.

That is certainly the greatest total number of years production.  When posting the above, I had assumed the longest unbroken production run.

I did look at the Land Girl, but whilst the Shepherd had only a minor facelift in 1971 (the base and crook were altered, but the actual figure was virtually unchanged), the Land Girl, whilst similar to the previous one,  was a completely new sculpting from 1971 onward, so I felt she didn't count. 

[powerrabbit]

For the figures, the 'Britains Herald Plastic Figures' book is a good read and reference for production run of years.

[super6]

That is certainly the greatest total number of years production.  When posting the above, I had assumed the longest unbroken production run.

I did look at the Land Girl, but whilst the Shepherd had only a minor facelift in 1971 (the base and crook were altered, but the actual figure was virtually unchanged), the Land Girl, whilst similar to the previous one,  was a completely new sculpting from 1971 onward, so I felt she didn't count.

See what you mean, looks like she's has put on a bit of weight 

Its a bit like Triggers  broom, 40 years old and only had three new heads and two new handles "same" broom though 

For the figures, the 'Britains Herald Plastic Figures' book is a good read and reference for production run of years.

I was using the Peter Cole book