Bluegreen archives

[mb86]

Cracking photos from you both, I think this site needs an 18+ rating since you've posted all this 80's and 90's porn. 

[justy 46]

26 minutes ago, bluegreen said:

No problem at all Nick,  I think the 70/80/90s Fords hold a special place in most tractor enthusiasts hearts...…………...They just ooze charisma from the Ford 2000 of the early 70s up until the 30 series final models of the early 90s...…………………..The more pictures of them uploaded to FTF the better I say

Nothing I love more than pics of working Fords from yesteryear Martin.. If you have more ,,keep them coming..

[bluegreen]

Some big TWs this time round

The TW25 with the 7f Ransomes plough belonged to Tilbrooks near Red Lodge/ Chippenham and this farm got in the news when they sold a very rare old 70s tractor that's name eludes me...……..I know it was similar styling to a Roadless and sold for £46,000 or thereabouts around 20 years ago now I guess.

What cant be seen in the picture were the two New Holland 8070 harvesters busy cutting the crop as the ploughman began turning the stubble over...……………..wish I had taken more pics of the scene but I was just a lad and probably in a hurry to go elsewhere...………………..Tilbrooks were all Ford at the time and had an 8210, 2x  7610 and 6610 as I recall.

The TW35 was Robert Claydons who Ive featured in other pics earlier,  this was his last big Ford and as his estate got bigger and he handed control over to his son they switched over too big JDs, CASE ,JCB and a few MFs...…………………………………..I managed to spoil the picture by not closing the camera up correctly after putting a new film in...……….this allowed extra light in and the subsequent over exposure.

[bluegreen]

I think it had a double barrelled name not unlike Allis Chalmers...…………….it was big grey blue looking machine with four equal sized wheels like county and Roadless,  maybe even from late 60s but I recall there were only single figure numbers of them sold in uk.

[justy 46]

A PowerPlus  7600 !!!! 103 Horseys !!  They must have been the most powerful 4 pot on the market in their day .

[bluegreen]

Im on facebook Nick so I will go have a look myself

I think the Tilbrooks tractor was the Matbro Mastiff,  I seem to remember reading it was one of three made which is probably why it made over 40k!!   Anyway Tilbrooks just like all the other Ford farms around where I used to live don't have a blue tractor on the farms anymore,  other than the Tuddenham prototype T7 and T6s.

[bluegreen]

I was a regular visitor to Stetchworth estates back in the late 80s early 90s and they used to let me drive one of their 1987 Ford 7610s, these were specced with larger than standard front rims according to one of the drivers...……………………...like so many of the farms in the surrounding area that ran Fords in the early to mid 80s they also went on to ditch  them completely in the 90s and went over to MF3000/3600s...…………..mind you they did change one of the 7610s for an ex demo 7810 a little while before going all red...………..And then eventually  becoming one of Fendts  victims in early 2000s with a pair of 716s

 

[bluegreen]

Perhaps my favourite Ford farm back in the early 90s was Weston Colville Estates  who had a good 3000 acres of cereals and a couple of hundred acres of sugar beet too harvest.  They had a reputation of being tightwads!!   Believed in getting their moneys worth out of their kit and would always buy tried and tested over new and fashionable.

I remember taking some blurry pics of their two 1981 FW30s at work in the mid 80s both dualled up and also one of their two 1983 "Y" reg Ford 8210s.

And then in May 1992 I had started a job selling two way radios and got an invite to the farm too discuss a new radio system..................well that was heaven sent for me, because they had just finished a two year machinery replacement plan and wanted new radios fitted into all their kit.................And after I had revealed to the stoney faced Farm manager that I was a tractor enthusiast he lightened up and gave me a tour of the machinery shed, which was mostly one large open sided barn!!   In it sat  two brand new freshly delivered  New Holland TF46 combines with 20ft headers,  a 1989 Versatile 946,  1991 "H" reg  Ford 8630, 8210 gen3 and 7810,  plus a couple of older bubble cab 7610/ 6610s............................ And an 1987 Ford TW25 which he told me was shortly being replaced with a brand new 8830

Anyways I got the radio deal after a bit of haggling and went back in july to see our fitters at work on the farm having fun drilling holes for radio wires into the cab roofs.

They were one of those farms that believed in multi passes to get the right seedbed..................must have used a tonne of diesel!!!

I didn't actually get my camera on them until 1996 when I caught most of their gear cultivating and drilling,  they had the 7810 on an accord 4m pneumatic drill,  the 8630 on a simba multi press, the 8210 snailing along with a 4m power harrow and a new New Holland 6640 on a big set of rolls.  They had switched the versatile 946 for a new 9680 which was huge!!  And the 8830 as I recall was in a field I couldn't get to.   Anyway they were the last farm too change away from the classic blues and by 2000 they had a new manager and Claas and JD kit plus a Magnum 7250 I featured earlier on this thread.

I liked the 8630 as it was one of those with the new style wheels on it at the time,  although I took a picture of a hired in additional 8630 from Ernest DOEs with the classic PAVT wheels pulling a scissor lift trailer with drill seed in it.

 

[mb86]

50 minutes ago, prickles said:

The 8630 with lightweight rear wheel centres was perhaps 40km/h version too!

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?

[chris.watson]

That simba top tilth is a sight shinier than our one Phil. Nice pics mate.

[JEP]

Love these archives, great photos, excellent background info and details, really brings it back into focus. 

An era which didn't seem quite as rushed, more people/more tractors and tackle at work (admittedly not as efficient as today) just seemed to be better/more interesting times, maybe l have rose tinted glasses, but I would love to go back in a time machine for a season..... 

Thanks again for posting bluegreen. 

[bluegreen]

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

Edited October 9, 2018 by bluegreen

[mb86]

We'll said, fully after with you there. 

[bluegreen]

Right, before I move on to 40s and 70 series  I thought I would share a few pictures from September 9th 2018 blue force event near Stowmarket , Suffolk...………………………..not as many Fords as I had hoped for, but some decent one just the same.

 

[bluegreen]

As I move into the final Ford tractor archives featuring 40 and 70 series which morphed into New Hollands, I thought I would share this picture taken at an Elveden Farms auction in early 1997...…………..As usual I regret not taking more pictures but this is a good one as they were moving out all their remaining 1991- 93 machines which included Ford 6810, 7810, 8210 and 8730, 7840s  plus John Deere 3650, 3050 and 7700, 6400 

Elveden used to be mostly Fords but with a few Deeres and MFs on one farm...……………….Then after this auction it went nearly all JD, then they went to CASE in 2000 followed by McMacs and then back to the blues with New Holland 6 and 7000s and then onto Fendt about 5 years ago...……………..unfortunately!!

[bluegreen]

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.

[CX820Joe]

Love those 70 series - Contractor near here has 4 or 5 of them now (and a similar number of 10 series Deeres)

[bluegreen]

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?

[bluegreen]

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.

 

[bluegreen]

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

Edited November 20, 2018 by bluegreen

[Udimore]

Cracking porn story with photos 

[bluegreen]

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.

Edited November 23, 2018 by bluegreen

[Tractorman810]

isnt that a white top 40 series phil?? 

[bluegreen]

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

 

[bluegreen]

In 1998 I was frequently out around the Littleport area in the Cambs fens which is home to A.L.Lee and sons,  They've always had loads of blue tractors due to Ernest DOEs dealership being less than a mile away!   Potato harvest was always excellent because they would have 6 or more trailed harvesters at work with all their tractors on trailers, plus a whole host of hired in or demo or used machines from DOEs, plus fleets of Marston and Richard Western trailers...………………...I remember one day I went out spotting and discovered 12 trailed harvesters with either a New Holland 8360 or 8240 on the front of it and all working for the Lee family.

In the picture below I got a new 8360 plus a hired in NH 8770 hard at work...………………...it was in the same field where I saw a Ford 8730 on a 6 furrow plough being chain led by a TW25 in the early 90s in very wet conditions,  I regretted not getting pictures of that rig I can tell you.   Back in the 90s the farm had over 5000 acres,  now it must be heading past 12000acres!!  They currently use big John Deere 9RX/8RT/Rs for all the heavy work,  but still have at least 20+ New Hollands almost all new shape T7.210s now.  Potato harvesters number at least 6 Dewulf and Grimme self propelled bunker machines...…..yawn!   Give me the set up below everytime thanks